Book Review – Eric Liddell: Finish the Race

Eric Liddell: Finish the Race, written by John Keddie, is a biographical account of Eric Liddell. The book relates the story of Eric’s life including his family background, childhood, education, athletic accomplishments, missionary work, death, and legacy that continues.

Eric Liddell was a humble man committed to following the Lord and leading others to do the same. An outstanding runner, Eric became an Olympic gold medalist and world record holder. He is well known for holding to his conviction regarding the Lord’s Day (Sunday). When an Olympic event he was supposed to run in was held on Sunday, he gave up the opportunity to participate. He participated in an alternate Olympic event and won a gold medal anyway. Eric remained true to His beliefs and did not allow his Olympic fame to deter him from carrying out the work God called him to do. Although Eric was not an outgoing or eloquent speaker, the Lord used him and his experiences to influence many for Christ. Throughout his life, Eric was involved in speaking in evangelistic meetings, teaching young boys, preaching, and doing missionary work in China.

Through the story of Eric’s life, children will learn truths about Christian beliefs and who God is. They will also be inspired in their own Christian journey. As children are growing, it is beneficial for them to have good Christian role models and heroes to learn from as they are learning more about themselves and what it means to live as a Christian in the real world. This book is part of the Trailblazers series, which presents the stories of other Christian heroes including Gladys Aylward, Amy Carmichael, Hudson Taylor, and Adoniram Judson, among others.

The book’s chapters were short, and each chapter left the reader wanting to know what would happen next. Chapter discussion questions are given near the end of the book to help readers dig deeper into the truths presented. I think that this book would be ideal for home-schoolers as part of a unit study. Published in Great Britain, the book contains some expressions that may seem a little awkward to American readers, such as dates printed in a different form (e.g., 21 January instead of January 21). Nevertheless, the focus on sports and athletic competitions is something that would appeal to young readers of different backgrounds. The intended age groups printed on the back cover of the book are ages 7-9 (someone reading to them) and ages 9-14 (reading by themselves). I personally feel that this book would be better suited for the upper end of this range.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book as part of the Christian Focus 4 Kids Blog Tour.

Check out these Bible verses for inspiration in your own Christian journey: Acts 20:24; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Philippians 3:14.