Customer Reviews

Eric Liddell: Pure Gold: A New Biography of the Olympic Champion Who Inspired Chariots of Fire

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Because of the surprise hit Chariots of Fire, the world knows the name Eric Liddell. Most people also know about the stand he made for his beliefs as he refused to run an Olympic race he was favored to win simply because the race was scheduled for Sunday. Those who have seen the movie know that it ends shortly after he wins an Olympic gold medal in an event in which he had barely trained. But in Pure Gold, a biography of Liddell weighing in at 333 pages, the race is complete by the ninety-eighth page. There is much more to Liddell than the movie portrays.

Eric Liddell is a man who was sold out to God. He regarded his own desires and his own comforts as secondary to God's. Raised as the son of a missionary, he grew up away from his parents, for in those days children were left in their native country to receive their training, often seeing their parents only once every six or seven years. There was a period of over a decade in Liddell's life where he was with his parents for only 100 days. Despite the seperation, he received strong training, primarily in the Bible.

While he grew both academically and spiritually, people also came to realize that Liddell had a gift for speed. He was fast. He was also uncouth, with a running style all his own. He would start like any other runner, but as he approached the finish line, he would throw his head back and his arms would begin to flail. Yet somehow, rather than slow him down, this gave him a burst of speed that often led him to victory.

Some of his exploits from his early days are famous, such as the time he fell in a 400-meter race, but managed to climb to his feet and work his way back into first place, making up a deficit of over ten meters. And as we know from the movie, he earned a position on the British Olympic squad at the 1924 Olympic Games where he came away with two medals, a gold and a bronze. He returned to his native Scotland a hero - far and away the best-known athlete in the nation. It was this fame that provided the springboard for his mission work. Despite being a shy and quiet man, he criss-crossed the country, speaking before hundreds of thousands of people, telling them about the Lord and encouraging them to give their lives to Him.

At the very pinnacle of his athletic success, Liddell laid it all aside to become a missionary to China, the country his father had served when Eric was a boy and the country he continued to serve to that day. Liddell counted his prestige as nothing and moved to the mission field. He served the rest of his life in China before his eventual death in a Japanese internment camp during the Second World War. It is this period of his life that so few know about, yet this is where we see Liddell at his finest. It is here that we see the power and effectiveness of a life that is sold out to God.

This biography is well-written, inspiring and highly-recommended. It presents Liddell as he really was and helps the reader understand the foundation for his life. It portrays Liddell in his strength and in his weakness, through joy and sadness. It portrays the consistency of a man who lived in the same way when the eyes of the nation were upon him, or when he stood only before the eyes of the Lord.

While Chariots of Fire has done much to bring Liddell to the public eye, and while it presented the man accurately, it tells less than half the story. However, the race which forms the climax to the movie can well be seen as a metaphor for Liddell's life. He finished the race of life the same way he had finished so many races long before - with his arms flailing and his head turned to the sky, enraptured purely with the joy of running.

I had always admired Eric Liddell from what I knew of his story from the movie "Chariots of Fire." This thoroughly researched and well-written account of his entire life (only a couple of chapters focus on the time surrounding the '24 Olympics) moved me to tears several times. He lived an honest and committed life--one that is inspirational for those of us coming after him. I highly recommend this book.

Eric Liddell is an interesting & worthy subject for a biography but this one isn't it. The author did extensive research in primary documents, interviewed people who knew Liddell personally, & created an excellent bibliography. Unfortunately, the writing style is corny & some of the passages are fictionalized, particularly ones regarding Liddell's relationship with his wife Flo. The author puts thoughts in their minds that he couldn't possibly know. He so over-romanticizes his subject that he becomes almost unreal. Liddell was a great athlete & a great servant of the Lord, but the author so idolizes him that he becomes a kind of plaster saint. The main problem with this book is that it is explicitly written to be "inspirational," & so the reader is reminded over & over again what a great Christian role model Liddell was. This gets tiresome. Don't misunderstand me -- I am not knocking Liddell here at all, only the author's mode of presenting him. A less didactic book would serve Liddell better. His own words & actions speak for themselves.

Are you sure it can't be done??? well, think twice and then read this man's biography. Eric Liddell immortilized worldwide in the 1981 Hugh Hudson's motion picture Chariots of Fire in its purest form is presented in this book. A story on courage, capacity and determination. You should not miss it. You shall want to go out jogging and be a better person to say the least!

From his birth on January 16, 1902 in Tientsin, China, to his unexpected death due to a brain tumor on February 21, 1945 in a japanese concentration camp in that same country, passing through his experiences at boarding school in the UK, his olympic victory, his religious commitments, his unbelievable determination, his beloved Florence ("Flo") and the beautiful love story that surrounded their relationship, the people who marked his life (his mother Mary, father James, brothers Rob and Ernest, sister Jenny, etc.). A book that brought out emotions from the beginning when I read about Florence (Eric's widow) watching Chariots of Fire and imagining her reactions, her feelings of pride... This book is a thoroughly rewarding experience!

This is wonderful and complete, and it tells the story that most people don't know, far beyond the Olympics.
One word of warning: this is written and distributed through a Christian Publishing house in Michigan, and is highly inspirational and religiously oriented. If that turns you off, do not read. Or maybe DO read....but for sheer completeness of the Liddell story, there is nothing else that comes close to this volume.

I picked up this book about Eric Liddell 1.5 years ago in large part due to the fact that I was assigned a film analysis on the Chariots of Fire. Eric Liddell won an Olympic gold medal in the 400 meters at the 1924 summer games in Paris, and his life story inspired the 1981 "Best Picture," Chariots of Fire. After his unexpected victory in the 400, Eric would serve and follow Christ in China for the remainder of his life - many of those years would be in Tianjin where I have been living for the past 6.5 years. I really enjoyed reading about the Flying Scotsman, and I was reminded about how easy our lives are compared to those who lived in the Middle Kingdom long ago. The book also cleared up the creative fabrications found in Chariots of Fire. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about a man who ran for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Eric Liddell is often viewed from the one lens of a great Christian athlete, defying the desires of a nation in order to stand strong for the faith he believes in. While this is true, it is only a fraction of the story of a man whose entire life was lived as a powerful testimony to the gospel of Christ.

McCasland's biography does a great job in painting a much more complete portrait of Liddell, giving well deserved attention to the 1924 Paris Olympics, but also showing how this was not an agonizing decision of a man torn between love of sport and love of God. Instead, this was a wholehearted decision that God had priority in his life above all others. The book reveals how this is simply a natural outworking of the strong Christian faith that had already taken root in the son of missionaries to China. The majority of the book is spent looking at Eric Liddell the missionary. His work in China is well documented, from his arrival as a science teacher to his untimely death in an internment camp.

Pros: Great background work on pointing out the happenings around Eric that would shape his life. He also calls due attention to the many people who affected Eric through different ministerial or athletic endeavors. He also draws attention to the specific times and elements that he thinks had the greatest impact on Eric's life, especially those things that had a strong spiritual impact.

Cons: Very few and probably a little particular on my part. First, I would have really liked endnotes. There is a great bibliography included, but there are no notes to attach what quote or fact came from what source, though this is perhaps more of a popular book than a scholarly one. The other con that I might raise is no wrapping up of Eric's life as a whole. I must admit, I have not read a great many biographies lately, so this may be asking too much, but the recent D.L. Moody biography A Passion for Souls I read (great book!) contained a final chapter that helped draw together some conclusions about his life and see through many of the facts into some key factors throughout his life that were important. While this may be uncommon, it is much appreciated by this reviewer.

Overall, I would highly recommend this. Though it can get fairly dry in some areas and be heavy on facts, there is great benefit in examining the life of Eric Liddell and seeing where the Lord might still work in our own lives.

Pure Gold by David McCasland provides an exquisite look into the life of Eric Liddell, missionary to China throughout the early 1900's. Mr. McCasland's book captures the passion that Eric had for his Lord and for the mission field. While Eric Liddell is best known for his Olympic running achievements as portrayed in the film, Chariots of Fire, not as much is known about his intense devotion to both God and his family. The book includes a section of photographs that complement the book well. This was an inspiring and thoughtful insight into a truly great man of God.

Pure Gold is the biography of Eric Liddell, Olympic gold medalist, Scottish missionary in China, husband, father, friend, and above all, follower of Christ.

Liddell is known to millions through the story of his victory at the 1924 games in Paris as told in the award winning film Chariots of Fire. The movie ends with the simple statement that subsequently Liddell served as a missionary in China where he died in 1945 and "all of Scotland mourned".

Author David McCasland did extensive research and conducted many interviews to piece together the full life story of this remarkable man.

His exemplary life of obedience flowed out of an intimate relationship with his Savior, cultivated in the hour or more of prayer and Bible reading with which he started every day.

Liddell's life story gives insight into the meaning of Romans 8:14, "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God".

In the truest sense this is who he was.

Outstanding book on the life of a young dedicated christian.
Should be of great encouragement to young people who desperately need someone as an role model in this day of confusion.
Book is well written and brings out his courage to do that which is right in the face of adversity.
Book is written in a foremat that can be enjoyed by those of any age group.