"The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven" by Kevin & Alex Malarkey

At age 17, Alex recanted this story, saying he made it up.  See Boy Who Claimed He Went to Heaven Recants.  It's still a good story, but fiction.

This video is by the publisher of The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven which I thought really told about the book well:



The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven by Kevin and Alex Malarkey is the true story told by the father and son who were in a terrible car accident together.  Alex, the 6-yr. old son, was severely injured and was in a coma for two months.  Many people gathered to pray for him and when Alex woke up, he told his parents about seeing Jesus and how beautiful heaven was.  Angels ministered to him and he was able to see five angels surround his dad at the scene of the accident.  Alex is the first child to have the “Christopher Reed” surgery so he could breathe without a ventilator.  Alex talked about Jesus to everyone he met.

This is an inspiring story of hope to those who have loved ones in comas or who are trusting God for healing.  The purpose of writing this book is to show the power of God and be an encouragement to others.  It is a remarkable story and the things Alex mentions about heaven are scriptural and consistent with what Captain Black wrote about in his book, Flight to Heaven.  It was heartwarming to see how believers in Jesus supported the family and came through for them time and again to meet their needs. 

The father also shares about the struggles their family was going through in addition to taking care of Alex which included, a new baby who came home just the day before the accident, financial struggles, marriage issues. The message of what an amazing God we have is throughout the book.

It is thought provoking and although maybe not a page turner, I liked it. If you are interested in reading a modern-day account about angels, heaven and spiritual warfare, I highly recommend this book!
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Flight To Heaven--A Plane Crash--A Lone Survivor--A Journey To Heaven and Back" by Captain Dale Black

Flight To Heaven:  A Lone Survivor--A Journey To Heaven and Back is an amazing true story about Captain Dale Black who was the lone survivor of a plane crash.  He wrote about how he recovered and what he went through which is the essence of this book.  What a testimony to his faith in Jesus this book is.  Flight To Heaven is a remarkable read.  I enjoyed it very much! 
(Gerard's review)

I never read a book like this before.  It is Captain Black’s true story about his Flight to Heaven—a plane crash…a lone survivor…A Journey To Heaven—And Back.  At age 19, he was the lone survivor in a plane crash.  His body was wrecked and he was in a coma for three days, during which time he experienced a bit of heaven.  His story is both interesting and amazing!  The book takes the reader through his spiritual journey as well as his physical one of making a recovery to fly again just a year after he crashed and became a pilot giving God the glory!  It was when he surrendered his will completely to God and let God be the “pilot” of his life instead of the co-pilot that his ankle was healed.  Dale Black shares his personal testimony about his faith in God, the time of testing he went through and how he came out with a deeper desire to take them along on the flight to heaven.  My favorite quote from this book is “. . . although I am small, I am connected to a very big God!” 

Flight to Heaven by Captain Dale Black is a fantastic story that I highly recommend to anyone.  It was interesting to me that he said love from and for others is the closest thing on Earth to heaven.  I liked that this book looked at his life on two levels, not only the physical recovery but also his personal spiritual journey.  This one is a "must read."

(Karen's review)

visit www.flighttoheaven.org
Related Review by The Parchment Girl

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Last Christian" by David Gregory

The Last Christian by David Gregory is about Abigail who grew up in Africa with her missionary parents.  When a strange disease wipes out the village except for her so has to come to the USA.  Everything changes for her and no one believes in God anymore.  The Last Christian was better than I expected--a good page-turner for sure.  If you need a faith pickup, this book will do it!

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Sophie's Heart" by Lori Wick

Sophie's Heart is a contemporary, heartwarming Christian romance about a grieving widower and his three children who hire Sophie, a Christian immigrant from Czechoslovakia, to be their cook and housekeeper. It's a fun journey seeing how the family comes to love Sophie and how she slowly becomes more Americanized. Throughout the book, the author reveals Sophie's heart through her prayers and one can see what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by reading this book. I enjoyed Sophie's interaction with her friends, her driving instructor, Alec but most of all with his children. It was refreshing to see how the oldest one, Rita, helped her instead of resenting her. This book gives great insight into what Christian living is all about!  One of my favorites.
 (Karen's review 5/1/09)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Looking For A Miracle" by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Looking For A Miracle by Wanda E. Brunstetter is about Rebekah, an Amish young woman who had an accident as a girl and was confined to a wheelchair.  It is a slow moving story about how Rebekah struggles with trusting God for her future and is somewhat bitter because of her handicap.  I liked how she found a way to become more self-supporting and finally found romance and love.  It gives some insight into the Amish community which I found to be interesting and includes a recipe for home-made root beer in the back.  I recommend this for anyone who likes to read about the Amish and enjoys a light, predictable read. This is the 2nd book of the "Brides of Lancaster" series.

(Karen's review 1/9/10)

 
Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"A Merry Heart" by Wanda E. Brunstetter

A Merry Heart by Wanda E. Brunstetter is the first of the “Brides of Lancaster County” series about a school teacher who is very bitter that her old boyfriend dumped her for someone else and blames God for not answering her prayers.  She struggles with the temptation of falling for a man outside of her faith but eventually she yields to God and experiences joy in her life with her Amish husband who she married for convenience.

Slow moving romance but gave insight into the Amish community through the main character and her family.  I really didn’t care for the main character throughout most of the book because she was so bitter over being dumped by her old boyfriend.  I liked how the book showed her inner struggles and her journey to having a merry heart in the end which I liked.  I liked it enough to continue on with the series.   Even includes a recipe for Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies which sound delicious!
(Karen's review 12/31/09)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Exposure" by Brandilyn Collins

Exposure by Brandilyn Collins is a fast-paced psychological thriller about Martin, a family man, who compromises his integrity to get money to pay for his daughter’s medical treatment and the long-lasting consequences for his wife, Lorraine, and daughter, Tammy.  I loved the courage of the mother in taking on the mob by herself to save her husband’s reputation and get revenge for his death.  The book jumps right into action from the start and held my attention throughout. 

 

At the same time, the reader is treated to another mystery involving a journalist who writes about fears, Kaycee, who is being stalked and an abduction.  Kaycee turns to God for help and faces her fears head-on.  I knew early on that there was some connection between the two story lines, but did not figure out what it was until the author revealed it.  This is a very good book!

 

One thing I found a bit annoying was that the chapters were very short and practically every other one jumped to the other story line.  At one point, I actually peeked ahead to the next chapter to find out what the wife found.  I liked how the author tied up the loose ends at the end in the Epiloge and didn’t leave the reader hanging. 

 

Exposure is part of Brandilyn Collins’ “Seatbelt Suspense” series.  If you like suspense and thrillers, I recommend this book.

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Mistaken Identity by Don and Susie Van Ryn and Newell, Colleen & Whitney Cerak

Mistaken Identity by Don and Susie Van Ryn and Newell, Colleen & Whitney Cerak is a fascinating nonfiction book about how the families of their two college daughters coped with the awful incident resulting in their identities being switched. The one daughter was killed in the accident while the other survived with extensive injuries. 

The parents of the one who was killed, Laura, thought the one in the hospital bed was their daughter and only found out after five weeks that she wasn't and that their daughter had really died. The parents of the one in the hospital, Whitney, were told she was killed in the accident and didn't know Whitney was actually alive until five weeks later.

Both were strong Christian families who relied on God to get them through and saw him provide for their needs.

Although I felt sadness for what the families went through, I was uplifted and encouraged in my own faith by all the scripture and their great Christian example. I'd say the moral of this is to go and make a positive ID yourself when you find out a family member was killed. Whitney's parents both just took the word of the coroner instead of checking out the body for themselves. 

I still don't really understand how Laura's parents didn't realize that it wasn't their daughter in that hospital bed all that time. Eventually, other visitors had doubts and when Whitney could communicate, she told them her name was Whitney.
(KAREN'S REVIEW:6/20/08)


WOW, what a book! I could go on and on about this book, but the main thing is both families' unwavering faith in the Lord. You will feel a wide range of emotions. Quick read, you get into it right away. I thank both families for sharing this story and their love of the Lord. Continued blessings from our Lord to all. Please read this awesome book, it will stay with you.

(GERARD'S REVIEW 6/15/08)