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2nd out of 35 books
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5 voters
Heaven Is Here: An Incredible Story of Hope, Triumph, and Everyday Joy
Stephanie Nielson began sharing her life in 2005 on nieniedialogues.com, drawing readers in with her warmth and candor. She quickly attracted a loyal following that was captivated by the upbeat mother happily raising her young children, madly in love with her husband, Christian (Mr. Nielson to her readers), and filled with gratitude for her blessed life.
However, everything...more
However, everything...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
April 3rd 2012
by Voice
(first published April 2012)
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I am half-way through this book. I am familiar with Nielson's story and somewhat fascinated with the culture of "Mormon Mommy Bloggers" because their experience is so different from mine. My life is good and great, but I struggle with parenting, I'm on a pretty tight budget, I have one child. The first third of the book left me with a lot of cultural questions. Is every LDS household in Utah well to do? There's a lot of consumerist name-dropping- her mom's convertible Audi, Banana Republic this...more
I was hesitant about reading this. I've been reading her blog for years, since before the crash. Recently I've not been a huge fan of the blog. I felt like it was a little heavy in the self-promotion and I just didn't get the inspiration from it that I use to. I also wondered if the book would be boring if I had already heard much of the details from her site.
That said, I was totally wrong. I LOVED this book. I could not put it down and when I did, I couldn't stop thinking of it. A wonderful sto...more
That said, I was totally wrong. I LOVED this book. I could not put it down and when I did, I couldn't stop thinking of it. A wonderful sto...more
46 likes · like · see review
This book exceeded my expectations by far. I learned two lessons from this book.
1. As a nurse, it was very interesting to me to read the perspective of the patient, going through horrific emotional, physical and mental pain. What eased her pain? What were the characteristics of those who helped in her healing process. She gave great examples of both healers and non-healing experiences. I really learned from them and hope that I can be more conscious of how to better help others.
2. Faith can come...more
1. As a nurse, it was very interesting to me to read the perspective of the patient, going through horrific emotional, physical and mental pain. What eased her pain? What were the characteristics of those who helped in her healing process. She gave great examples of both healers and non-healing experiences. I really learned from them and hope that I can be more conscious of how to better help others.
2. Faith can come...more
15 likes · like · see review
Hooo boy, everybody seems to love this book but I just didn't. Even the Pioneer Woman loves this book. I am not much of a blog follower and I pretty well left the Mommy Blog years behind before there even were blogs or Mommy Bloggers but I had read a few entries and about Nie Nie's accident and recovery. It's an amazing story. I love her courage and faith and perseverance. And in the vein of "don't say anything if you can't say something nice" I should probably stop right here. If you totally lo...more
24 likes · like · see review
I was familiar with NieNie's blog but not a "follower." She was too Provo, Utah Mormon bubble for me. But of course, after the accident, I was curious to know if she would recover and what 80% burns would look like on someone.
I enjoyed her writing style in her book because she seemed more honest about what she was experiencing and putting it all out there rather than in her "Life is a peach" ALL THE TIME blog. My heart broke for her and her family. I think any mother would feel as she did. It w...more
Honest and heartfelt. While the first third of the book seems to have been written to serve as a foil to the latter part, I ended up skimming it, more interested in and inspired by her life and faith after the accident than before. A few favorite quotes:
[Elder Holland] greeted us warmly. "It's so good to see you, Stephanie. I' thrilled to see you're up and walking."
As we walked he told me to be proud of my scars. "We look for Christ's scars because they are evidence of what He did for us. They'l...more
[Elder Holland] greeted us warmly. "It's so good to see you, Stephanie. I' thrilled to see you're up and walking."
As we walked he told me to be proud of my scars. "We look for Christ's scars because they are evidence of what He did for us. They'l...more
I am actually not a reader of Nie's blog but of course I have heard a lot about her...hard to miss in the blogging world. However, I was compelled to read her book and I really enjoyed it. Her story is horrifying and fantastic at the same time. I am happy she has come out on top and only getting better. I appreciated her candidness and "tell it like it is" attitude.
I so needed this book. It's a book about exactly what it says- hope. I found myself reading through tears throughout most of the book and felt my faith and testimony strengthened constantly. It has helped confirm to me that I truly can do hard things. I have thought of so many I want to share this book with so that they, too, might enjoy the joy that comes from reading this beautiful book!
More than anything, I was affected by the honesty through good and bad of her recovery and the family relationships (that supported Stephanie so well). I cried especially at moments that involved the children and their responses to her suffering and appearance. I was inspired by her faith in a God of miracles, large and small, her hope in the resurrection when all things will be restored, and her appreciation for life as she can live it now. I appreciated her short explanations of her mormon fai...more
I couldn't help but feel every emotion/pain she went through and chronicled in this book. Reading about how much she loves motherhood made me want to snuggle with my kids :-) I think I'll have to read something upbeat after this though. It was pretty emotionally draining to read. It's definitely a page turner!!!
It is hard to put into words how I feel about this book. There are a few things that I really like: 1) Her son Ollie and how he did not care how she looked -- she was just his mom. 2) She does a good job of presenting her faith without being preachy and this is hard to do. It is such an integral part of her that it comes off as it should - sincere and real. 3) She does a great job of talking about her depression and sharing some things that others might be judgemental of (not wanting to see her...more
What an experience. The stark contrast on her life before the crash and after, gives my head a turn. I can't fathom ever having to go through that. It was comforting and inspiring to see all her ups and downs, the good days and the bad. And nothing was sugar coated, and all very real. She went through much physical, and so much more emotional trauma, and came out a marvelous person. I admire her for that!
However, I hate rating biographies, or in this case, a memoir. It's feels like I am supposed...more
However, I hate rating biographies, or in this case, a memoir. It's feels like I am supposed...more
I have read Stephanie's blog for a while. I had come across it several times before her accident, but wouldn't call myself a regular reader of it then. After the accident, I read her and her sisters blog regularly and they are still on my reader feed today. The book is put into three sections - life before the accident, the accident and the immediate aftermath and then life currently (or at least when it was written). I had just gotten the book from the library and skimmed through it, starting t...more
What happens when a joyful and hard-working mother of four young children finds her world completely flipped on its head? What if one day an accident happens and she is critically injured? VERY near death. What if after this accident she is unable to even BE with her children? Four months pass and she still hasn't seen them. She misses birthdays, the first day of school, Halloween, cuddles, reading books, making dinner and folding laundry. She can't watch them as they peacefully sleep. She loved...more
This book was brought to me by a friend saying, "you should really read this." I told my friend that Jeremy sees burn injuries as probably more difficult than spinal cord injuries and herein proves. I received so much new courage and joy reading Stephanie's daily triumphs. It was a blessing and a revelation for me. Most of all to see that Stephanie had the courage to put it all to print. A Masterpiece of personal journey.
This is from the book's description, and this is exactly why I really loved...more
This is from the book's description, and this is exactly why I really loved...more
I listened to this book as I drove across New Mexico and Arizona over the weekend. This book is amazing! It is incredibly well written and leaves the reader with a new sense of peace and hope. Stephanie describes her life before the crash starting when she met her husband, Christian. She talks about their great joy and love they have for each other before the crash. She has such a wonderful life before and after. It is heartbreaking to hear her tale of the day of the crash. She mentions somethin...more
This is not normally the sort of book I choose to read, but I participated in a church youth conference where Stephanie and Christian Nielson were the keynote speakers. Whether in reading about them beforehand or after hearing them speak, I checked out her blog nieniedialogues.com (which I'd visited only a couple times before) and saw this book for the first time. I decided to check it out of the library and started reading it a week or two after the conference on a day when I was having a parti...more
I probably wouldn't have read this if it weren't for my book club. And I do admire the faith and strength this family has needed to overcome such a trial. But I just wish that Mormon women had different kinds of role models out there, other than the "All I ever want to be is a mother and wife". While I want these things in my life, they are not the ONLY things and I really dislike that the world out there gets a taste of Mormonism from these women, like these are the only types of women in our c...more
First of all, what this woman went through is horrific. I can't imagine surviving such terrible, severe injuries. I can't imagine my baby crying for Mommy and he didn't mean me. I can't imagine my child being too scared to look at me. I can't imagine not recognizing myself in the mirror. I can't imagine having my eyes sewn shut multiple times. She did many very, VERY hard things.
However, I have some issues with this book. It is not very well written. She spends way too much time discussing how p...more
However, I have some issues with this book. It is not very well written. She spends way too much time discussing how p...more
I can't even imagine what it would be like to be in a plane crash and almost burn to death, and then face months of horrifically painful recovery, years of healing, and a lifetime of surgeries. And on top of it all, to be a mom and a wife. Stephanie Nielson, author of the blog nieniedialogues.com, knows what it's like because that's exactly what happened to her, and what she will be facing for the rest of her life.
I think many people know of Stephanie and what she's been through, but her memoir...more
I think many people know of Stephanie and what she's been through, but her memoir...more
This was a compelling book and it gave me the chance to see what life would be like if your whole world as you knew it was shattered.
I found myself crying many times as Staphanie made her baby steps to well being. I must say I was so impressed by her large and loving family and the love and steadfastness of her husband. It does take a village in some circumstances to raise us up and this story proves it.
I was not a follower of her blog and only knew about the accident from the news and from seei...more
I found myself crying many times as Staphanie made her baby steps to well being. I must say I was so impressed by her large and loving family and the love and steadfastness of her husband. It does take a village in some circumstances to raise us up and this story proves it.
I was not a follower of her blog and only knew about the accident from the news and from seei...more
This book made me really appreciate what I often take for granted. Health, strength, normal skin. It was a touching account of what must have been a hellish experience. It also made me want to love and appreciate my children more because the love Stephanie has for her children and husband was really strong. Christian, Stephanie's husband, comes across as an amazing pillar of strength throughout her recovery. I was surprised at how unwilling Stephanie was to look at her face after the accident. I...more
I had a fascination with "Mormon Mommy Bloggers" during my first two years of medical school, which has dwindled (but not disappeared) since I started clinical work. I think this interest was essentially a vicarious exploration of the world that could have been. I hold great value in the role of a mother, and admire the many mothers in my life. I hope to be a mother, too, but I don't anticipate that this will be a possibility for me for many years, as I now commit myself to surgery residency. Du...more
4.5 stars. I had actually heard about the author of this book years ago, after a news story mentioned her surviving an accident that left her with severe burns on over 80% of her body. She's a prolific blogger, detailing what used to be her normal family life and, now, her new life; however, I don't think anyone needs to have read her blog to be amazed by this book. I was a little unsure what to expect in this book, wondering if it'd have a strong religious bent to it - especially based on the t...more
What if one day one woke up, covered in bandages, their spouse and children nowhere to be seen or heard of, and they were in a place they have never seen before? What would one do? One, after figuring out they were in a horrific plane crash three months prior to waking up might just go insane. Another might cry and wonder why me, while another might experience all those emotional thoughts plus praising God for blessing her in many ways. Heaven is Here, written by Stephanie Nielson, is an amazin...more
This is kind of a hard book to rate, because part of you wants to rate the book while the other part of you feels like you are rating the person that went through a high trial, which you don't want to do.
This is a faith promoting story. I'm LDS so I already believe in the Mormon practices that you read about in this book like temple marriage, priesthood blessings, and the idea that family is our greatest responsibility while being on earth. Still, I was nothing like Stephanie as a 19 year old g...more
This is a faith promoting story. I'm LDS so I already believe in the Mormon practices that you read about in this book like temple marriage, priesthood blessings, and the idea that family is our greatest responsibility while being on earth. Still, I was nothing like Stephanie as a 19 year old g...more
This book was amazing. I finished it in less than three days. The story of Stephanie Nielson--wife, young mother of young children, living her dream--is captivating as she describes her childhood, her family relationships, the ideals she dreamed all her life of one day having, and how, little by little, they became hers. Though imperfect, her life is well-portrayed as being close to fairy-tale status (largely through the joyous eyes she used to see it that way, by focusing continually on her ble...more
This women in a major way lost her individual and identity as a mother, wife, sister, daughter, as well as physically. Almost all that defined who she was, was almost all together lost. Her children were afraid of her and she could no longer take care of them. She was convinced that her husband would no longer love her. She felt she was now a burden to her siblings and parents. Everything that she was, her old life, was gone. She was no long that person any more. This is what she thought. How sh...more
Let me start by saying that I am a fan of NieNie. I started reading her blog a few days after her accident and was one of the many who prayed for her recovery. I am also one of those people who apparently lost interest in her blog over the last year or so. I'll still check it from time to time, but it's not one of my favorites anymore. It's safe to say that I probably wouldn't have read her book if I hadn't randomly seen it sitting on the shelf at my library.
I took the book with me on vacation...more
I took the book with me on vacation...more
Beautiful memoir of Stephanie Nielson that was inspiring in every way! Definitely consider reading this! This book discusses the aftermath of Stephanie's life following a horrific plane crash that both she and her husband survive although with severe life threatening burns. She invites her readers into her life both before she meets her husband and she continues to share the details of her recovry, both the physical things she endured as well as her emotional recovery. This lady is a true surviv...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Romances: HEAVEN IS HERE - SIX BOOK GIVEAWAY | 1 | 28 | Apr 14, 2012 09:22am | |
| Book Giveaways: HEAVEN IS HERE - SIX BOOK GIVEAWAY | 1 | 25 | Apr 03, 2012 12:41am | |
| Book Giveaways: HEAVEN IS HERE - SIX BOOK GIVEAWAY | 1 | 9 | Apr 03, 2012 12:40am |
I am: Returning from a near-fatal airplane crash, burned 80% of my body, and will have surgeries for the rest of my life. Probably. But I am alive. I cherish Mr. Nielson, Claire, Jane, Oliver, Nicholas and recently, my newest sweetheart Charlotte.
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“It's a beautiful heart, not a perfect body, that leads to a beautiful life.”
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“Your heart matters most, so be gentler and more patient with yourself, and their hearts matter most, too, so be kinder and more compassionate to others.”
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