Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back

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Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back

by Todd Burpo, Lynn Vincent (Contributor)

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 93,516 ratings · 9,276 reviews

"Do you remember the hospital, Colton?" Sonja said. "Yes, mommy, I remember," he said. "That's where the angels sang to me."

When Colton Burpo made it through an emergency appendectomy, his family was overjoyed at his miraculous survival. What they weren't expecting, though, was the story that emerged in the months that followed--a story as beautiful as it was extraordinary...more

Paperback, 163 pages

Published November 2nd 2010 by Thomas Nelson Publishers (first published 2010)

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Jul 29, 2012 Stephanie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion, 2011, fiction, pure-crap

Oh Boy.

I am reluctant to review this since I have friends who loved this book, and my mother recommended it. But this book bugged me so much I just have to have my say.

This is a book about a three year old boy who comes close to death (never pronounced clinically dead, as in most near death experiences ), Claims that he hung out with Jesus, God, John the Baptist, Gabriel, the Holy Ghost, his great grandpa, his dead sister, and Jesus's rainbow horse. The standard men in white beards and giant thr...more Oh Boy.

I am reluctant to review this since I have friends who loved this book, and my mother recommended it. But this book bugged me so much I just have to have my say.

This is a book about a three year old boy who comes close to death (never pronounced clinically dead, as in most near death experiences ), Claims that he hung out with Jesus, God, John the Baptist, Gabriel, the Holy Ghost, his great grandpa, his dead sister, and Jesus's rainbow horse. The standard men in white beards and giant thrones.

I do not doubt for a second that this child experienced something, be it a near death experience or an illness spawned delusion, but I take issue with how his story comes about. I have an open mind about this kind of thing, but.....awe c'mon.

So what happens is that this little boy gets really really sick, vomits every 30 minutes. His parents eventually get him to a hospital where lots of tests are administered. Even though the Burpos question whether it is appendicitis (they have a strong feeling it is) the incompetent doctor says all tests say no. So instead of ripping the child out of bed and heading for a different hospital immediately, they wait 3 or 5 days (can't remember which). By the time they get it in gear and get him to a new doctor the boy is very close to death. His appendix has ruptured and poison was circulated through him, he was dehydrated, and of course he hadn't eaten in days. Ripe for delusion I say.

He of course is taken into emergency surgery, during which he has his NDE/out of body experience. Some compelling things do happen that a lines itself more with out of body experience, he knows what his parents are doing in other rooms for instance. When he is in "Heaven" He sees dead relatives he had never met before. This is all I can buy.

Whenever someone reports a NDE, they are usually consistent with that persons belief system. If you are a Christian, it's Christiany, if you are Hindu, it's Hinuy, if you are Jewish it's........ well nothing at all since they don't believe in an afterlife (I kid, I don't know if that's true). So did I mention Colten's (SP?) father, the author Todd Burpo, is an evangelical preacher man?

Slowly Colten's story comes out, by means of a myrid of questions by his father (leading ones no doubt). Colten would mention stuff like what color cloths Jesus wore (purple if you wondered) and his dad jaw would drop (this happened often) because no one had ever told Colten that. "How could he know this?" his dad wondered. I'll tell you how Todd, he probably heard you say this and every other biblical tid bit your jaw drops to to other people, and he heard it! Being your a preacher and all, it's bible bible bible day in and day out in your household. My question is how could he not know it? Three year old brains are super sponges, Brain-wows if you will....that's how he knew it Todd, no great mystery.

As I was listening to this book I kept trying to keep an open mind, but where this book completely jumped the shark for me was during a part where Colten is with his dad and family at a funeral. Colten points at the casket with a stern and concerned look on his face and says "Did that man have Jesus in his heart daddy? He had to have Jesus in his heart or he won't go to Heaven!!" *insert drama sting here* and Todd's jaw....dropped once again. During this I'm standing in Aldis looking at the cauliflower and said out loud AWE C'MON!! I got a few stares, so I dropped the cauliflower and said "spots".

This book is written by a guy who really believes in his evangelicalism. He rummaged around in Colten's "memories" and got "answers" he believes proves his evangelical Christianity. If you don't believe what he believes folks 'ya aint gettin' into heaven people...sorry.(less)

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Mar 07, 2012 Jacob J. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, bunk, chloroform-in-print

Reviewing this book from my standpoint will probably be as functionally useful as explaining to my devout, border-line senile great-aunt Edna why I abandoned the family tradition of Norwegian Lutheranism for methodological naturalism/ critical inquiry, proceeding to suggest such an outlook to her in her twilight years, and perhaps just as surreal. Even reading it seemed rather evil-twin-like of me.

If I ever mention that I read this book to some bottom-feeding bookstore lady who would gasp and go...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Xox rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: trash-and-bullshit

What kind of bullshit is this book selling? Why is it on the top seller list for 56 weeks? What kind of stupid person would take a 4 year old boy story as real?

The boy almost die because his parents are stupid as fuck. They have the chance to take him to a proper hospital but they didn't. They took him to an unequip hospital after hours of driving, and when he got to the proper one, he almost died.

This is a form of child abuse to begin with.

The boy didn't see Jesus or such nonsense. He suffered...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Amanda rated it 1 of 5 stars

So I'll preface this by saying the following:
1.) I would have never read this of my own accord. I read it only for book club.
2.) I was skeptical going in.
3.) Though I'm a born-and-raised Catholic, I would classify myself as an agnostic, at best.
4.) I'll also admit I skimmed huge chunks of this book. It was the only way I was going to get through it at all. It was worse than I expected.

Things that Bothered Me (in no particular order):
1.) The first half of the book is the father rambling about hi...more So I'll preface this by saying the following:
1.) I would have never read this of my own accord. I read it only for book club.
2.) I was skeptical going in.
3.) Though I'm a born-and-raised Catholic, I would classify myself as an agnostic, at best.
4.) I'll also admit I skimmed huge chunks of this book. It was the only way I was going to get through it at all. It was worse than I expected.

Things that Bothered Me (in no particular order):
1.) The first half of the book is the father rambling about his illnesses. Yes, I'm very sad the guy had kidney stones and breast cancer and [some other ailment I can't remember]...but I don't see what any of that has to do with the kid getting sick.

2.) If this was all so moving, why did they wait seven years before writing the book?

3.) The kid is 11 now. Don't you think that's old enough that he could have wrote the book on his own? Or at least contributed a chapter in his own words?

4.) Others have said this, but it bears repeating: isn't it convenient that this miracle happened to a pastor's kid? The dad keeps going on and on about how Colton just "couldn't have known" about so much of this religious stuff. Really? Kids are remarkably perceptive. I would find this all much more moving if it had happened to a kid who had never heard "the good word."

5.) The parents only dragged the story out of the kid over the course of years. As a parent, this is extremely odd to me. If my kid started telling me one day he'd been to heaven, you better believe I'd be asking some questions, and right now, not five years later.

Finally (and this verges on a rant), it kind of annoys me how many Christians are saying that this changed their life / moved them to be better parents / etc... I'm sorry...you have the Bible. The WORD OF GOD isn't enough for you? It takes a fairy tale as told by a three year old to convince you that maybe you should get your act together and start acting like a Christian?

Fundamentally, I was just the wrong person to read this book. I am not its target audience. A belief in heaven presupposes a belief in God. Until you can sell me on that, there's not much this (poorly written, highly questionable) book is going to do for me.

ETA (2/2012): I think it's pretty clear I think this particular book is crap. However, if you're interested in first-hand, post-death experiences, I'd suggest reading, "90 Minutes in Heaven". It's similar in its premise--a man dies, spends 90 minutes in heaven, comes back and tells his story--, BUT it's experienced by an adult and told by that same adult. (Unlike "Heaven", which is merely the dad's retelling of the kid's story.) I read it several years ago, but remember being much more impressed by it. I will offer the caveat that I was a much better Catholic/Christian at that time than I am now, so that likely colored my perception of the book. However, even accounting for that, "90 Minutes" is certainly the better written book.(less)

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Feb 22, 2012 Laurie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Laurie by: Shannon xoxoxo

Shelves: and-everything-in-between

My best friend in the world is battling stage 4 cancer. She wanted me to read it so of course, I did. After finishing it I just can't review this book. Who am I to know if this Colton experienced "heaven" or not? I am no one to judge how well a miracle is written. It will forever be a mystery of faith.

I'm rating this 5 stars for the comfort it gave my best friend. There must be something to it if it put a smile on her face while she's dealing with this huge battle. She's not on goodreads but th...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Jeni rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book made you think. I feel like it is a feel-good story, and most everything this boy saw went along with what i believe heaven will be. I thought the writing in the beginning was well crafted and the ending wavered a bit, but overall it is a fast, captivating read. It is worth your time. I think it is possible he saw heaven, but I also am not sure all the things his 4 year old said necessarily were accurate, as is the case with all 4 year olds. This book had a way of pulling you in and ma...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Margaret Zhang rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Margaret by: Hyden Zhang

It's going to take a while for me to understand how profoundly this book will affect me.

I picked up a paperback copy at Target and started casually skimming through it. The Target employees must have thought I was crazy after a while, because I stood there in the aisle, glued to the spot and crying as I read excerpts for a good half hour.

Needless to say, I bought the book. My husband and I read it together last night.

I can't express how grateful I am to have read this book, especially during thi...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Sean rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

DISAPPOINTED!! I remained open all the way to the end hoping somehow that I would be blown away by some philosophical rant about how all people could hope to experience "heaven". I'm wondering if there was something I missed? I walked away from this book somewhat indignant at the idea that a person did not have a chance of going to heaven because they did not have Jesus in their heart. I find the book to be another example of why people have difficulty finding any spiritual comfort in religion,...more

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May 31, 2011 Ron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian_life

One sub-genre of Christian literature reports dead-and-back experiences. Because I criticized some as self-serving and frankly false, I receive others for my enlightenment or critique.

Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back is distinctly different. Naturally, anyone could make up a story about a four-year-old boy's brush with death and his report on what heaven's like. And this may be one of those. I have no way to judge. But unlike so many others of t...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Tina rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, non-fiction

First of all, this is a book I would never in a million years pick up on my own. I read it b/c one of my students brought it to me and told me how much he loved it, and that he wanted to lend it to me so I could read it. So, yeah: I read this b/c I care about my students and the things that are important to them. But I am also an atheist, and so of course I couldn't read the book through any other lens than that.

I honestly tried to balance being skeptical with having an open mind, but, as so man...more First of all, this is a book I would never in a million years pick up on my own. I read it b/c one of my students brought it to me and told me how much he loved it, and that he wanted to lend it to me so I could read it. So, yeah: I read this b/c I care about my students and the things that are important to them. But I am also an atheist, and so of course I couldn't read the book through any other lens than that.

I honestly tried to balance being skeptical with having an open mind, but, as so many others have pointed out, there's just too many big flaws, such as: He's the son of a preacher and so OF COURSE would/could know all this stuff that his father seems baffled by him knowing, young kids are imaginative and he doubtless started to learn that he got lots of positive attention whenever he'd talk about Heaven, the memories were revealed over several years and I find it hard to believe that the parents asked NO leading questions (and even if they somehow managed not to, we're back to issue one and the fact that he is growing up in a religious environment and is not completely ignorant of scripture), etc. See the various other one and two star reviews for a more comprehensive discussion.

More than anything, this book disturbed me. I'm not trying to be dramatic or sarcastic here, but the levels of indoctrination going on are unsettling. When a four year old kid starts freaking out at funerals about people who didn't "know" Jesus not going to heaven...that's alarming to me. And I grew up Catholic, so it's not like Christianity is scary b/c it's foreign. I guess what's scary is how closed off some religious people are to other religions and myths. I don't know.

To summarize: I don't believe this and I didn't like it (the casual sexism sprinkled in didn't help, you know), but I'm certainly glad the kid didn't die. (The incompetent doctor is another scary thing, too.)

EDITED TO ADD: Annnnnd a book on psychology that I'm currently reading just reminded me that when it comes to memory, kids under the age of 5 often can't distinguish things that actually happened to them vs. things they were told. Not that I think my skepticism needed even more justification, but, there it is.(less)

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Sep 17, 2011 Toni Tortorello-Allaway rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm half-way through it and I can't put it down. I was drawn to this book for some reason.

I have a hard time with death. I know lots of people say that, but I REALLY don't deal well with it. Anytime I think about my parents dying or even my husband & I leaving this world and leaving our girls, I actually begin to have mini-panic attacks. I don't how to describe it other than to call them "panic attacks." I really don't like thinking or talking about death. I brush it off the minute a thought...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Dawn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, other

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. When I lost my son last year, I got a lot of the "he's in heaven now, and you'll be with him again some day" comments. And I wanted to believe, I really did.. But I've always had a problem with faith. It would be so much easier for me to accept losing him, if I could truly have faith in him being safe and happy in a better place. But it's a hard thing to believe... Try though I might.

Several people in a Compassionate Friends support meeting recommended th...more I'm not sure how I feel about this book. When I lost my son last year, I got a lot of the "he's in heaven now, and you'll be with him again some day" comments. And I wanted to believe, I really did.. But I've always had a problem with faith. It would be so much easier for me to accept losing him, if I could truly have faith in him being safe and happy in a better place. But it's a hard thing to believe... Try though I might.

Several people in a Compassionate Friends support meeting recommended this book to me, and said it might help me find some faith.. Might make it a little easier for me really believe that my son is in a better place. So I read it.. And I'm not sure what I feel.

First of all, I'm not quite sure that this is a book that a parent who lost a young child should read. It tells the story of a family that almost loses a young child, and that alone triggered a lot of emotions. Longing for my son.. Sadness at his loss.. And jealousy. Because this family almost lost a son, while I did lose my son.

There's a line near the end, that really upset me...

Speaking of Colton’s experience in heaven, people have said to us, “Your family is so blessed!” In the sense that we’ve had a glimpse through the veil that separates earth from eternity, they’re right. But I also think, Blessed? We watched our son almost die.

I read this and I think... Yes, you are blessed. You watched your son almost die. But you have him with you now, he's growing up and is healthy and happy. You are blessed beyond belief.

While it did give me a lot to ponder.. It also did wonders for the guilt I feel because of my loss and the circumstances surrounding it. And I mean that in a not so good way.. It goes on and on about how they prayed and prayed, and God granted them their wish, God let them keep their son. I didn't pray, because I had no faith, I didn't believe, or at the least I didn't care. I saw no need to, I didn't know he could be taken from me. Is my son gone because of my lack of prayer? Because of my lack of belief? Because I didn't appreciate his mortality? If I had prayed the right prayer, could I have saved him? Was I not a good enough person to save him? I know these questions are silly in a way. Scratch that, I know they are silly in every way. But reading this story brought the questions repeatedly into my mind, it wasn't something I could help.

And the questions, of course, don't stop there.. Beyond those questions, were the questions that those questions inevitably led to. If the answer to those questions is yes... And it's my fault because I lacked faith.. The question isn't "Why me?" it's "Why my son?" Why did he have to be punished for my wrongs and for my lack of faith? But like I said... These sort of thoughts aren't new to me. These are questions I deal with every day, and eventually hope to work through. Reading this story just amplified them for a short period of time.

For that reason, I definitely wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who has lost a young child and is still dealing with the grief and guilt associated with that loss. Beyond that.. I need time to think about this story, to process it, discuss it, research it. I want to believe.. I want to make the right choices so I can be with my son again one day, if that's a possibility. But to make the right choices, and to believe.. I have to do it right. I have to find real faith, not conditional faith (faith based on the condition that I'll get to be with my son). It's not something that can happen over night.. But I hope one day to find peace.

With that, I'll end this review. It's been a revealing one, and I'm hesitant to post it. But... It's a part of who I am now. I have to embrace it or hide it.. And I won't hide Lucas.(less)

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Feb 09, 2012 Joy rated it 4 of 5 stars

A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven.

"Heaven Is for Real "is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.

Colton said he met his miscarried s...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Aaron Carlberg rated it 1 of 5 stars

For a while now people have been asking me to read and comment on the book Heaven is for Real written by Todd (not making up his last name) Burpo. For some reason, because I am a pastor, people think I am going to love this book about a little boy who went to heaven and met Jesus. Then Jesus sent him back (like you put your unfinished cookies back in the oven when they aren't finished).

Well, here goes…and don't hate me for being honest. I did not like this book what-so-ever.

This book plays into...more For a while now people have been asking me to read and comment on the book Heaven is for Real written by Todd (not making up his last name) Burpo. For some reason, because I am a pastor, people think I am going to love this book about a little boy who went to heaven and met Jesus. Then Jesus sent him back (like you put your unfinished cookies back in the oven when they aren't finished).

Well, here goes…and don't hate me for being honest. I did not like this book what-so-ever.

This book plays into our current climate of people going to SPEND (pick your amount of time) minutes/hours/seconds IN (pick your place) heaven/hell/purgatory/Burger King in AN EFFORT TO (pick your reason) grow your faith/make you feel good/make some money. It is not just the writing style of an adult trying to sound like a kid who sounds like an adult trying to sound like a kid, it is the poor theology that people are so willing to buy into.

First, let me just say that Todd Burpo sounds like a Christian, I am not questioning his faith. But a bit more discernment may be in order…and the fact that we do not build theology based solely on our experience (especially that of a 4 year old). As an example, scripture teaches that Jesus won our victory on the cross, he said our sins were paid for, "it is finished." Yet Jesus still has to fight (pg136-139)? If Jesus is all-powerful what is the point of him handing out swords and bows and arrows?

It seems much of the book is written to fit into a particular mindset and belief structure. Colten (the boy) will say something and the dad will interpret it with a verse that seems to make it all make sense…but it doesn't! When trying to describe Jesus, Colton is convinced that his style from the 1st century has never changed. He has brown hair, a beard, white robe with a purple sash (Jesus is the only one who gets to wear purple by the way), a crown, and red marks in the center of his palms (even though that is not where the nails would have gone) and on his feet (page 65-66.)

This goes on and on…from people getting wings to God and Jesus apparently sitting in their big chairs all day (except when Jesus is going up and down like an elevator)...oh, I almost forgot; all Angels also have to carry swords to keep Satan out of heaven (Page 133).

I do not just want to blast the book, but this is the problem with what Christianity has become…according to the book the reason Jesus died on the cross was so that we could go to heaven.

Question, is that why Jesus died?

Modern Christianity makes salvation all about us, when salvation is about Jesus. Jesus died because we were so awful, our sin so great, that we destroyed everything. Jesus' death pays for our sin not so that we could go to heaven but so we could be a redeemed people living redeemed lives in Jesus' name. Jesus rose from the dead conquering our enemies of Satan, sin, and death. Jesus' death and resurrection are about life, bringing heaven to earth in how we, as God's people, live this life.

Never once did Jesus, in the scriptures, talk about the goal being to get out of here and go somewhere else. The purpose of His coming was to restore relationship between God and us again by removing what stood in the way, namely our sin.

As Christians we must get away from the idea that Jesus died so we could get out of this place and watch it burn. Jesus died AND ROSE; the heart that Jesus had for this world should burn in us with a passion and intensity to see the lost know Him.

Heaven IS for real, but heaven is NOT the point. The point is Jesus…that is what we should remember.
(less)

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Apr 18, 2011 NatashaF Farquhar rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am already on the 11th chapter -

I am just get chills when I read this book. Last night, I spent time reading comments from Goodreads. I was shocked of all the one stars and negative comments. These are the topics that kept coming up. I just have to vent about it...

1.)WHY DID THE PARENTS WAIT SO LONG? - That the parents waited to long to take him to the doctor.Well, they did take him to the doctor. The doctor told them no thing was wrong expect a stomach virus. This can reoccur plus when the si...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Angela Highsmith rated it 1 of 5 stars

This isn't a book I would ordinarily read; however, it was abandoned in an office where I work, so I decided to read it. I wish I hadn't. It's not that I don't believe the story, but there are a couple of things about the account that trouble me. The first is the writing - it's horrific. There are several sentences I read two, three, four times and still couldn't figure out either the syntax or the idea that was being put forth. My second problem is the anecdote involving the eighth grade babysi...more

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May 15, 2011 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was a very quick read, due to the fact that I didn't want to stop reading it. Todd Burpo did an excellent job in describing the events that led to his son's discovery of Heaven. If you have children, you can appreciate his depiction of the events and mannerisms of his children. If you have lost a child, you can appreciate the pain that Todd, and especially his wife reflect upon, and the sheer joy that they experience when they are delivered a simple, yet powerful message from their son...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Jaelle Hamann rated it 2 of 5 stars

I found pieces of this book very emotionally moving and convincing. The way he wept over the sister he met in heaven and the reaction of his mother who had lost her years ago absolutely killed me. The tenderness and childlikeness displayed throughout the prose was very thoughtful. Yet there were certain passages that left me questioning it's authenticity.

I want to believe that the son was completely unhindered in what he saw but some of his descriptions sound like classic bible school teachings...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Shadia Hrichi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I heard of this story on the radio a number of years ago and was pleased to learn the book was published. The book recounts a young boy's recollection of visiting heaven during several harrowing surgeries and hospitalizations. The fact that there is little reason to doubt the child's vivid claims of meeting Jesus and relatives in heaven, is truly the book's greatest appeal. Though most would agree that the writing may not be exceptionally intriguing (truly a fast read, requiring little effort or...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Whitney Werth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is one of those books that you can't seem to put down after starting to read it. Which for me is a bit of surprise. The book first starts off with a boy named colton was sick, and was misdiagnosied with the symptons of the flu, what had lead to many doctors visits, hospital visits, to were the family finally got an answer in what was in reality happening to their son, which was his appendix had bursts, and was poisoning his body. Which then he was rushed into emergency surgery. Were he...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Benjamin R rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-aloud

My Mom has been reading us this story at nightime. We usually read 2-4 chapters. The book is about a little boy named Colton. At the beginning, he dosen't want to hold Rosie, a big Spider at the Petting Zoo. Later, he can't stop throwing up. He has to go through surgery because he had the place inside him that holds all the Poison in him exploded. Then he said that he left his body and went to Heaven. Then he said to his dad, "Hey Mommy!" Colton's Mom says "Yes?" "Did you know that Daddy was giv...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love the very last line of the epilogue of this book: "Colton, what do you want people to know from your story?"
(Colton says): " I want them to know that Heaven is for real."
And that's the journey this book took me on. Helping me get a tiny a picture of what Heaven is going to be like. This story also reminded me of the importance of childlike faith, and how much Jesus especially loves children. It emphasized in a new way how important my example and interactions are with the children in my...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Bonnie rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a breath taking book . Love the picture of Jesus. There is a heaven and this boy tells us all about it. I read this book in day and half. I couldn't put it down.

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Feb 03, 2013 Grace Best-Page rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, religion

While I don't doubt this boy's sincerity or the facts of his illness and his remembrance of what he experienced, surely there is more to God's realm than this. I find his God too small, but perhaps God tailored the boy's heaven experience specifically to him. We'll know when we get there!

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Dec 08, 2012 Fran rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm fasting my secular reading in this current season... Not sure when I will get back to the thrillers, BUT this book was highly recommended.... downloaded it in about 2 seconds to my iPod and am enjoying it immensely. The poignant telling by Colton's dad of how they almost lost him (and all the heavy stuff leading up to it!), and then discovering what their very young child experienced in the Spirit grips you from the start. I'm about 3/4 of the way through.... so glad that I moved on the reco...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Tammy Ward rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a book about a four year old boy who has a near death experience and later reveals to his parents little chunks of information that lead them to believe he traveled to Heaven and back.

As a parent, I found this book to be emotionally gut-wrenching as the boy's parents watched their son become very ill, and the desperation they felt they felt to heal him. I also found this book to be quite interesting. Even if none of it is actually true, it helped me to picture Heaven which is somtimes a...more

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May 30, 2012 Heidi rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book, and especially enjoyed my 5 year old's interest in it. We read together all of Colton's words about heaven. It was a great conversation-starter.

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May 14, 2012 Madison Deutsch rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think that the book Heaven Is for Real is a very good book for people to read. I love it so much! It is such a good book for people who don't believe in heaven or God.

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 07, 2011 Miriam Mitchell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an absolute must read for everyone that I know. Very touching. I liked that the son, Colton revealed bits of heaven over a 2 year span. It was neat to read that they would just be in the car and then he would say a type of "oh, by the way, Jesus doesn't look like any of the pictures out there" just a random thought that blew everyones mind. It definately is not a scam, or the parents feeding him information so that he would say/belive these things. Wonderful, wonderful book. I LOVED it a...more

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May 25, 2012 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, memoir, nonfiction

Helps to know that we are known in Heaven and that we are loved there. I believe that one of the reasons we feel lonely or insecure or out of place so often is because we truly do belong somewhere else that is so much more amazing that what we are experiencing right now. Our spirit feels out of place because I think it sometimes 'remembers' a better place. Similar to how we recognize eternal truths when we read/hear them. They are familiar to us because we once knew them.

Great book, read it wher...more

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“You might as well tell God what you think. He already knows it anyway.” — 41 people liked it

“...when I was angry at God because I couldn't go to my son, hold him, and comfort him, God's son was holding my son in his lap.” — 23 people liked it

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title link	preview: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7933292-heaven-is-for-real?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348467278l/7933292.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7933292-heaven-is-for-real?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo[/url]

Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back

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