Heaven Is Here: An Incredible Story of Hope, Triumph, and Everyday Joy

by Stephanie Nielson

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 changed in an instant on a sunny day in August 2008, when Stephanie and Christian were in a horrific plane crash. Christian was burned over 40 percent of his body, and Stephanie was on the brink of death, with burns over 80 percent of her body. She would remain in a coma for four months.

In the aftermath of this harrowing tragedy, Stephanie maintained a stunning sense of humor, optimism, and resilience. She has since shared this strength of spirit with others through her blog, in magazine features, and on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Now, in this moving memoir, Stephanie tells the full, extraordinary story of her unlikely recovery and the incredible love behind it—from a riveting account of the crash to all that followed in its wake. With vivid detail, Stephanie recounts her emotional and physical journey, from her first painful days after awakening from the coma to the first time she saw her face in the mirror, the first kiss she shared with Christian after the accident, and the first time she talked to her children after their long separation. She also reflects back on life before the accident, to her happy childhood as one of nine siblings, her close-knit community and strong Mormon faith, and her fairy-tale love story, all of which became her foundation of strength as she rebuilt her life.

What emerges from the wreckage of a tragic accident is a unique perspective on joy, beauty, and overcoming adversity that is as gripping as it is inspirational. Heaven Is Here is a poignant reminder of how faith and family, love and community can bolster us, sustain us, and quite literally, in some cases, save us.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Book Club, Biography, Inspirational, Lds, Religion

310 pages, Hardcover

First published April 3, 2012

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Chanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 story of survival, strength and faith. But what it did most for me was remind me of the joy of being a mother. It reminded me how much I love my family. It reminded me to be thankful and enjoy even the mundane tasks. I totally enjoyed folding laundry today. :) I held my baby a little longer. Had more patience with my daughter's homework. Spent the night at the park with my family and never felt happier or more thankful. I hope I can carry this feeling with me and that it will make me a better mother. Totally life-changing.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 love this book you should probably just stop reading now.

I didn't love the first part of the book, her courtship, marriage and satisfaction in motherhood. I imagine it was written to demonstrate her fairy tale like happiness, everything she ever wished for and more, and juxtapose all that bliss against the shocking hardship of what follows. Somehow for me that could all have been summed up in one chapter without all the brand name dropping. She grew up happy and sheltered, and well off, married a man she loved, apparently also well off, and set about building the life of her dreams - that of a devoted wife and mother. A worthy goal I both appreciate and personally embraced whenever I possibly could. I also applaud how candid she is as to her fears and feelings about reconnecting to every day life. Incredible honesty. So. So I keep wondering, am I heartless, am I just being petty and envious that so many things should come to her so easily or what the heck is it about this book that bugged me, because it did. I hope not but it's possible. Doubtless part of it is what I consider to be the overly earnest tone of so much LDS writing (I myself am LDS) - it's not great literature but I don't think that was the goal For me I guess I would have appreciated more info about what caused the plane crash (is there a legal thing going on because there sure seemed to be a dearth of info on the crash itself and I'm kind of wondering if she doesn't say anything about it strictly to put the focus on the recovery or because legally she/they can't comment or discuss - do I have a suspicious, nasty mind?). How in the world did they afford all of this, what financial struggles did the decision to move back to Utah (and thereby become unemployed, I assume) entail, how did they overcome those? Donations? I also would have liked hearing more about her husbands recovery, and perhaps his side of this story. How DID he find the strength to be such a pillar of strength for her? How did HE feel about her parents taking control of certain choices that from my point of view he should have had the final say in?

Well, again, let me say this IS a story of faith and courage, it's a great reminder that we can do hard things, that scars are reminders of miracles - it's not just one I enjoyed as much as I anticipated and based on the huge amount of 4 and 5 star ratings I am in the minority.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 or that, buying a house as a college student- that made me uncomfortable. Flying lessons? Those are super-expensive. 9-11 kids? How does one afford college tuition for all of those kids (much less groceries!) on one income? This is so far afield of my own experience that I'm somewhat awe-struck by the financial implications of having so many kids, regardless of cultural/theological emphasis on large families.

There were other questions, too, like how did the plane crash? How did Stephanie and Christian rebuild their marriage? To be sure, her recovery (their recovery) is inspiring and uplifting, but I have many more questions after reading than I did before reading.

In the end, I felt that the book was uplifting and inspiring. Not a great piece of literature, but not every book aspires to be literature. I am happy for the Nielsons that they've been able to put their lives back together after such a horrific accident and that they've had so much familial and community support. I'm chalking my discomfort up to cultural differences and leaving my questions unanswered, because mercy, people would certainly have questions about my life and decisions if they were open to the world.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 church. I'm sorry, but I do not love making my bed and cooking dinner for my family! She spent the first 90 or so pages talking about how perfect her life was and it made me want to vomit! I realize (at least I hope this was the case) that she was probably writing it that way as a contrast to her life dealing with the accident, but it was a little sickening! We need to see more examples of Mormon women who didn't find their soulmate at 19, who had to wait even longer to get married, who long for more education, who don't get pregnant right away, and/or who work or go to school while they raise their kids. This family/book was too Mormon trendy for me!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 in different stages. At the beginning of her story (post-crash) her "job" was to be still and allow her body to heal. But as the story progressed she had to choose to move forward. DId she want to leave the hospital? Well, then she had to get up and walk. Did she want her relationship with her daughter Jane to heal? Well, then she had to reach out over and over again.

Most of all, this is a story of hope. As human beings we have a great capacity to bounce back. It takes lots of patience, lots of caring hands, family, and friends but we can get through really really tough things.

My favorite point of the book: The scars are a witness of a miracle.

Don't we all have scars in some form or another? Let's not be ashamed of them, but be proud that we have overcome our various challenges.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay. So. Here's the thing. You might know who this chick is. Heck, if you live in Provo, you might know her personally. She writes that one blog that I'm actually not going to say the name of because I prefer that no one look it up and give it hits. Of course, if you're already a subscribed reader of it, hit to your heart's content. I read her book because I thought, hey, if anyone could represent her personality more in depth and honestly, it would be her, right? Her story is that she had a "perfect" life with a husband and her four kids and then they were flying in a small plane (never getting in one of those small planes by the way. And my opinion is that no one should. Ever.) and it crashed and she got burned over 80% of her body. Then she went through hell recovering from it and was able to miraculously have a fifth child. The book gives all the details of this story that is (or was) everywhere. Pretty much everything that she relates in the book before the crash made me want to vomit more than all of the burn and recovery stuff after the crash. If you want to read this book, do yourself a favor, don't read the first 50% of it. It's mind blowingly superficial. Also, when she was 19, she was apparently super crazy. Crazy in the "I saw this guy once and know he will be my husband and I'm going to stalk him, obsess over him, and cry about him every single day until he finally weds me" kind of way. And it seems she never gets less obsessed with appearances. Even after the crash, appearances (figuratively and literally) drive almost all of her thoughts, actions, reactions, and choices. I will say that she went through something utterly agonizing that I could never begin to comprehend and that she has an amazing spirit for merely living through it, much less trying to gain control of her life again. I read her book, got an idea of herself in her words, and now I will try to never talk about her or think about her again. I don't recommend. If you want to know the crash story, this article: http://www.azcentral.com/news/article... does a way more factual, informative, readable, and eloquent job of it than the book.
P.S. She and her husband lied on Oprah about the crash, saying that he saved her life and other such nonsense. The book doesn't give hardly any details about the crash; I'm pretty sure it doesn't for legal reasons because they are suing the town and the co-pilot's (who is dead) family [nonsensical suing is really up there on my reasons for disliking people list]. Because of all the lying and shady business and consumerism driven lifestyle and obsession with looks and just all around scent of entitlement . . . I do not desire to know anything more.

[Lesa Parnham · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a long time reader of NieNie, I knew most of what this book is about. She is a woman with a lot of courage and faith. If the same thing had happened to me I would crawl into bed and not come out again. That being said, I followed the entire aftermath of Stephanie's accident. There were major fundraisers including an Ebay auction, tee shirt sales, straight up money donations etc. I donated money I could ill-afford because I was touched by this story.

When NieNie started writing again it turned out they have a huge sailboat, a house bought and paid for, land where they will someday build a house, very wealthy relatives, including Christian's family who own a ranch. NieNie describes a lifestyle of being able to ski at Sundance, go to fancy resteraunts and buying things at stores like Anthropologie and Mod Cloth. Things that most of us who donated money to her could never do. It was never stated that she was a wealthy woman from a family that seems to have amost unlimited funds.

Now, some people may be thinking that I gave the money, and should accept it. However, I did not know the facts. Most of the charities that I give small amounts too are established--Red Cross, William Clinton Foundation, to help people in real need.

The other thing that disturbed me was the few sentences donated to the flight instructor who died in this crash. It is obvious that Christian was flying the pane. Are there lawsuits? Are they just oblivious? hmmmm....

I still read NieNie, and I am happy she just had a baby, but I still have these nagging questions....

Ps. Just think about the money she will get from the sales, and perhaps movie rights to this book!

[Sarah Dominguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Kacey Kendrick Wagner · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 perfect her life was before the accident (and shares way WAY too much about sex with her husband), then glosses over details about the crash, getting back into daily tasks, etc. I wanted to read more about her life now...not what it used to be. My biggest problem, though, is the whining about having another baby. When she wrote how jealous she was of her sister having her FIRST baby when she already had four beautiful children of her own, I wanted to scold her soundly! The whole book is supposed to be about being grateful for a second chance at life on earth. Complaining it's unfair that you "only" have four kids (now five) when you are lucky to even be alive (not to mention the many couples out there struggling with infertility/miscarriage/child loss who would do ANYTHING to have one child) just isn't very hopeful, triumphant, or joyous as the title claims.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I would be able to write an objective review of this book because Stephanie is my sister-in-law (married to my brother). But after finishing the book I believe I can give an honest assessment; it's good. It's really good. You already know it's inspiring and uplifting; motivating for anyone going through something difficult in life.... which pretty much means everyone.

But it's also very intimate and honest. I think anyone who has experienced a serious tragedy in life, whether or not it even comes close to what Stephanie and her family have been through, will relate to the feelings she expresses in her memoir, especially those of feeling that life will never be good again.

Stephanie is a "mommy blogger" (for lack of a better term) and not an "author/writer" per se, but she had excellent help from Amy Hackworth, who was careful to keep it "pure Nie Nie" and not insert any of her own style in to the book. They both did a great job.

Recommended for: anyone

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

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'm 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'll be the first things He shows us when we see Him again. Your scars tell a story, too. Although they may not make you feel attractive, they are a witness of a miracle, that God blessed you to live, and that you have accomplished very difficult things."
I was on a slow but steady path to accepting my scars, but it had never occurred to me to honor them for what they represented.

I had to remind myself--yet again--of all I'd learned about vanity, self-worth, and self-acceptance. I know, now, without a doubt that the true source of happiness, self-worth, and authentic beauty doesn't come from the outside. Women are constantly being persuaded to want something unachievable, to look younger or thinner and above all to fit in because being different is too painful and embarrassing. I have accepted myself in a world that does not accept me, because I have learned--and more than any of the lesson of my accident, this is the one I wish I could teach everybody--that our hearts matter most. 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. It's a beautiful heart, not a perfect body, that leads to a beautiful life.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where I got the book: ARC won on the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program. To be released on April 3, 2012 (according to the publisher; the author's blog says April 2).

I had absolutely no knowledge of Stephanie Nielson's blog, nieniedialogues.com, when I requested this book. I'm not, on the whole, a follower of mommy/homemaker bloggers, although I have a couple of friends who are active in this niche. No, what made me interested, I think, was that it was about time to tackle a memoir because it's good for me to read outside my favorite genres.

So I spent the first quarter of the book, frankly, feeling a little bored. It was pretty hard for me to relate to a woman whose ambition since childhood was to be a homemaker and mother of many, for one thing. And then it was all so perfect...a life with few real challenges, perfect husband and healthy kids (look, those of us with disabled kids never think any other mom has it hard, deal with it), large, loving extended family all active in the Mormon church, successful blogging career, yada yada yada. The only thing that kept me reading was the knowledge that the Finger of Doom was hanging over it all. Which makes me a bit of a ghoul, really.

And then the perfect husband and wife were in a small plane crash that killed their friend and left both of them badly burned, and from that point on I was completely hooked (and having slight twinges of guilt about my cavalier way of approaching memoirs of tragedy, which is to treat them a bit like these are not real people really suffering). As you can see by my reading dates, I basically devoured the last three quarters of the book in a day, a rare feat.

What words should I use to describe this book, co-written (ghosted?) by Amy Hackworth? Harrowing? Honest? The writing still got a little saccharine at times when it came to describing how the perfect family copes with disaster, but on the whole I found the narrative straightforward and, yes, compelling and frequently moving. The story focuses on Stephanie Nielson and how family and faith gave her the hope she needed to survive being 80% burned, including extensive facial disfigurement, but there is one telling glimpse of a teenage girl with similar injuries who took the path of depression and hopelessness and died of her burns. I kind of needed to see that, because these perfect-family tropes are always suspect to me; most families just aren't like this and I wonder how such a memoir can help someone in their suffering when they DON'T have such an impressive support system.

Because, after all, unless you're going to read such memoirs merely for ghoulish entertainment, you have to get something from them. And I did, in the end, find Nielson's story uplifting, but this is one of those books I have to stew in my head for a while before I can really understand the value of it.

And the writing, editing and layout were all very good, thank heaven. I had a long run of iffy books on one or the other of these scores, but now I seem to be back in the land of high standards, and I'm grateful for it.

[reading is my hustle · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have followed or checked in with stephanie's blog for years. i remember well when she and her husband were in the airplane crash. i also remember one of her sisters updating readers on the blog about stephanie's long road to recovery. the outpouring of love & support was incredible. this book is an account of her life before accident & after accident. she lays it all out there & at times it is a devastating read. i've read a few of the reviews here on GR & had to stop because i was so shocked & off put by the vitriol & negativity. many readers take issue with her for writing about her "perfect life." they assert she is somehow not authentic because she & her husband lived a life free of financial burdens. she is called fake, materialistic, accused of bragging. people can be so mean. she was part of the "mommy blogs" & featured on sites like cookie magazine & apartment therapy for her creative house interior. her blog was about her family, faith, & momlife. she is mormon & her life revolved around those very things. i never got the feeling while reading her blog or this book that she was crowing about her good fortune before or after the accident. she is clear from the beginning of her story that up until the airplane crash life had been mostly exactly what she hoped. she wanted more than anything to be a wife & mother. both defined her. after the crash everything changed & that is what her story is about. she was burned over 80% of her body, in a coma for 10+ weeks, & she would go on to have dozens of surgeries ( & many complications ) all while worrying about her four small children. she ruminated constantly about how she would ever care for them again. life as she knew it was over. but she did it somehow. with the incredible support of her family, friends, church, & faith she got through that day & the one after. she could not have done it without her family. they rallied. they stepped up & they never faltered. her sister took care of her three oldest. another sister took care of the baby. they bought a house for stephanie & her family to come home to when she was well enough to leave the hospital. they packed up her house in arizona & moved the family to utah. stephanie & her husband never lost sight of their goal to put the family back together. their extended family did everything in their power to support them in that goal. recently, i checked stephanie's blog & learned that nine years have passed since the accident. she had recently lost a pinky to amputation & had another surgery on her nose. she manages pain still & has more surgeries in her future; & yet there she was smiling & looking unbearably proud of her family & good fortune. AMAZING.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received "Heaven is Here" by Stephanie Nielson through the Library Thing Early Reviewers program. Upon hearing that I had won a copy of the book to read and review, I was a bit concerned that I would find Nielson's Mormon background and the role of faith in her life preachy and over the top. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Nielson's religion and faith in God are a constant under current in the book, and a necessary part of understanding how she overcame the challenges she faced.

Stephanie Nielson was a young mother of 4 children, happily married to the love of her life, when the bottom literally dropped out of her storybook existence. Following a fiery plane crash that nearly killed her and her husband, Nielson fought her way back to health and back into her children's lives. The memoir is a well written, gripping reminder of all we take for granted in life, as well as the importance of family and faith. I came away wanting to savor moments with my children, and wishing I had a fraction of the faith that Nielson demonstrates on a daily basis.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a SUPER emotional book for me to read. I'm not sure if it was just because of the incredibly moving story or if maybe my emotional female hormones had something to do with it, but I cried my way through the whole book.
I cried tears of heartbreak, I cried in moments of courage and triumph. I cried when sweet Jane looked at her and little Nicholas accepted her as his mother. I cried when she hiked to the Y. I cried reading her and Christian's sweet love story and thinking very nostalgically about my own sweet love story and the "Mr. Nielson" in my life. I cried thinking about the love of my own family-my amazing husband and beautiful children and how grateful I am to be a wife and a mother, their mother!, my parents and -parents-in-law and all of their love and support in our own times of trial, my siblings and how their friendships mean more to me than they will ever know. I cried thinking about our Heavenly Father's love for each of us and how he knows us and there is a plan and purpose for each of us.
Every now and then I read a book that makes a great impact on my life. This is one of those books. I have finished with a greater resolve to try harder to do better. To be more grateful for the blessings-big and small- in my life. Grateful for the trials that make me stronger and somehow always bring more blessings. To do better in appreciating each one of my children and the opportunity to be their mother, and to truly enjoy this God-given calling on Earth. To be kinder and more understanding.
I'm so grateful for Stephanie and her courage to share her story so openly and to share those moments that are so intimate and personal that she can inspire those around her.
Amazing person, amazing story.

[Molly Froerer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Before I lay into this book, I need to say I really admire Nielson and how she has gone through this challenge. The accident really sucks and I can (unfortunately) imagine all too well her fears about leaving her children. I'm so glad she was able to draw on her faith and thrive both despite and because of this crisis.

That said, this book made me cringe throughout. Her announcement to her dating partner of six minutes of how she doesn't want to finish school but instead wants to be a wife and mother smacks of entitlement. Besides, if you don't want to go to college, why are you at BYU, tuition $5000/year? Why not a community college or trade school or (heaven forbid) entering the workforce and doing something productive? Oh, I forgot...you want to get your MRS degree at the age of 19.

Then her martyrdom of pregnancy...throwing up into the sink while cooking her husband dinner? Let him make his own dinner, pick up a Big Mac, or eat cereal? He's not helpless, he's a man! He can cook! He survived a mission! C'mon. And you packed his lunch every day? I guess if you're a stay-at-home wife with no kids and no job, you have to justify your existence somehow.

The writing style was a combination of Mormon gushy and regular-person-who-had-something-horrible-happen-bad-writing, which left me skimming a good portion of the book. I honestly couldn't take all of the "my life is so perfect" at the beginning.

This is a mean review. I get that. But, for me, this is a one-star book if ever I read one.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book hard to read. I almost didn’t finish it after reading the first part of the book- her courtship, marriage, and joys of motherhood. I understand that it was written to show how she felt her life was perfect but I found it almost nauseating. I would have preferred and appreciated this part of the story more had it been written in a chapter or two rather than 11.

Throughout the rest of the book I did find the uplifting and inspiring story that I expected. It seemed to me that she was positive most of the time and at least in the book, did not dwell on her negative feelings and struggles. I’m sure that she had difficult times and I wish she had shared more of that part of her journey with us. I also wish there had been more written about her relationships with her husband, children, and other family members.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

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. During my lecture and classroom based years of medical school, however, I was in a long term relationship with someone I very much intended to marry, and Mormon Mommy blogs were an outlet for fantasizing about what life would be like with him if my days were focused on planning dinners and attending to sticky faces and fingers instead of memorizing type and function of the cranial nerves or mechanisms of action of the top 100 most frequently prescribed drugs. Stephanie Nielson, Mormon Mommy Blogger extraordinaire, idealizes and glorifies the life of the stay-at-home mom more than any other blogger I have come across. Her blog was irresistible not only for this reason, but also because she blogged about the plane crash that left her burned over 80% of her body and the never ending medical drama that will be her life long attempt to recover from it. I postponed reading her book - which was a New York Times best seller - for many reasons. The first being low expectations from a woman who cannot consistently use "your" vs "you're" or "it's" vs "its" correctly, amongst other, regular grammatical errors. (Sorry - not to be really anal about it - but this woman has attained celebrity status and generated substantial financial income for her family through her writing. She should get a proofreader, for the love!) I also really wasn't sure what could be said in the book that hasn't already been said in the blog. But I did finally check it out from the library, and then I let it sit in my apartment while I renewed it multiple times, and when renewals ran out, I decided to pull the trigger.

So, finally, my impressions of the book.

I'm conflicted. I read all 308 pages in one day, with my own little share of tears, as I followed Stephanie through her traumatic awakening after a two month long medically induced coma and the unbelievably painful process of undergoing numerous skin grafting surgeries. The story of how she found hope and the strength to bear it was touching - even to my non-LDS soul. At one point during my reading, I decided I had to gift this book to every mother I knew. I don't want to undersell how amazing her recovery has been and how touching her story is, but my opinion about giving this book as a present was reversed when I got to the part about how she approached seeing her children post-crash. Her reluctance and conflicted feelings about seeing her children (and having them see her burned face) initially made her seem human and were understandable. But the way this reluctance turned into prolonged avoidance, that ended with her screaming, "Get him out of here!" when her 4-year old son came into her hospital room after she had been awake for weeks (and forced to discuss the importance of seeing her children with both family members and a psychologist), left me turned against her, in spite of myself, for the rest of the book. Call me a cold, heartless person, but I also began to identify more with her burn surgeon and his attempts to get her to be more aggressively involved in and accountable for her recovery than I was able to identify with her account of how expectations from the hospital staff were unreasonably high and how she preferred to leave decision making about her care to her parents and husband. Overall, the book is a wonderful reminder about "the resiliency of the human spirit," and all we can overcome, but I just couldn't quite get over the self-indulgent undertone which now stands out to me more than ever in her blog.

[Debbie Thacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this mostly because NieNie is a fellow Utahan and a fellow member of the LDS Church. I am always intrigued by someone overcoming adversity. Especially those who endure a lifetime of challenges - such as Stephanie has and will continue to do.

I have to admit that I almost put it down after reading the first section. This woman's life played out absolutely perfectly up until the plane crash. I mean, there's about 5 generations of perfection it seemed. Not a dysfunctional mess in the lot. It almost seemed TOO perfect.

I was very humbled for that criticism though, as I read the terror, desire, and sadness that she faced after that one fateful day. Anyone who knows me, knows that my children mean the world to me. But, I have to admit I look at MY ROLE in their lives a lot differently because of this book. It's made me realize there is a lot of joy to be found in folding laundry, figuring out meals, even cleaning up messes. The mere ability to perform those day to day "meaningless" tasks - is a miracle and a privilege.

It really made me ask the question; "Where would they go, if not to me?" It's a terrifying proposition. Stephanie is an amazing person - and she taught me to look for the joy in the journey!

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, I really did.

A few years ago when I first heard about Stephanie Nielsons story of her tragic plane accident, and her emotional and physical rebirth, I was absolutely stunned and inspired.

I camped out in front of my computer and read everything I could on her courageous story- I read her blog, I saw her mormon.org video, I watched news interviews, and even checked out a design book from our library of which she had contributed.

I am absolutely fascinated with Stephanie's story and very much motivated by her the grateful way she lives her life, her deliberate way of parenting, and her ability to overcome.

That said, here book was poorly written.
I can't seem to figure out how she can be so engaging on her blog, have such a heartening story to tell, and then produce a book that is well, boring. Her writing style, tone and voice, reads much less like a cute mommy/design blogger and more like my great grandmas family history account. Great story but I just couldn't stomach the book.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet story. I actually read it in one night. It was interesting how the author tried to reveal only parts of her life, many details that would have enriched her story were omitted (details as to why they crashed, how they were able to live financially, more background on her upbringing) but at the same time so open in other areas ( her faith, her love for her husband). I understand the need of privacy but it makes the memoir feel glossed over and not authentic.

I LOVED reading about her view of motherhood though. That was an amazing glimpse into her life. I am glad that I am comfortable with my view on motherhood for myself (let just say its not as consuming as hers) or I would be depressed by comparing myself to her.

Overall I liked it. It was very uplifting and tear inducing. I have read her blog in the past so it was nice to get a deeper look. I would recommend this book.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, sorry all of my friends who got an email saying I gave three stars a French book with a naked lady on the front cover with a similar title. I guess I accidentally clicked it when I was adding this book as currently reading. I had no idea, so thanks, Brad and Jess for noticing that I marked a book that you knew I wouldn't read. Oops!

As far as Heaven Is Here, I would give it 4.5 stars. I didn't love the writing and the first part of the book got old kind of fast, so I didn't give it a full 5 stars. However, as soon as I hit part two I could not put it down. It was so heart wrenching, fascinating, and inspiring. The things Stephanie Nielson went through were pretty horrific, but the miracles she witnessed were really inspiring. It promoted a lot of pondering, which I was grateful for.

[Rene · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 faith and culture throughout the book. This is a story that will put your own challenges into perspective and give you hope and gratitude for the blessings you have in life.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just OK. Fascinating and harrowing story, but waaayyy too sappy for me. All the "darling" "lovely" home vignettes she painted were far too saccharine for me to identify with. It felt like a magazine spread of perfect home shots. It reminded me of another author (who shall remain nameless) I've read who name-drops to describe Utopian scenes.
I liked section 2 that talked about the accident and her dealing emotionally and physically with the after-effects; truly horrific and hard to imagine. I wanted a little more in-depth description of daily life after the accident in part 3.

I bought the book and wished I hadn't. Anyone want to borrow it? Or have it?

[Mees · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know this is an inspiring book to many, but not to me. I was too put off by the simplistic theology and gender essentialism to be able to see what others saw in this book.

[Jannifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielson the creator of nieniedialogues.com. This book is a memoir of Stephanie's life, who is a famous Mormon blogger. She and her husband were in a plane wreck in 2008. 80% of her body was burned and she was in a coma for about 4 months. This book is about her miraculous survival and recovery after this horrible accident. Just so you know,this book is a tearjerker! The book is split up in three parts, part 1 is about her life before the crash: growing up in Provo, how she met her husband, having her 4 children and starting her blog. Part 2 is about waking up from her coma, remembering the crash and being in the burn unit in Arizona and Utah. Part 3 is about leaving the hospital, moving home and trying to rebuild her life.

This might sound weird, but part 1 was the hardest part of the book for me to read. Her life was almost too picture-perfect, that I felt envious of her. I'm sure she had trials, but she left most of that out, I'm guessing to show all that she loss with the plane wreck. But for me, it made it hard to relate to her life before the wreck. I felt humbled as I read part 2 and 3 though. She was very candid about the pain and agony she has gone through. I also appreciated how candid she was about her testimony of the gospel, her life after death experiences and how her spirituality has carried her through such a difficult trial. It's amazing to realize how far she has come. When she woke up she was covered in bandages from head to toe, couldn't speak and even moving her fingers an inch was excruciating. Now, even though she still faces pain in her life, she can walk, talk and has had another baby. I found this book really inspirational and I would highly recommend it. My favorite quote from the book is from Elder Holland, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who told this to Stephanie when he visited her. He said:

"We look for Christ's scars because they are evidence of what He did for us. They'll be the first things He shows us when we see Him again. Your scars tell a story, too. Although they may not make you feel attractive, they are a witness of a miracle, that God blessed you to live, and that you have accomplished very difficult things."

[Corinne Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I never read the Nie Nie Dialogues blog until my sister told me about it - that was right after the blogger named Stephanie Nielson and her husband Christian nearly died in a private plane crash. I was so moved by this story - of her four young children left behind and cared for by her sisters while she fought for life in a burn unit. It touched a deep part of me, she and I lived similar enough lives as Mormon stay-at-home moms that I found myself thinking of her often, of what she'd nearly lost and what I took for granted.

This book, Heaven is Here, is essentially her story - her life up through about a year after the plane crash. It's written in a very casual style - she is candid and very honest about both how hard things were and how amazingly blessed and incredible her life was (and is). I initially tried listening to the audiobook but I found myself very distracted by the narration and so I switched to the paper book, which was a good choice. And, actually, I just found myself vaguely frustrated by the first third of the book. Maybe she was just trying to get across how wonderful her life was before the crash, so we could appreciate how unexpected this was, but it sometimes felt like she was bragging to me. I'm also super impatient with dialogue in memoirs because I always am distracted by thinking that people never really remember exactly how a conversation went (always, always my problem with memoirs and I recognize this is a personal problem with me and memoirs, not this book in particular).

However, despite it being a little hard for me to get into it, I did find myself very engrossed by the final 2/3, where she and Christian have to slowly recover and put a new kind of life back together. I cried my eyes out over her journey to reconnect with her kids. Of all the parts of the book, that touched me the deepest. As a mom myself, I can only imagine how deep the hurt would go if I felt like my ability to mother or that relationship with my children was somehow damaged and the road to repairing it was so hard. She inspired me with her efforts and how far she came in such a short time. I think she is a great role model for anyone who has had to slog through incredible challenges.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh, it's so tough to review a book like this because I feel like I'm critiquing the person, especially when it's about an experience as intense and personal as this. So here's what I will say. I was very familiar with her story going into this book - I learned about her blog shortly after her accident and I vividly remember the first time she posted a picture of herself (just her eyes). So it was interesting reading the whole story from her perspective - and I did learn some details I didn't know about previously.

For those that aren't familiar with her story going in, it truly is amazing. I think it's incredible that she was able to survive this experience and thrive. It's miraculous.

Here comes the part where I'm going to sound like a horrible person. There is just something about her writing that makes her seem a little privileged and a little entitled. Having never met her in person, I'm sure she's not like that in real life. She is very upfront about her feelings throughout the book which I think is very brave because it also opens her up to criticism.

I realize this is a memoir and thus it's going to be told from her perspective and what she remembers. But I wanted more about the other people in the story. We hardly hear anything about Christian's recovery. He was "only" burned over 50% of his body (Stephanie was burned over 80% and of course had severe facial disfigurement - but 50% is still quite harrowing). While Stephanie was still in the hospital he had to figure out how to care for his family while he was still recovering. And when Stephanie insisted they relocate to Utah, he had be the one to make it happen even when he wanted to stay in Arizona. I wanted to hear more than just a few paragraphs about Doug, their pilot and friend, who died in the crash. And what was it like for her family to take her kids for months while she and Christian recovered? How did they pay for all the medical bills? Or have they?

In the end, we got her story - and I guess I wanted more than just her perspective. It's still an amazing account, and it's good to read about miracles happening to real people.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 was a horrific accident. Life would be different and that would be SO HARD to accept.

It is a quick read and makes you reflect on what matters most in life especially if your hopes and dreams are shattered in an instance. She has tremendous faith in God and shares her daily and constant prayers. I like that she shared that her mom had told her flying in those small planes is like suicide. (agreed) Just like riding motorcycles...and so I appreciated that she shared that she was scared her mom would be upset with her because "mom was right." It was that kind of honesty I gravitated towards. I understood being embarrassed to see her husband even though of course he still loved her. And her kids' reactions to her...TEARS!

She shares about all her struggles after the crash, but the one aspect she doesn't divulge in is how they are handling the debt. Did they have insurance? Are they really that well off not attending college and having babies right away? Is family paying for it? Blog supporters? Not sure why I wanted to know more about that. I would think finances would be a huge part of the stress of recovering from the accident. But that might not have been what her focus of HOPE she wanted to share.
I am touched that she shared her story and making it so public. I wish her well on her journey in this life. Its not an easy one, but we can always have Hope.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

People who have read the Nie Nie Dialogues know the basic outlines of this memoir: Stephanie Nielson, a very young mormon lifestyle-and-family blogger, was nearly killed by a tragic plane crash that killed the flight instructor, badly injured his pupil Mr Nielson, and left Stephanie with devastating burns on 80% of her body. It is a triumph of modern medicine that she survived and to this day she has to deal with the severe consequences to her health, though readers of her blog will also know that she has thankfully recovered to the point that she recently gave birth to a much-longed-for fifth baby.

It's a compelling story. Yet I'm very conflicted about this book, and really can't decide whether to give it two stars, three stars or four. I keeping toggling back & forth. In the end I've gone for three. It's not that this is a bad book, I read the whole thing in one sitting, but I really don't think I'd recommend it to any of my friends because it is just so insubstantial, featherlike, a sequence of events presented without much in the way of introspection or art. I was left feeling like it was the memoir equivalent of one of those Esty photographs of sunshine, barnwood and seashells. I'm not sure this is fair of me, but it is my honest reaction. Just as I am happy to read a well-written book about nothing (I adore PG Wodehouse) I was left a bit unsatisfied by this superficial look at a very brave woman's life. And I'm not sure I have a right to expect more than there is here, I don't think anyone should share more than they are comfortable with, and very few of us have the talents of the great autobiographers. All in all, this book left me so conflicted that it's taken me weeks to get around to trying to write a review.