Meredith’s Book Report, October 24, 2011 - The boy who came back from heaven

Information:

Title: The boy who came back from heaven

Author: Kevin & Alex Malarkey

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Place and year of publication: Carol Stream, Illinois, 2010

Number of pages: 232

Where you found the book: I heard about it from my Oma

Story Review:

Kevin Malarkey and his son, Alex, were involved in a terrible car crash in 2004 on their way home from church. Luckily Kevin wasn’t hurt; but Alex, only six at the time, suffered severely and was paralyzed from the neck down. It seemed completely impossible that he would survive, but God had other plans.

The doctor told Alex’s parents, Beth and Kevin, that in the unlikely case of Alex surviving he would not have normal brain function, would never breathe on his own, would never move on his own below his neck, would never be able to swallow food, and would never be able to talk. That’s a lot of “never’s,” but Beth simply told the doctor, “You are wrong.” She believed that God would show His mercy on Alex and would fully heal him. Even though his head was detached from his spine, she believed that God would perform a supernatural miracle, and that God had a special plan for her son on this earth.

Two months after the accident, Alex came out of his coma and returned to Ohio. He had an unbelievable story to tell because in those two months, Alex had been in heaven and had experienced absolutely incredible things. This book is about the amazing journey of a young boy and the unimaginable encounters with God that he experienced.

This book will show you just how magnificent God is and what amazing things He can do. It will teach you that God hears you when you pray and that it is important to listen to what God is trying to say to you. When you read this book, you can’t help but wonder about things beyond earth, and it will give you new ideas on heaven, angels, and the power of God.

Christian Perspective:

The boy who came back from heaven was written from a Christian perspective, and Christ-like behaviour is reflected. In the book, the authors are going through a huge struggle, and although Kevin Malarkey admits to sometimes losing his temper and getting frustrated, I think that for the most part Alex’s family dealt with the issue in a Godly way. This book often talks about prayer, and how much prayer affected them by strengthening and comforting them. This book affected me as a Christian by showing me that God really does hear me when I talk to Him, and that I can have a personal relationship with Jesus Himself. It inspired me and made me think a lot about some of the ideas that were presented.

Personal Thoughts:

I thought this book was very powerful, and it really got me thinking a little bit more about the spiritual realm. I like how the point of this book isn’t to convince you of anything but rather to share with you an amazing experience exactly how it happened. I also really liked how the authors gave the glory to God and didn’t put the focus on themselves by pointing out that they are just ordinary people like you and me. One thing I would have liked was if there was more to read from Alex and his personal experiences in heaven as I found that the book was a little more focused on the dad’s perspective. I would not only recommend this book to Christians who are seeking a closer relationship with God and who have questions about heavenly things, but also to nonbelievers to get them thinking about spiritual matters and what knowing God can do in their lives. If you haven’t read this book already, I would really encourage you to! It’s a truly amazing story that will show you what faith can do.