90 Minutes In Heaven, Book Review

Don Piper was pronounced dead on impact, his body left under the mangled metal of his Escort while the rest of the accident was being cleaned up around him.  Dave Onerecker, a passerby, made the unusual decision to pray for this dead man and his injuries.  90 minutes later, Don returned to life only to face hell on earth.

The series of miracles that take place after his revival leave little doubt that Piper's time on earth was not yet finished.  Through his miraculous and painful recovery, Piper shares his experience of grace and the power of prayer.  Oh, and did I mention the 90 minutes while his body lay dead, waiting for the jaws of life to extract him, that he spent in heaven?

90 Minutes in Heaven is a truly heart wrenching story designed to give hope to people facing serious injury, the loss of a loved one, or a struggle of faith. The acceptance of loss, prayer, purpose, and grace are all addressed in great detail from a man who learned the importance of each through insurmountable obstacles. Unfortunately, the book carried an extremely negative connotation. The author rarely invited us to celebrate in any of his triumphs with him which, for me, resulted in a reverse effect of what he may have intended. In the end his story left me feeling angry and confused, if not doubtful.  For the most part, even though Piper's story is sometimes difficult to read, his experiences provide a comforting message of God's greater plan.