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988 reviews for:
Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
Todd Burpo
3.66 AVERAGE
988 reviews for:
Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
Todd Burpo
3.66 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
medium-paced
this was one of the most amazing books i have ever read!! some of the parts gave me goose bumps becasue it was astounding how he would know these things at 4 and you cant not believe!(:
This book would have been given a lowly one star rating if it weren't for the fact that the writing wasn't bad on a sentence level. Otherwise though, I hated it. This was one of the last books my grandmother read before she died (clearly she was hoping for confirmation of heaven) and she recommended it to me as a "feel good story". But it didn't make me feel good at all (sorry, Grandma). It made me clench my fists in anger. This was nothing but Christian propaganda written with no structure whatsoever. I'm not anti-Christian but I'm also not Christian. Know-it-all attitudes like that of this book's author is part of what turns me away from Christianity. This book was no exception. In fact, I think all Todd Burpo really accomplished with this one was giving people who already had faith in Christianity some "proof" at the expense of his son's near death experience. No three-year-old would be able to articulate what the author says Colton Burpo did. What the author says happened is psychologically impossible for a three-year-old, presented as a miracle. I don't believe it. I think what we have here is a pastor trying to make a few bucks to help pay his son's medical bills.
Okay, okay you caught me, I'm an atheist. Though I seemed to like this book a liiiittle bit more than other atheists, by their reviews. I thought the book was cute. I'm glad the little boy didn't die (even though he was surrounded by incompetence). However, I'm a little scared of what he's going to grow up to be. He nearly disrupted a funeral service because he HAD to know if the man had had Jesus in his heart. Preschoolers are just like that, they grow out of that, him being disruptive isn't what I'm worried about. It's the intolerance of those that believe something different than him. His parents need to check that before it's too late.
I read this book because that's what one of my book club members chose. And I knew, being the only atheist in the book club, that I was going to have a hard time discussing this book with the rest of the club which is made up of mostly devout Christians. So I tried to go into this book with the most open mind that I could manage. Which is why I think I like this book slightly more than the other atheists that have reviewed it. I definitely didn't take it as solid truth, but I don't think anyone is *lying* either. I think this little boy believes what he's saying, though near the end (when he got to the sword/Satan/Armageddon stuff) I think he was making it up because he'd been getting attention from this one Heaven story for years at that point. More details = more attention. I also think Dad might have exaggerated a bit, like we all do. What I absolutely thought was RIDICULOUS was how *shocked* and *awed* his parents were every time he spoke about his experience. "He had no way of knowing that" "He'd never been taught that" "He didn't even know the word for that" yeah, bull. That boy grew up in a VERY religious home and spent a LOT of time in church. He is basically surrounded by Christianity 24/7. I'm SURE he knew what the pearly gates were. I'm SURE he knew that Jesus sat on the right hand side of God. I'm SURE he knew everyone there wore white. *I* knew all of that at a very young age and I was raised in an atheist home!
But honestly I don't have TOO much of a problem with this book. Like I said, I think it was cute. I think it showed the love this father has for his family (though, like another reviewer noted, I saw a bit of sexism here and there) and it was a quick read so it's not like I wasted much time or anything.
And now I'm off to go read The Golden Compass XD
I read this book because that's what one of my book club members chose. And I knew, being the only atheist in the book club, that I was going to have a hard time discussing this book with the rest of the club which is made up of mostly devout Christians. So I tried to go into this book with the most open mind that I could manage. Which is why I think I like this book slightly more than the other atheists that have reviewed it. I definitely didn't take it as solid truth, but I don't think anyone is *lying* either. I think this little boy believes what he's saying, though near the end (when he got to the sword/Satan/Armageddon stuff) I think he was making it up because he'd been getting attention from this one Heaven story for years at that point. More details = more attention. I also think Dad might have exaggerated a bit, like we all do. What I absolutely thought was RIDICULOUS was how *shocked* and *awed* his parents were every time he spoke about his experience. "He had no way of knowing that" "He'd never been taught that" "He didn't even know the word for that" yeah, bull. That boy grew up in a VERY religious home and spent a LOT of time in church. He is basically surrounded by Christianity 24/7. I'm SURE he knew what the pearly gates were. I'm SURE he knew that Jesus sat on the right hand side of God. I'm SURE he knew everyone there wore white. *I* knew all of that at a very young age and I was raised in an atheist home!
But honestly I don't have TOO much of a problem with this book. Like I said, I think it was cute. I think it showed the love this father has for his family (though, like another reviewer noted, I saw a bit of sexism here and there) and it was a quick read so it's not like I wasted much time or anything.
And now I'm off to go read The Golden Compass XD
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Fascinating. Too many valid points to be false. What a great story to boost to faith in God!
WOW.
I cried almost the whole way through. What a powerful story.
I love love love that Todd Burpo went back to scripture when discussing the details his little boy saw/learned on his trip to Heaven.
Of course I’ve believed in Heaven all my life, since I was raised in church. But learning details about it from a child that shouldn’t have, couldn’t have, known those details without actually visiting just makes it even more real.
This book definitely increased my faith.
I’m even more excited to go home.
I cried almost the whole way through. What a powerful story.
I love love love that Todd Burpo went back to scripture when discussing the details his little boy saw/learned on his trip to Heaven.
Of course I’ve believed in Heaven all my life, since I was raised in church. But learning details about it from a child that shouldn’t have, couldn’t have, known those details without actually visiting just makes it even more real.
This book definitely increased my faith.
I’m even more excited to go home.
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
I've wanted to read this book for years but never got around to it until yesterday, when I went to my want to read shelf to try and find my next book. I've seen the movie, but it was without audio description for the blind, and as a person who is both blind and autistic, I didn't get as much out of it as I would have liked to. This looks like it was one of the first books I added to that shelf since it was close to the beginning. I'd forgotten about it until now. I'm so glad I finally read it! It was so good, and I got really into it. It's still making me think. As a very religious person, it answered some questions for me and made me think of others. I loved this book and highly recommend it.