Customer Reviews

The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven

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In November 2004, just one month before our son unexpectedly left for heaven, the author, Kevin Malarkey and his son, Alex (age 6) were in a serious accident. I remember reading the CaringBridge updates during our dark days . . . and theirs. I lost track after awhile, until I read that this book was coming out and those memories rushed back. In reading this book, I wonder . . . did my son and little Alex Malarkey cross paths in heaven?!?!?!

The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven is an amazing, true story. Kevin is told by a church member who offers to drive him to the hospital that it looked very bad, and that he did not think Alex had made it and probably had gone to heaven. However, after two months Alex woke up from a coma. The details he could tell about the accident, could not be made up, from what people were wearing, procedures that were done and a man praying over him. He remembered seeing five angels carry his father, and later seeing him put on a flat board and cutting off his clothes. The angels told him his daddy would be okay. Little by little Alex shares stories of heaven, about the music, talking with Jesus and continued sightings of angels.

I so appreciated the honesty of Kevin. Having spent many weeks in ICU with our daughter who has now had three open heart surgeries and having buried two children . . . it's not easy, even for the Christian who knows Scripture and knows God is there. There is spiritual warfare and great weariness. Kevin shared how their marriage took a battering and was "stretched to the breaking point." It gripped my heart to read with having-been-there-understanding, as their pastor friend also shared in the book:

" . . . Kevin and Beth greatly struggled in their marriage. Many times I came to the house to speak with them, counsel them, and pray with them. Those were dark days . . .
. . . It is an absolute miracle, an absolute proof there is a God in Heaven, that their marriage survived and that they are together today. Without God, there is no possible way their marriage would have survived."

Alex is a quadriplegic who has made amazing progress. He was also the first child to receive the "Christopher Reeve Surgery", allowing him to breathe without a ventilator. Their van license plate reads, "Wil Walk". They have hope that is undeniably sustained through their faith in Jesus.

This is an easy reading book, that will keep your attention and in awe. I highly recommend The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven.

The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven was provided to me free of charge by Tyndale House Publishers, in exchange for my honest opinion of it.

For those who have lost a child due to a tragedy or have a child that is currently fighting for their life, this will be a tough read in the beginning. It is about a boy named Alex that was in a car accident at the age of 6 and becomes a quadriplegic. Once he regains conscientiousness and the ability to communicate, he tells his parents of his experience which includes his visit to heaven.

Kevin Malarkey, the boy's father, is very transparent. Throughout the book, he shares with the reader his deepest fears and his shortcomings, including spiritual. In chapter 5 he expresses it with raw emotion - something I admired because not many of us would admit this. "My son couldn't function in the physical world, but it was difficult for me to function in the spiritual world. Who had the greater disability?"

Mr. Malarkey even shared the struggle that all marriages face during the hardships and changes that come with these types of tragedies. It was refreshing to hear a Christian brother share his heart and keep it real.

There is very limited information on Alex' account of heaven but enough for the reader to have a glimpse of our home and most importantly, God's love towards Alex, his family and us all. Some readers may have a tough time with Alex' decision to be obedient in his limited sharing, but it shows that spiritual maturity is not based on age. His greatest concern was to keep it about him - God - and not him - Alex.

The stories about angels were fascinating and will probably challenge the beliefs of many readers. However, for those of you who know that angels are real, his accounts will bring a smile to your face and a tear to the eye.

One thing is for certain, Alex has gone through a life-changing experience and that change has impacted his circle of influence which has grown wider with time and will continue to do so with this book.

I do look forward to the continuation of this story where Alex walks again. However, the reader should be aware that this book is more about this family's struggle then Alex accounts about heaven. It's a good ministerial book for families that are struggling with similar situations.

I read the book in one sitting. I could not put it down. Even for those of us who are believers, this is an amazing story. I believe that this young man is truly blessed by God and that his story is true. He is able to go beyond his physical handicaps which many are not able to do. I highly recommend this book.

"The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven" is an amazing book. Kevin Malarkey writes this book about his son, Alex. While fighting for his life in a coma, Alex sees so many amazing things in Heaven.

I purposefully don't want to give too many details of the book. I don't want to spoil it for you! Honestly, I could not put this book down. For my friends that truly know me, I can lean more towards the pessimistic side of things. As a firm believer in Christ and His miracles, this sometimes does not gel with the rest of the church as a whole.

As I read this book very critically, I sobbed. Reading the words that Alex says gave me chills. Then reading with Kevin wrote made my heart as a parent grieve with him. I appreciate his candor on how difficult this has been on him and his marriage. I relish the words written by their friends and family that also show themselves as "real" and would not believe it themselves if they were not there to witness it.

I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to see a minuscule glimpse of heaven through the eyes of a 6 year old boy.

Thank you, Alex, for letting us see through your eyes. Thank you, Kevin, for sharing this with us.

To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

I have to say this book is captivating and I got through it pretty quickly. I think the reason I did get through it so quickly was my anticipation of finding out what Alex had to say about heaven.

Unfortunately, very little was said about heaven and what it is like. The word is repeated over and over but no real information is given.

I do feel for the family and know that when going through tough times we search our faith more and more to get us through. I wish them the best in the journey.

So, if you are buying this book with the hopes of someone telling you what heaven is like this is not for you. This is really a personal story of one's journey through a traumatic experience in my opinion.

This story is... perfect. It is amazing and I cannot adequately describe the effect it has had on me and I just finished it- in one sitting. I could not put it down. At times it was heart-wrenching and I literally read it through sobs but the message of true faith and the messages God gave to Alex to give to us are a true blessing. One reviewer spoke about being creeped out by the accounts of angels and demons. I don't understand why. I know that angels are among us! This was from the vantage point of a child and he described it the best he knows how, what is important is that we know that the veil between us and Heaven and angels and even demons is thin. That to pray without ceasing means that we can constantly communicate with the Lord- He is always listening and He ALWAYS hears us. We need to have faith and always trust in Him. We need to listen to those little whispers we hear because often it is God speaking to us. I could go on and on, just read it. PLEASE read it and be prepared to be changed for the better.

To applaud this book would be an understatement!
There is no way you can capture the movement of God in this story unless you read the book yourself. You will find yourself examining your own faith and the reality of God.
Every story is true, you can see this through the eyes and passion of Alex.
If ever there was a true, life changing book, (outside of the Bible) this is it!

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This is a must read, that I couldn't put down until I was finished. I've never been so touched by a book before. Alex's experiences are so vividly described, you can't help but see the truth in them. The love his parents have for him come beaming through the pages. Anyone who has not yet found a relationship with the Lord will be compelled to do so when they see how great His love is through the healing of this family and the response of the community around them.

An inmate where I am chaplain introduced me to this book and I purchased it here online and read it in its entirety. Given the overall content of the book and the age of deception we are living in, I would have to assess it with caution. I didn't have trouble with the original visit, but ongoing visits and continued angel/Alex dialogue creates questions of where this is leading. As a result of St. Paul's heavenly visits we have tremendous truth established in his epistles; the same is true of John's Revelation, and although it would be wrong to add to God's Word, these prophets shared much of what they saw in the Spirit that has impacted so many lives down thru the centuries. On the one hand I can't recommend the book, yet don't want to put it into deception altogether because one needs to see where all this leads and that takes time. I do believe in the supernatural and miracles and it was wonderful to hear of people working and praying together. Alex didn't say what he and the angels talked about, but people in the Bible did. Look at Gideon's outcome from an angelic visit: a whole nation was supernaturally saved from destruction. I want to believe, but caution is needed to look at the FRUIT (the end result) of where this leads people. Chaplain Pearl Ray

Alex's First Mention of Heaven (excerpt)
As nurses came in and out of the room, Beth changed Alex's trach tube, with myriad details swirling in
her already overburdened mind. Alex waited until Beth finished and then indicated that he wanted to be
alone with Mommy and baby Ryan. The hospital staff respectfully left the room and shut the door. What
is on Alex's mind? Beth wondered as she cuddled with him. Alex was at the stage when he could only
form words with his mouth and make a faint whisper. Beth leaned in and listened. Alex mouthed, "I
want to tell you about the accident."
"Okay, honey, what do you want to tell me?"
Beth's voice was even, but her spirit was startled. This was the last topic she expected Alex to talk
about in the moments prior to going home. And it was the first time Alex had spoken to us about the day
of the accident.
"Jesus came and got me from the car and kept me close to Him the whole time. I was above my
body, watching everyone work on me. I was safe. Jesus kept talking to me, telling me I was going to be
okay, so I was never afraid."
At this, a radiant smile bathed Alex's face. He had wanted so long to share his experience and was
now gaining the ability to form the words with his mouth, even if he couldn't get much sound out of his
lips.
"What else did you see?"
"I saw Daddy taken out of the car. The angels set him down in the ditch."
Beth understood what Alex meant by "taken out." He was saying that his daddy was never thrown
from the car, nor had he wandered out in a daze. Angels had literally carried his body to a safe place.
"Then I saw Daddy yelling my name: `Alex! Alex! Alex!' Daddy didn't know where I was, and he
was worried about me."
"Did that make you sad, honey?"
"No. I wasn't sad. I was with Jesus. Then lots more firemen came. One fireman brought Daddy his
phone, and I saw him make a call."
Beth's mind raced back to the moment of that call. Humanly speaking, Alex had no way of knowing
about it.
"Another fireman put something in my mouth to help me breathe. A nurse helped me in the car. The
firemen took me out of the car and put me on a flat board. They cut my shirt off. It was my plaid shirt.
They took off my shoes, too. Daddy went over to the helicopter to talk with the man in the blue suit."
"Alex, do you mean an orange suit? I think that's what he may have been wearing."
"No, Mommy. It was a blue suit!"

Heaven, Angels, and early death experiences have been all over the news. People constantly speculate o whether they exist. Is there a heaven? this book was inspiring.

Kevin Malarkey and his son were involved in a terrible accident, Alex's spine is severed from is brainstem, and everyone doctors included gave up hope.

What followed however was a show of God's mercy and power. He brought together a tremendous support system for the family and prayer support for the entire intensive care ward.

I was skeptical about this book, one reason is because I do not believe in near death experiences, I should say didn't. The book changed my way of thinking as well as brining me a new perspective on life.

God didn't allow the accident but he did tremendous things through it. He changed lives, including that of Kevin.

One of the most interesting aspects of the book was the different perspective of people involved in the story. The family's pastor, The flight attendant in the rescue helicopter who proved to be a strong Christian, Kevin's father, a nurse; All of these characters come together to tell a complete and comprehensive record of events of the events.

I set the book aside for a while, the loss of my child made it a difficult book to wade into, But the Lord kept nagging me to get into it. Finally I got up the nerve and attacked the book. When I did I got an answer to several of my own questions. God does not allow bad things to happen but he uses them to make miracles. I saw that clearly in Kevin, and I know we will be hearing more about him in the future. Gods hands are firmly on him. This book is not the end of the story, it is the beginning.The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven: A Remarkable Account of Miracles, Angels, and Life beyond This World

This book was privided to me free of charge by tyndale Publishing Company, This review is soloy my own.