Customer Reviews

Closer to the Light

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not to repeat what several others have mentioned here in these well written reviews, but this is a wonderful book.

The most notable element I see in this book is that children do not pass ALONE. There is always a loving presence - someone that goes with the child - and takes away their fears and eases the transition.

There was one story about a young girl (age 7) who tried to kill herself. She'd been the victim of horrible child abuse and chose suicide as the only way out. She left her body and found herself surrounded by "a bubble of love and life". She was shown a tree - encased in ice and snow - and told she was in the winter of her life now, but that summer was coming and much joy was ahead of her in life.

She was 47 when interviewed for this book and her adult life had been one of stability, joy and much peace.

The other good reason to buy this book is because on page 147 is "the rest of the story" about the 1986 bombing of the elementary school in Cokeville, Wyoming.

Many of the children who were there when the bomb went off (they'd all been stuffed into one classroom by David Young, the bomber) told of angelic beings that gave them very specific instructions as to where to go to be safe.

Not one or two, but many children talked about the angels, or "nice ladies who were all lit up" and voices - all giving them clear direction.

And by the way, only David Young died when that bomb went off.

This is a well written, informative, enlightening and good-news book.

After reading this book, there is no question in my mind that there is life after death. The author interviewed many children who had near death experiences, and even did follow-up interviews with them several years later. They all described floating above their bodies, going through a dark tunnel, and then seeing the most amazing light they had ever seen. Others had seen dead loved ones who told them to go back to their bodies, since it wasn't their time yet. A few of the children were given a choice whether to stay or go back to earth, and these particular children chose to go back to their parents. They mentioned approaching a door, and if you chose to go through that door, you could not come back to earth. Since science has regularly dismissed near death experiences, the author did extensive research. There is a part of the brain that, when electrically stimulated, can produce a feeling of floating above one's body. He talked about all the different stages the brain and body go through when death approaches, and the very end should be total darkness if there is truly no life after death. However, that is when people see the brightest light of all. There is no scientific explanation for that light. This is the part that convinced me that there is truly life after death. Another interesting thing is that when he interviewed these children later on as adults, they had a much greater appreciation for life than many others around them. These near death experiences made them want to live life to the fullest, and they have absolutely no fear of death now. They said that life is actually much simpler than any of us ever thought. This book would be especially helpful to anyone who has lost a loved one, or just for people who want to know more about this most important subject. While we will never have all the answers here on earth, this book proves to me that there is definitely life after death.

This is undoubtedly one of the most impressive studies about NDE's available. What makes this book so interesting is the amount of detail that the children have reported about their NDE's as well as certain items that would seem very peculiar if it were just a defensive reaction of the mind to something too terrible to contemplate. For one thing, most children mentioned that in their NDE, they were NOT children, but fully grown people. This is an extremely odd phenomena -- it would seem that if this were some sort of generated phantasy that the children would be seeing themselves as they are, but without being ill, but this is not the case at all. This forms one of the most convincing aspect about the experiences. And while an adult may be able to "guess" what may happen in surgery, it is unlikely that a child would be able to do so, thus giving more credence to the notion of the out-of-body-experience. A fascinating book.

I found this book very convincing in a way no other book has been for me. It comforted all the members of my family immensely after the death of my 11 year old grandson, Jonnie, of leukemia. We also used it before Jonnie died to prepare him for his own possible death. Jonnie was not afraid to die and this book is part of the reason. I am grateful to Dr. Morse for giving us this wonderful tool.

Jonnie is still our hero. He started two charities to benefit kids with cancer, the first at age 8, the second at age 10. He won the Kids With Courage Award 2002 and the 2002 Local Hero Award. http://www.jonniescharity.com

I read this book right after my father died, and found it immensely comforting. The Near Death Experience (or NDE) has been recorded in many peoples, cultures and times, and is a human phenomenon that cannot be denied. It exists. But what does it mean?

Dr. Morse's research of the NDE in children was especially interesting, as children are guileless and have no axes to grind. Indeed, many of the children experienced places and beings in their NDE that did not coincide with the religious beliefs they had been taught.

Unfortunately, the subject makes some in the scientific community uncomfortable, and so we may not see additional or followup studies anytime soon.

This book was fascinating in a scientific way, and I couldn't help but feel that I was getting a bonafide peek at the world that follows this one. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone who has experienced a recent bereavement.

I have read many books through the years about near death experiences - this one is my favorite! Because the near death expereinces are told by children, they come through clearly to the reader as "pure" and authenic.

The doctor has done extensive research about the NDR experience and he writes in a way that the layman - someone without his medical background - can understand. As interesting as the doctor's researach is, it is the recollections described by the children in such a matter-of-fact way that makes it so extraordinary.

After reading it, I came away with the feeling that, yes, this is truly a profound experience that many people have. In my opinion, having the NDR experience told in the simple and innocent way of children is one of the best sources to learn about it and to try to understand what a very special experience it is.

I remember reading in the early part of the book about when the doctor for the first time was being told about the NDR experience by a little girl who had technically drowned and he had helped revive. He must have been looking at her in an incredulous way as she was telling him about what had happened to her and seeing the shock in the doctor's face as he listened to her, she said, "Don't worry, heaven is fun!".

I promise you, if you read "Closer to the Light" you will NEVER forget it, and you will want to hold onto it and read it again and again and share it with your family and friends.

After reading many books by several empowering authors such as Betty Eadie, John Edward, Sylvia Browne, and Tiffany Snow, that I am still reading, my life has opened up to me in such a compelling and wonderful way. This new book is well written, and thought provoking. There are great transforming authors, who shift the consciousness of humankind in a way never known before, and have the courage to reveal their paranormal experiences. "Closer" is one of these.

Unlike other NDE books, I thought this was extremely informative, well-thought out, and so easy to read. There is none of the preachy "save yourself" language that so many others have, but rather just straightforward analysis and conjecture on how and why so many children have experienced NDEs and what that might say about mankind.

A doctor at a rehab hospital gave my wife and I this book. It was a great comfort to us because our son was recovering from a head injury that neary took his life and left him in a coma for many days. We cried with joy to think that our son may have had such an experience. I highly recommend it to anyone who has lost or nearly lost a child. Mick Lewis

This book is a marvelous look at the after life. It is story after story of miraculous and undeniable evidence that the spirit lives on. It reinforces the faith of a parent when a child has died.