Customer Reviews

On the Road to Heaven

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

 

 

I grew up in the mountains of Colorado near Coke Newell and was a member of the branch where he first joined the church. We became friends and even worked together for a while before going on missions at about the same time. I can personally vouch for many of the details included in this book. I love a book that takes me inside the head of the person writing it--especially when it's well written and helps to expand my horizons. This book did not disappoint. I found it hard to put down. I highly recommend it!

Here are several very positive reviews:

"I have never read such a gripping story of conversion and missionary
labor. It held me fast partly because of the winsome romance
mixed into the story of a mountain hippie who finds life's meaning
in Mormonism. But the gritty descriptions of friendship and adventure
in the Colorado wilderness and of missionaries working the
mean streets of Colombia are enthralling in themselves. The candid
view of the vicissitudes of a spiritual life will startle readers accustomed to more staid narratives."
--Richard Bushman, author of Joseph
Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (Knopf)

"Converts of the world, who came to the church from colorful and
outrageous pasts, rejoice! Here is somebody who tells it like it was,
without apology and without regrets. On the Road to Heaven is a tale
of spiritual adventure, sacrifice, and change-the-world energy to rival
any turned out by the born-in-the-covenant crowd."
--Patricia Karamesines, author of The
Pictograph Murders (Signature)

"Poetic and enchanting, Coke Newell's On the Road to Heaven is a
romance odyssey of love and religion driven by the consumptive
gravity of yearning and discovery. Honest and fearless, Newell has
crafted for us the real power of gospel Mormonism."
--Ronald O. Barney, author of One Side
by Himself: The Life and Times of Lewis
Barney, 1808-1894 (Utah State University),
winner of the Evans Biography Award

"This is the book Jack Kerouac might have written had he met Moroni
instead of Allen Ginsberg. A wonderful romp to faith!"
--Rodney Stark, Ph.D., author of The Rise
of Christianity (Princeton) and The Victory
of Reason (Random House)

"An utterly original spiritual tale--lively, quirky, and profoundly
moving. Think of it as St. Augustine for the Woodstock generation.
Newell's writing is an exuberant ride."
--Terryl Givens, Ph.D., author of
The Viper on the Hearth (Oxford) and
By the Hand of Mormon (Oxford)

"A rollicking, satisfying conversion story."
--Tania Lyon, Ph.D.

"Newell tells a good tale, but he also furthers Mormon discourse,
beautifully illustrating how powerful and fragile this whole idea of
finding God is, of figuring out how this time-bound, messy, mortal
existence all works--what it means and what to do when you are
fairly certain that you have some answers that make sense. And that
he does it by linking the revelatory discourse of the mountain hippies
with that of Mormons makes it all the sweeter. And fun."
--William Morris, founder of A Motley
Vision

"On the Road to Heaven is perhaps the most unique book its particular
audience will ever read. Often entertaining, occasionally hilarious,
and sometimes even startling, this is a book that will leave its
readers feeling as if they have just gotten to know a very real, very
unconventional, and very interesting human being."
--Mike Smith, author of Towns of
the Sandia Mountains (Arcadia)

I came across this book quite by accident. I'm glad I did because it is a wonderful story. I laughed often and my eyes got misty a few times as well.

It's one of those books that you don't want to end, and when it does, you get kind of sad. Highly recommeded.

When I first read about this book, I was sceptical, especially with it being about a hippie and drugs, but knew it mentioned the romantic relatiuonship between Everon and Anne was real. I decided to have my library purchase two copies, as I was having my FF Google Group read it, so as their owner, I felt I should read it and WOW, what a mind-blowing adventure this life journey of Kit's really was!!! I loved how Coke put his life before he found the Gospel in the first half and his awakening or rebirth is part of the second half. Since I am an avid John Denver fan, I got a kick out of his using 'far out.' Since I'm also a baby boomer of the 60's, I was surrounded by hippies and the drugs, but never participated in that life style, just loved the music. When I started reading Coke's Mission experiences, I read that part to my sweet hubby Bob. I was SOOO enthralled with everything, even down to the HUGE cockroaches, as we had them in our long ago apartment in Orange County, CA. I laughed with Coke about those, the food, was absolutely bowled over about his vision about his upcoming mission, his being fluent in the language, his earthquake experience and the all too truthful experiences the elders have with the girls and temptation. I so admired his staying to his high standards, esp in the midst of evil in the drug capitol. I hope Coke continues the Rest of the Story for his many fans!!! What a spiritual feast this amazing story is!!!

The story was an easy read and enjoyed the experience of reading this novel. The novel has well chosen words in language that the reader can understand.

The story begins slowly, partly due to an excess of flowery descriptions and partly due to a boring storyline.

The sluggish read continued for the first quarter of the book, where reading it felt like a chore. I asked myself several times why it needed to be told. That question was never answered. It's a familiar tale, similar to hundreds of other young Mormon converts who served missions. I expected more than a hippie teenager in love who serves a mission in South America, but that's all there was.

Many of the early chapters have a quote from Jack Kerouac and combined with the title of the book, made a rather presumptuous comparison. Newell is no Jack Kerouac. He included poems and songs he wrote but they added very little to the story. I skipped most of them.

All complaints aside, when the mission began, I was hooked. I read swiftly, anxious to find out what happened in the end. However, as I mentioned earlier, I kept expecting the punchline that never came. The ending was unsatisfying and rushed.