120 of 128 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Strongly recommended, May 22, 2009
This review is from: Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot (Hardcover)
Writing about reincarnation brings the skeptics out of the woodwork and many people in Western culture say, "I don't believe". The Judeo-Christian ethic does not believe in coming back in the form of another person. Bruce Leininger, a Human Relations executive, and his wife, discussed their two-year-old son James' nightmares and bizarre conduct. Soul Survivor, will be released in June 2009 dispelling some of the doubts that Bruce had about the phenomenal behavior of his son. Ken Gross provides a great assist in conveying their story.
Since their son was a lot different than most two-year-olds, Bruce and Andrea Leininger sought the help of Carol Bowman, renowned author, who wrote books about vivid past lives of her children. The Leininger's needed a better way to contend with the mysterious recollections by their son with his screaming in the night as his plane dove into the ocean in flames. "Little man" James would describe his life as a fighter pilot and how he died when he was unable to get out of the cockpit of his Corsair, which had been hit by enemy aircraft in the battle for Iwo Jima.
Bruce and Andrea were unable to rationalize James' behavior. They could not explain his vast knowledge of airplanes, crew members, or recollection of actual events which had taken place during the life of James M. Huston Jr. At the age of four, James was able to name crew members who had died before him and states he met them in heaven before his birth as James Leininger. "He was a four-year-old, and he was saying things that made his parent's skin crawl," according to Ken Gross.
Bruce became a first-rate detective in the ensuing years, uncovering actual people who swore that his son James III was indeed James Jr. after many years had gone by. Bruce met with surviving crew mates, the sister of James Jr., and had his little son speak with her. Astonishingly, they had conversations which started in the 1940's, and continued as if it were yesterday. There was noticeable sibling bonding as the two of them exchanged words of affection, even though they were 80 years apart!
James will turn 11 this year and the nightmares are gone, but many of the memories linger on. Reading this book may not change beliefs in reincarnation, but may cause wonder for the skeptic. Soul Survivor is strongly recommended.
Clark Isaacs
Reviewer
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62 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great content/uneven writing, June 18, 2009
This review is from: Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot (Hardcover)
I have enjoyed Carol Bowman's books in the past so this was a natural for me when I saw the Leiningers interviewed on GMA about their son's past life memories. The Leiningers do not present a very sympathetic picture in the beginning of the book - shallow corporate power couple, obsessed with perfection, frantic over their son's acceptance to the "right" kindergarten making their gradual forced conversion to belief in reincarnation more powerful. I especially loved the last chapters where Bruce is underemployed and begins really opening his heart to the elderly WWII pilots and surviving family members; it shows real growth from the absentee father who had been working 12-hour days to the man who cherishs every minute spent with the crew of the Natoma Bay. Therein lies the rub: 50% of the book is spent viewing the life of the Leiningers pre-conversion, as average American consumers - decorating house, attending cookouts, choosing wall paper and wall colors. Only the last two chapters document James meeting his Natoma crew mates, recognizing them instantly by voice, meeting his sister Anna and knowing intensely personal details of her girlhood, and meeting airplane pilots who recognize him as a trained professional. These astonishing meetings are given barely one sentence each while whole pages earlier in the book are devoted to Andrea's housecleaning regimes. The writers state that James was the star of the Natoma crew reunion, but no details are given. It feels like they ran out of room at the end of the book, but rather than edit the first chapters they shoehorned all the really interesting material into the last two chapters failing to detail conversations or meetings. Maybe they are saving that for a sequel? Another kvetch, I bought the Kindle version which does not contain photos, maps or illustrations - does the print version contain material other than text? I would have loved to have seen James 2 and James 3 as avatars (reincarnations) are said to closely resemble their immediate past lives.
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55 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Clash of Faith vs. Fact, June 9, 2009
This review is from: Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot (Hardcover)
Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, this story is extremely meaningful. Bruce Leininger's research uncovered the stories of the 21 men who died while serving our country off of the escort carrier USS Natoma Bay during WWII. The military records had been classified for over 60 years until Mr. Leininger uncovered them in order to disprove the information revealed in his son's nightmares. The accounts of these mens deaths had never been published.The surviving family members were unaware of how their loved ones had died until the records were sent to them by Mr. Leininger. If this story is compelling for no other reason, the painstaking research and discovery of military records that brought peace and closure to the surviving families who still grieved for their loved ones generations later is a monumental accomplishment.
Mr. Leininger stated that researching the details of how fighter pilot, James M. Huston, Jr., died and reconciling them with his son's night terrors was "a clash of faith vs. fact". His journey led him from trying to disprove the information to slowly substantiating it as a true historical account. The evidence is overwhelming. Whether you are a believer or a non-believer, this story is about a renewal and acceptance of faith. It made Mr. Leininger re-examine his own belief system and, ultimately made him believe even stronger in what God promises to all of us....that of our soul's eternal life.
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