Return From Heaven: Beloved Relatives Reincarnated Within Your Family (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "DYLAN was only two years old when his mother, Anne, first noticed his strange behavior..." (more)
Key Phrases: prebirth communication, interlife state, announcing dreams, Sarah Holden, Tibetan Buddhists, Kathy Luke (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After the publication of her last book, Children's Past Lives, Bowman was deluged with e-mails from readers wanting to share their stories. Many reported the rebirth of deceased relatives into their own families; Bowman, intrigued, set out to study the phenomenon, and she now presents her findings. Each tale is stranger than the next: a grandfather returned as a grandson, miscarried twins were transferred from their mother to her sister-in-law and were reborn years apart. Bowman admits she is not interested in "fretting about proof" for these unlikely scenarios, but the stories are gripping in and of themselves. It's testimony to their high drama that a book beginning with the truly weird and uncanny premise, "What if the child who [is] just like great-grandpa really is?" can, by the end, make it seem almost a shame not to have a returned uncle or two in the family. Bowman endeavors to present reincarnation as a whole worldview a cycle of living, dying and spiritual growth rather than the wishful thinking of bereaved hearts hoping to rob death of its finality. This book will not change anyone's mind: believers will believe, and skeptics will remain unconvinced. Bowman, a believer, gives too little credit to the virtuosic imagination of children (or for that matter adults). Undoubtedly, many readers will find comfort and meaning in her work, while others will enjoy it as a better ghost story than most. (Apr.)Forecast: Author appearances in L.A., D.C., and Chicago; a national media campaign; and a 50-city radio campaign should help this book find its audience.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

For the first time anywhere, Carol Bowman, author of the groundbreaking Children's Past Lives, reveals how common it is for relatives to reincarnate into the same family -- grandfathers return as their own great-grandsons, uncles return as their own nieces, mothers switch places with their daughters, and children who died tragically young sometimes return to the same mother. This amazing discovery offers hope for anyone who longs to be reunited with a deceased relative or loved one. And it shows that reincarnation can be practical -- and very personal.

Return from Heaven is not a religious or theoretical book. It is empirical, based on direct observation of very young children -- some as young as two and still in diapers. Its many true stories follow typical American families as they are convinced by their toddlers' statements and behaviors that the child is remembering the past life of a departed relative. Readers are witness to the parents' struggles to reconcile what they see coming from their own child with their prior belief that "reincarnation isn't possible." They share what it feels like -- the personal dilemmas and utter joy -- to have a close relationship with two incarnations of the same soul.

Author Carol Bowman is recognized as a pioneer in reincarnation studies. She began collecting cases in 1988 not as a researcher, but as a mother trying to understand the past-life memories of her own two children. She shared her discoveries in Children's Past Lives, the first book to explain in practical terms how to recognize and respond to a child's past-life memories. Then, in the hundreds of cases that came to her since its publication, Bowman noticed a high percentage in which the child had unmistakable memories of a recently deceased relative. Return from Heaven presents the best of these family-return cases, focusing on the profound emotions and realizations they stir in the parents and families.

With a foreword by world-renowned medium James Van Praagh (Healing Grief), these true stories hold powerful lessons for everyone, not just parents. Some give fresh insight into metaphysical questions, such as how we choose our parents. Others cast a new light on miscarriage and abortion. Common to all are the lessons that death is not the end of life, and that relationships continue despite death. Return from Heaven will enlighten and uplift readers with a very personal and fresh look at reincarnation, and with promise of reunion with beloved relatives.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (March 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060195711
• ISBN-13: 978-0060195717
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #734,111 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Filled with Insight, August 26, 2004

By	Elaine C McTyer "avid reader" (Dawson, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Return From Heaven: Beloved Relatives Reincarnated Within Your Family (Mass Market Paperback)

My husband died at Christmas 2003. My granddaughter was born April 2004. I have found so many similarities between them, I wanted to research this topic very carefully.

This book was very enlightening and very easy to understand. I know you will be as fasinated as I am. It made me remember several incidents and unexplained things that had happened to and with my other children.

If you have an open mind it is a very thoughtful read.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling experiences and mind-expanding ideas, April 28, 2001

By	Elisabeth Hallett (Hamilton, MT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Return From Heaven focuses on an exciting pattern in reincarnation. From well-documented cases, it appears that same-family returns are common. A young child may reveal memories and show behaviors that point to a previous incarnation in the same family - perhaps as a grandparent or even a recently deceased brother or sister. Carol Bowman explores this possibility through detailed case histories written with a warm and personal touch.

These are tremendously moving human interest stories. They reveal the emotional impact on a family experiencing a reincarnational drama, as well as the signs that link a new child to a previous identity. Bowman also includes an excellent overview of parents' experiences with pre-birth communication, evidence that dovetails with her research findings. Countless parents are hearing past-life memories from their young children. Carol Bowman does a tremendous service by showing us how to recognize and listen to these memories.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking, November 4, 2003

By	TheHighlander (Richfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This book examines case histories of reincarnation but not normal reincarnation. Reincarnation within the same family. She interviews parents who are convinced that their child is a reincarnated family member. Why are they convinced? Birth marks on the child that coincide with scares or injuries of the deceased family member. Statements by the children at a young age that they were here before and so and so, whom they never knew. Statements that accurately reflect happenings before their birth that would be unkown to them or even a secret.

Statements on miscarraiges and changed thoughts about coming back. Talk about how parents are chosen. yes, this all sounds far out, it all sounds like science fiction. But the studies and the people described and their expereiences do tend to cause a person to think. If you believe in reincarnation this book will be a great read for you with more evidence that it does exist. If you are not sure what you believe you will find this book interesting. If you firmly do not believe you will not be impressed I'm sure.

It was an interesting book for me that presented many things to think on. It's a simple read and you can follow it easy. Chapters are broken down by cases and the author explains how they were brought to her attention, what she did to follow through and the information she was provided by the people involved. Not much guess work on her part that I see.

Bottom line, if it's your topic, it'll be enjoyable for you, if not, you might want to pass.