by Todd Burpo
First published 1900
Colton Burpo lies on an operating table, fighting for his life after a ruptured appendix. The four-year-old son of a small-town Nebraska pastor slips away during emergency surgery, only to return with extraordinary stories. He tells his father Todd about meeting Jesus, sitting on God's lap, and encountering family members who died before his birth. Colton describes heaven's colors, the angels' songs, and Jesus's rainbow-colored horse with vivid detail that startles his parents. As the boy shares more impossible knowledge about biblical figures and deceased relatives he never knew, his family struggles between skepticism and wonder. Todd Burpo wrestles with his own faith as his son's accounts challenge everything he thought he knew about the afterlife. The family's journey becomes a test of belief, love, and the mysteries that lie beyond human understanding.
Genres: christian-fiction, memoir, inspirational
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: faith-journey, true-story
Setting: Nebraska
Period: 20th-century
279 pages · Paperback · Thomas Nelson