by Todd Burpo
Part of Heaven is For Real, book 1
First published 2010
Colton Burpo survives emergency appendectomy surgery just before his fourth birthday. In the months that follow, he tells his parents something impossible. He left his body during the operation and went to heaven. Colton describes exactly what his mother and father were doing in another part of the hospital while doctors operated on him. He talks about meeting relatives who died before his birth and shares stories they told him about events he never could have known. The boy describes Jesus, angels, and details about heaven that match biblical accounts, even though he cannot read yet. His father Todd records these conversations as Colton explains how big God is and insists that in heaven nobody gets old and nobody needs glasses. The family struggles to understand what happened to their son and what his experience means for their faith and their understanding of what comes after death.
Genres: christian-fiction, memoir, non-fiction, inspirational
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Heaven
Period: 4th Birthday
162 pages · Paperback · Thomas Nelson