Mary C. Neal

I've always been inspired by people's accounts of being in Heaven. Whether they've had a near-death experience or they've been given insight into Heaven it's a sign to me that Heaven is real and that God's promise to us is true. So when I was given the chance to review this book I jumped at it. While I may be a bit impartial on the subject I did truly enjoy this book.

Mary's story is inspirational. What I loved about her story is she wasn't perfect. She admitted that when her life was crazy show more - school, family, work, and just life - she had put God on the back burner and went about trying to make everything work. And yet she was still chosen to be a messenger, this imperfect woman was taken to Heaven so she could share with people that it is real. It inspires me to think that even though I'm not perfect and I don't always put God in the fore front of my life, though I do try to be aware, I am still capable of doing great things for God. And I think that's at least part of what her story is about, you don't have to be perfect in your love for God because he realizes that we're not perfect.

Mary's life, like most of our lives is filled with great joy and great tragedy. Going through those emotional highs and lows with her really pulled me into her story. I wanted to see how she dealt with her experience in Heaven, how she dealt with her sorrow over being sent back, and how she took that experience and the instructions given to her and turned it into the positive and inspirational story she shares with us. Her life wasn't easy after her trip to Heaven and while she tried to do what she was instructed to do - share her story with the world - she had many upsets in her life that kept pushing that goal to the back burner. I can't say that I would have been able to deal with what she went through as well as she did, but I would hope that like her, I would be able to eventually push aside my insecurities and listen to what God was saying to me.

This was a really good book. I would have like more information about her time in Heaven and her meetings with angels, but I understand her feeling that some of that was veiled to her for a reason. So I can't really blame her for not being able to include everything. Even with out the overt details I would have liked to read I was still inspired by her story and hope that I can live my life a little better with the added insights this book had given me. show less

I had a deep appreciation for Dr. Neal's story. While it is centered around a religious faith there were moments that resonated with me; passages that moved me to tears. Dr. Neal was kayaking in Chile when she had a terrible accident and technically drowned. she was pinned under water way longer than a person should/could survive. While she was dead she experienced heaven and Jesus holding her. She believed she was spared because her purpose in life on Earth wasn't finished. Throughout the show more rest of To Heaven and Back Dr. Neal recounts different moments where her presence saved the life of someone else or God's presence had a hand in guiding her to make the right decision. Even after her son is tragically killed she found a spiritual way to push through the pain. It is an uplifting story of inspiration. show less

A very interesting true story of the witnessed near death experience of Orthopedic Surgeon, Mary C Neal. I commend the author for the courage it must have taken to share her experience publicly - after all, she is a physician and well versed on the clinical process and timeline of death. I did not find it to be overly spiritual - she presented her core beliefs as what I would call common. She was not steeped with deep thoughts and considerations of the spiritual such as heaven, angels, and show more what happens human life after death until her own accident and experience with physiological death.

I have absolutely no doubt about the facts presented in this book as her accident was witnessed and timed by another person outside of the experience. I appreciate her transparency in sharing this experience and how it compelled her to re-consider her core philosophies about physical life and death, and the deepest questions of human existence. Like the author, I am a healthcare clinician. Her experience and reflections gave me much to ponder. show less

I guess I was expecting something truly extraordinary, and I just didn't get it. I don't know if this is real or not. I've never heard of a near-death experience where the person keeps talking to angels. I'm inclined to think that it was the drugs talking. She was badly injured, yet she makes it sound like she was just lounging around in her bed, chatting away. I truly want to believe, and I guess I read this book hoping to find those answers, but I didn't find them here. It all boils down show more to faith, I guess. show less