90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life {memoir}

If you're hoping for a vivid description of what heaven looks like, you won't find it here. The author spends more time describing his recovery from the car accident that killed him (temporarily). It challenges a few things I believe to be true about heaven, but did make me hopeful. It also made me quit whining about my stomach hurting all weekend after reading what this guy had to endure.

Written in straight-forward, simple style without a lot of "religionese," Don Piper has told the story of his devastating accident, his brief time in heaven and his return to a life full of pain and questions. I read it cover-to-cover in two hours and then loaned out my copy. I would recommend this book to just about anybody -- to those with questions about faith, questions about prayer, questions about life and death and pain which we all face to some extent.

His descriptions of heaven are human ones -- simple, not overly poetic or grandiose, just those of someone who experienced the indescribable and then tried to describe it. I loved the descriptions of the incredible heavenly music and I get the feeling that vast choirs and show more heightened senses await us there. And despite the incredible experience, Piper found it too personal, too private, and too intimate to share with anyone for over a year after his accident. I'm so glad he found the courage to do so.

I also love the honesty with which he describes his pain and depression and the inevitable questions that we must face when we have close encounters with the Almighty. The God we meet is often not the one we expected, and while we can't understand why God does what he does, we can no longer deny this God we don't understand. And while we hold these two things together, our lives are changed and grace is showered down amid the ruins of what we thought was important to us.

A simply-told story of the greatest mystery of all -- you HAVE to read this book!! show less

Any book that talks about heaven I will enjoy reading. But I thought something was missing in this book. The author focused too much on his own struggles and not enough on his experience in heaven. It seemed that the balance between them was missing. It is a very easy read-I finished it in one day and I tend to read slowly.

I've heard a lot about this New York Times bestseller on the Knight Agency blog, so I picked it up out of curiosity. I admit, my faith is frail at this point and I approached it as a skeptic. I can't say it convinced me of anything, but it's an intriguing read and a book I'll pass along to my mom to read.

The title tells the basics of the tale: Don Piper died. One instant he was driving down a narrow bridge in Texas, and in the next he was in heaven. It was a place of boundless joy. He felt no regrets, and didn't have a thought of who he had left behind on Earth. Long-dead friends and family welcomed him as they praised together. The music he heard as beyond description. Meanwhile, on Earth, he was declared dead for ninety minutes. show more Multiple EMTs verified it. No one rushed to extract him from his car as they waited for the coroner. Then a bystander asked to go pray over the dead man, and to shock the dead man was not dead. Don Piper had returned to Earth, to a wrecked and ruined body. No one could explain his survival. Other the next days and months, he almost died again and again. He knew deep, dark depression, and raged at his constant pain and helplessness. However, he survived, and as he opened up about his experience of seeing heaven, that became part of his ministry.

What Don Piper dealt with is a miracle. There's no question of that. I marvel at how he has endured so much pain and struggle, and now uses that to tend to others, especially those using the Ilizarov fixator to lengthen bones. He does not come across as a quack. He has faith in his experience, and uses that to comfort others as they confront death or debilitating pain. show less

Though I have to admit to a bit of skepticism, I did find the book interesting and well-written in the fact that it is hard to put down and the story flows from chapter to chapter.

I appreciated Piper's honesty in saying he doesn't know the answers to the "why?" questions but that he trusts there is a purpose behind what he experienced and why he is here. That belief translates well to many life situations. I also appreciate that he wants to encourage and give hope to others who find themselves wearing fixator devices like what he had. Talking to someone who's been through the experience and lived is often a great encouragement--just to know someone understands what you're going through is a great encouragement.

I received this book show more several years ago as part of a secret sister exchange but didn't read it until now. I think I understand parts of his experience better now than I might have before 2013. show less

To begin, I must confess that this is the first book I've ever read from somebody who was pronounced dead and it is not normally subject matter that I would gravitate towards. That being said, Pastor Don Piper's account of his personal struggles dealing with the emotional and physical trauma he experienced in the aftermath of a horrific collision with an 18-wheeler is inspiring to anybody who has had to deal with a life-changing injury. Only a relatively small portion of the book is dedicated to his actual recollections of Heaven which I found a little disappointing given the title of the book, but it is an interesting read nonetheless. The hook of this book might be the account of an almost-realized salvation, but the real miracle in show more these pages is how so many people bound together and sacrificed for so long to help this man and his family recover after the accident. show less

Refreshingly well written book (i.e. dictated). Written from a Christian point of view, it starts with his experience of 'death' and out of body travel toward the gates of heaven. He then goes on to cover his recovery from his injuries which is much more powerful, persuasive and more fully interpreted than the self titled '90 minutes in Heaven' 'vision' itself. Ends with a nice christian reflection on the meaning of human suffering and the value of reaching out to others even in one's own physical weakness. Includes several pages of pictures which add much to making the story even more accessible. It may help if the reader has some prior acquaintance with the medical field.