Heaven Is Here - Book Review

July 2012 Book Review Title: Heaven Is Here: An Incredible Story of Hope, Triumph, and Everyday Joy Author: Stephanie Nielson Published: Voice Date Published: April 3rd, 2012 Non-Fiction, Memoir - 320 pages Date Read: June 2012 Synopsis: Stephanie Nielson began sharing her life in 2005 on nieniedialogues.com, drawing readers in with her warmth and candor. She quickly attracted a loyal following that was captivated by the upbeat mother happily raising her young children, madly in love with her husband, Christian (Mr. Nielson to her readers), and filled with gratitude for her blessed life. However, everything changed in an instant on a sunny day in August 2008, when Stephanie and Christian were in a horrific plane crash. Christian was burned over 40 percent of his body, and Stephanie was on the brink of death, with burns over 80 percent of her body. She would remain in a coma for four months. In the aftermath of this harrowing tragedy, Stephanie maintained a stunning sense of humor, optimism, and resilience. She has since shared this strength of spirit with others through her blog, in magazine features, and on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Now, in this moving memoir, Stephanie tells the full, extraordinary story of her unlikely recovery and the incredible love behind it—from a riveting account of the crash to all that followed in its wake. My Review: There are so many tragic memoirs and autobiographies out there these days, full of stories about alcohol and drug addiction, rape, abuse, handicaps, disease, etc. So for this reason I was hesitant about picking this book up but as always happens, this book whispered to me. I get asked a lot what type of book I read or how I choose my books but I don't. I let the books choose me. Now that may sound crazy but you avid readers out there will know exactly what I am talking about. This book was such a breath of fresh air. It was original and honest, uplifting and inspiring, all without trying. Stephanie Nielson is a "pure" soul. You can tell that she didn't write this book to become rich or famous. She did it purely out of the need to save herself by re connecting with her blog followers. Stephanie speaks from the heart. Her words are so authentic that you felt like you were her friend and she was just sitting across the room telling you her story. Her faith and religion I thought could be a problem as I began to read but never once did I feel that she was preaching. I was touched by her commitment to her faith, her family and her life. There is not a day that has gone by since I have read this book that I haven't thought about Stephanie and then tried a little harder to be grateful for my life. Thank you Stephanie, you are an inspiration and a hero to me! My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!