To Heaven and Back: A Doctor's Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again: A True Story Paperback – May 29, 2012

This powerful book titled To Heaven and Back, by Mary C. Neal, M.D., is a compelling story about a powerful subject, the matter of whether we humans can experience eternal life and return from it. Dr. Mary actually drowned in a kayak accident during a South American adventure. After her death underwater, from accidently tumbling down a waterfall, she was transported to heaven, moving from life, to death, and into eternal life, and then back to life again. It was an amazing experience of God’s peace, joy, and angels, before she came back to life again.The narration of the book would be complete in itself with only Dr. Mary’s report of her own visit to heaven and her return to earthly life. Near the close of the book she tells of the tragic death of her son at age 18 in a terrible accident while skiiing in Vermont, struck down by a teenaged driver distracted by a cellphone. “God took our son,” she wrote, “but there was no grim reaper.” She went on to say that she believed God “sent his most gentle and loving angels to collect Willie’s soul and take him to heaven.”This book affirms a strong belief in eternal life, which Christians believe is the very cornerstone of our faith experience. As Shawna Osman put it in another book on the subject, I Believe in Life After Death, “It is not just the reward for our service and our good faith, rather is it the reason that we are able to carry on in the first place: this world, this vale of tears . . . There is more to life than this life, there is more to God than what we can see in our lifetimes. Believing in life after death puts our mortal lives into perspective. It reveals what our true problems are. It shows us what really matters, what we should actually be concerned with.”This story as told by Dr. Mary Neal, a medical doctor along with her husband, and an active person of faith (she is an Elder in her church in Jackson Hole, Wyoming), is a most credible witness to a profound experience. Reading this book will impact any person who is sincerely seeking the truth about the whole matter of the meaning of life, its purpose, and our destiny in eternal life with God.

Mary, thank you for writing this wonderful book about your NDE and how it changed your life. It took a lot of courage from you, especially since you appear to be,and you describe yourself as a very private person. The fact that you are a very specialized orthopedic surgeon, adds to the credibility of the story. You seem to have a great reputation in that field and in your community, so I am sure you would not make up stories to get attention, and risk that. You don't need to. Your life is already nearly perfect.I've been reluctant to purchase "Heaven is for Real", since it is the story of a child's encounter with heaven, and it would be hard for me to assess how much of it was real, how much of it was in the child's imagination, and how much of it might have come from his father and other adults influencing the child. I purchased your book because I am a terrible skeptic, but your credentials gave me confidence.I had to read all the one star reviews to find out why some people could be so disappointed with this book. I seem to understand a little better now:The actual trip to heaven must have taken less than a few minutes, given the fact that you're still here, and did not suffer any brain damage. Thank God for that! Therefore, there wasn't a whole lot of detail to be said. But what you did say is very reassuring. There is definitely life after death, and it will be a joyous wonderful life! We won't want to come back, once we are there.As for the conversations with the angel (or Jesus, if it was Jesus, which could very well be. Didn't you ask his name? I think I would have). You said you spoke at length with him, on two occasions. Most of us were hanging on your every word, to see if you could share the answers you were given, but they were very vague. Given that tremendous opportunity, if any of us could talk to Jesus or an angel, what would we ask? I can make a pretty long list myself. For example, times have changed a lot since the bible was written. How does God feel TODAY about issues that fill us with doubt, fear and anxiety, such as divorce, abortion, birth control, war, homosexuality, lust, greed, selfishness, justice, etc. Here is a topic that weighs heavily on my mind: Pain and disease. Why do some people heal and some don't. Why are the lucky ones lucky? Not that I'm calling you lucky. You studied hard, you worked hard. You deserve your success. Yes compared to most of us, you are an over-achiever and some people may resent that. On the other hand, losing a child is probably the hardest thing for most people to endure. No one envies you for that. Your experience may have helped you understand it a little better, but I'm sure it was painful just the same. I believe you were blessed in many ways, and the fact that you always trusted God probably had a lot to do with it. There are many times that my trust gets replaced with doubt and anger, and I just have to remember to ask God to help me believe more, trust more. Your book taught me three very important lessons that I hope to remember for the rest of my life. The three verses of the bible that you read in your hospital room.God bless you Mary, and many, many thanks!I'm glad that you were able to share with us all that you did. If you think of any answers to my above questions, please don't hesitate to comment.

To Heaven and Back is a moving memoir by Dr. Mary Neal. The book reflects on the miraculous events of Neal’s life and how they tied into her stirring spiritual journey.The most gripping and page-turning sections of the book were when Dr. Neal described the unbelievable events in her life. She has several near-death experiences and faces many tragedies. Not only are the stories remarkable, but the connection back to God after every trial is inspiring. Her struggles served to strengthen her faith and see how truly present God is in our lives.While the book has the extraordinary events of Dr. Neal’s lifetime included, it also addresses everyday common struggles faced by many of us today. Neal’s book focuses a great deal on the challenges she faced throughout her life with her relationships, career, and her family. With her busy and ambitious lifestyle, Neal found she often had a hard time knowing what God was to her, and where He fit into her life. If you find yourself struggling to know who God is and what he means to you, this book may resonate with you. I would specifically recommend this book to parents, as Dr. Neal references her experiences with parenting often throughout the book. The relatability of many of the struggles Dr. Neal describes throughout her life make it a book anyone can enjoy and take something away from.

Good story and easy to read.