Heaven Is for Real

Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back is a 2010 New York Times best-selling Christian book written by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent and published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. The book documents the report of a near-death experience by Burpo's three-year-old son Colton. By April 2012, more than one million ebooks had been sold, and more than 10 million copies had been sold by 2014. A feature film based on the book was released on April 16, 2014, earning $101 million at the box office. Summary Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent co-wrote this book when Todd Burpo's three-year-old son had appendicitis. When Colton's mother Sonja first noticed he was not feeling well she took him to the emergency room and was told that Colton had influenza, as all the tests for a possible appendicitis came back negative. Colton vomited often, and his parents suspected he did not just have influenza. When Todd and Sonja went to a different emergency room with Colton, they were told that Colton had to have an emergency appendectomy or he could possibly die. Months after surviving the emergency surgery to remove his appendix, Colton shared the story of how he left his body during surgery and went to heaven. Colton began describing events and people that seemed impossible for him to have known about. Examples include knowledge of an unborn sister miscarried by his mother in 1998 and details of a great-grandfather who had died 30 years before Colton was born. Colton also explained how he met Jesus riding a rainbow-colored horse and sat in Jesus' lap while angels sang songs to him. Characters Colton Burpo is the son of Todd Burpo and Sonja Burpo. At the time of the incident, Colton was three years old, Todd Burpo was pastor at a Crossroads church in Nebraska, and Sonja Burpo was a teacher at a local school. Cassie Burpo is Colton's elder sister. Pop was Todd Burpo's grandfather, and Dr. O’Holleran was the surgeon who performed the emergency appendectomy on Colton.