Don Piper et al - 90 Minutes In Heaven: A True Story of Death & Life Books Review

I was first introducted to 90 Minutes in Heaven by someone from our church. I think he found some helpful information in this book after his young son died in a tragic hunting accident. Then someone from my yoga class brought 90 Minutes in Heaven to class one night and asked if I would like to read it. How could I say no?

Don Piper had no pulse and was pronounced dead at the scene of an automobile accident. He was still within his mangled vehicle and covered with a tarp when Dick Onerecker and his wife drove up to the scene. Although it seemed a bit odd, Dick Onerecker reported that God told him to go over and pray for the dead man in the red car as the crew who were called to the scene awaited the Jaws of Life so that Don Piper could be extracted from the mangled mass of his vehicle and transported to the mortuary.

Climbing under the tarp and into the back seat, Dick Onerecker placed his hand on Don Piper's lifeless shoulder and began to pray fervently after verifying for himself that there was no pulse. Upon finishing that heartfelt prayer, Mr. Onerecker began to sing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Miraculously, the dead man began to sing with him.

Don Piper's account of his experience in heaven must be something akin to someone trying to describe Disney World to a remote, primitive village in the jungles of Africa. How do you describe something that is so far beyond a person's imagination? Those vivid memories must be so intimate and wonderful, and I think this book is a testimony to a man who could have kept this to himself but decided to share his experience in heaven to help others.

I could not help but think about Lazarus as Don Piper continued the story beyond that miraculous trip. How difficult it must be to come back! One doctor had mentioned to him that he had seen worse, but none of those other patients had survived. The pictures of the wrecked vehicle and the Ilizarov device that helped to save his leg provide even more evidence of the seriousness of Mr. Piper's injuries.

I thought it was significant that Mr. Piper did not mention anything about pain until after he returned from that heavenly trip. He only spoke of peace and happiness immediately after dying. The pain only emerged after his return to earth. That helped me a great deal in thinking of my dad's fatal automobile accident.

Mr. Piper could have finished 90 Minutes in Heaven at his return to earth, but he decided to share even more of himself by honestly describing his difficulty with the pain, treatment, depression, and a wish to die again. I think many people can relate to someone who is painfully human yet still seeks to help people despite his own limitations.

The author spoke candidly of learning to re-think life and how to respond to others, such as learning to see how allowing others to help him enabled them to be blessed as well. I tend to have a hard time allowing others to help me, and his examples gave me a different viewpoint on accepting help when needed. Mr. Piper also spoke of how his experience in living with pain helped him to see eye-to-eye with people for whom he would have only been able to imagine a glimpse of their pain before.

Each chapter begins with a Bible verse, which I think is a nice touch.

My Viewpoint:

90 Minutes in Heaven takes an honest look at one man's first-hand experience in heaven and how to cope with difficulties in this world after death. As a nurse, I have had the privilege of being with many people as they have departed this world. The atmosphere in the hospital room often changes in those last moments, and I have seen more than one dying person look beyond what we can see. Some have smiled with their last breath. Perhaps they saw what Don Piper saw during his 90 Minutes in Heaven.