A Travel Guide to Heaven (Random House Large Print)

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing To Ponder
Review: A TRAVEL GUIDE TO HEAVEN by Anthony DeStefano Although this book has gotten rave reviews in many sectors, I found it a bit unreal and too materialistic. DeStefano's idea of heaven is like a rich person's ideal sight-seeing tour, and he takes you on a real tour of all the places and experiences you will have if you live right and die good. According to other reviews this is ideal for Christians who take the promises of gold paved streets and pearly gates literally, and it is of great comfort to dying patients and their families. I guess the book serves as a bright, fanciful tourist guide for people who need that kind of belief, but I prefer to think of Heaven as a place of deep mystery and no need of materialism, a place where God IS, and that will be all that matters to us then.

Rating:
Summary: A Fun, Imaginary Romp Through the Afterlife
Review: Ahhh, heaven! A cozy den of warm, burnished oak, filled with all the books I never had time to read on earth. Outside it's snowing, but I'm all toasty sitting next to the fire in my Masterpiece Theatre setting, minus the pipe. Oh, go ahead and add the pipe to the picture. Can't do any harm, because this is heaven. Besides, I'm expecting C.S. in a bit, and Mr. Lewis does like a good pipe now and then.

After our visit, perhaps I'll retire to my high-tech language lab, where I'll focus on my current course of study, Icelandic, having reached the I's in my alphabetized foreign language curriculum. No snow tomorrow --- whatever "tomorrow" means here, but we do get to know the weather in advance --- so I'll take the path over the mountain and through the woods to the village, where I'll join several of my dearest friends at an outdoor café and sip a steaming cup of Folgers as we discuss the deeper issues of life. I mean, the afterlife.

Not your idea of heaven? No problem. Anthony DeStefano assures me, and you, too, that we'll have something of a customized eternity. Meaning, I get Masterpiece Theatre and you get Tahiti or wherever your mind goes when the word heaven pops into it. And for that, DeStefano has taken his share of heat. But then, some people just don't know how to have fun.

The point here is that people generally have a view of heaven that's somewhat lacking. Some imagine an ethereal, wispy place --- you know, with angelic choirs and harpists in the clouds and all that. Others imagine an existence in which the language will be biblical and the people will be religious, meaning, of course, boring. Still others take their view of heaven from the book of Revelation, where the description is --- come on, admit it --- pretty weird, from a human perspective. In short, DeStefano thinks all those images leave few people actually wanting to go there.

He remedies that by giving folks in the here and now a guided tour of the by and by. And while his basic take on heaven as a place conforms to fairly orthodox Christian teaching, he lets loose and lets his imagination run wild. Which, of course, also has gotten him into trouble with people who have somehow managed to confuse an imaginary romp through the afterlife with a doctrinal treatise on the same.

Look, the bottom line here is that this book is not for everyone, and DeStefano is quite cool with that. People who admit no creative thinking to their theological propositions should clearly stay away, as should people who might mistake A TRAVEL GUIDE TO HEAVEN for the Gospel According to Anthony DeStefano. His breezy, casual writing style, punctuated by a truckload of exclamation points and question marks, won't appeal to everyone, either. But if you're still carrying around the image of a mind-numbing, stodgy, endless existence --- if you have absolutely no excitement about what's to come when this life is over for you --- well, you just might want to take a quick peek and see if you're up for taking the full tour.

--- Reviewed by Marcia Ford

Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: Despite having a strong faith and belief in God, I have always found myself to be hesitant about the whole subject of heaven. My mind's eye always pictured me in a flowing white robe floating around singing hymns for all eternity. Not very exciting, in my opinion.

This book changed that. Anthony Destefano uses a healthy mixture of scripture and imagination to envision a place more amazing than I could ever imagine. Now I can look forward maintaining the friendships I have on earth, playing with animals, watching sunsets and enjoying all of the other wonderful creations God has made for us. The author's belief that heaven will be the same as earth, only better, intrigues me. His vision of heaven is the most lovely I've ever encountered.

No matter what your personal beliefs are, I think anyone can enjoy this fun and fast-paced tour of heaven.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: For a lay person, A Travel Guide represents a good introduction into thinking beyond the box, but is full of Disney-esque suppositions. There are better books on the market, including one I just finished from a NDE survivor who found herself in the Presence of God - this one also has a Christian foundation, but isn't preachy, and it's Really good - Psychic Gifts in the Christian life by Tiffany Snow. Much can be learned from the Near-Death-Experience people who have been there, and came back. The Travel Guide to Heaven is a bit flat. You expect an author to generate a shift in consciousness, and excitement and perhaps give some methods of or reasons for beneficial change. This book didn't do that for me. Also, Betty Eadie's Embraced by the Light is good. These highlight the deeper Spiritual things of what happens when we die. Perhaps through the NDE, we can see the real heaven. Indulge yourself! Continue on the path to be a higher intelligence in the universe! The world needs it, doesn't it?

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I loved this book. I have lost a brother and my beloved pet dog and miss them so much. This book helped me to feel closer to them and know that we will be reuninted again someday. A must read for people who have lost loved ones. Very well written. I can't say enough good about it. Read it for yourself and see.

Rating:
Summary: An Incredible Book
Review: The appearance of this important guide in an accessible large print edition cannot be overlooked as a wide audience of Americans who believe in heaven will want to read Travel Guide to Heaven, from avid believers to those who want to investigate Biblical concepts of heaven. The author blends analysis of the Bible with a sense of adventure and exploration in a lively text which is oversized, easily read, and packed with insights. Travel Guide to Heaven is a very highly recommended pick which in its large print format will reach many who could not access a regular font sized text.

Rating:
Summary: FUN!!!
Review: What fun!!! I totally enjoyed reading this very uplifting book. As a religion teacher I am so excited to have a book like this to share with the high school children I have contact with. Some have confided a fear of being "stuck" in heaven. They can't imagine heaven being anything less then boring. This book is changing their fear and apprehension to joy and anticiapation. I am looking forward to reading it again.