Book Review
He dies; yes clinically dead. The nurse pulls the white sheet over his head and tags him for the morgue. The hospital staff leaves the room solemnly, disappointed that they couldn’t save this poor young soldier. It was a cold December in 1943 at Camp Barkeley, Texas.
Doctors and nurses get used to death especially in the military. This unfortunate death was not due to active duty though, it was an outbreak of influenza at the camp and for poor George it had suddenly turned into pneumonia on the very day that he was meant to go on leave. Death was not the leave this 20 year old private was expecting. He was scheduled to start medical school in a few weeks.
A Nine Minute Journey Through Heaven and Hell
Nine minutes later George stood staring at his dead body in an empty cold room. With the sheet completely covering the corpse he only recognised himself by the ring on his left hand. He was reluctant to return, not wanting to leave the presence of love and light that had guided him on a fantastic journey through realms he could have never imagined.
How much can happen in 9 minutes? For George it was a lifetime. In the book he describes every detail of his experience on this journey through realms of heaven and hell. In the beginning he is not aware that he is dead and we experience his gradual realization, not only of his death, but also of the meaning and value of life and of the nature of the afterlife.
The Beginning of Ever-After
When George returned from death it was hard for everyone to believe. His experience was one of the reasons that led Dr. Raymond Moody, Jr. to write the book, Life After Life. These 
are old books now, Return From Tomorrow by George G. Ritchie was published in 1978, but the experiences they contain are timeless.
What is most interesting about this 124 page book is that George’s journey did not end with his return to life. He continued to be transformed daily while learning to reconcile his experiences in the after-life with the realities of war, medical school, marriage, and becoming a respected physician and psychiatrist.
Although a short read, the book speaks volumes about life – and death. It is suspenseful, engaging, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable. It would make a wonderful movie but I suspect that George did not want Hollywood to sensationalize or distort his experience. Published by Spire Books, it can be found on Amazon for less than the shipping cost. It is well worth just paying the shipping.
Return to Today
I’ve read the book twice now and I want to read it again. I never read books more than once but there is something very compelling about this story. It awakens a longing in the heart – the longing to have a personal experience with God. Somehow it is also comforting, revealing the nature of unconditional love.
Life can be very messy, ugly and problematic so it is essential to feel that there is meaning, purpose and a way to get through it all. For me, the message between the lines of this book helps me deal with today and the issues of living now. After all, how we live right now is what creates our tomorrow.
