review: soul survivor by bruce & andrea leininger with ken gross

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Shortly after moving to a new home and only weeks after her son’s second birthday, Andrea Leininger heard her son screaming from a terrible nightmare. The nightmares continued and James began telling his parents that he’d been a pilot who’d perished after his plane was shot down in World War II. According to his parents, there was no way for James to know the details he did, but the information was verifiable. James’s father, Bruce, struggled with the idea of reincarnation due to his religious background, but eventually accepted that his son had a past life. The process that it took for Andrea and Bruce to come to terms with the reincarnation is detailed in the book they coauthored with Ken Gross. Soul Survivor is quick read documenting the struggles the family had as they looked into the cause of James’s nightmares. Assuming there’s no embellishment here, it’s truly a remarkable story. The writing is a little awkward though as it shifts from third person to first person diary entries from the two parents. A lot of the details are repeated and unnecessary anecdotes are shared which all detract from the main story.
3/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, Grand Central Publishing.