Review (PDF) Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation Of A World War II Fighter Pilot
The parents of James Leininger were first puzzled and then disturbed when their two-year-old son began screaming out chilling phrases during recurrent nightmares, such as, "Plane on fire! Little man can't get out!" The centerpiece of a loving family of three, James was a happy, playful toddler who had only just begun stringing together sentences. Determined to understand what was happening to their son, Bruce and Andrea set off on a journey of discovery that was to rock them to their core. For the more they researched the arcane comments and fragmented details little James revealed, the more they were drawn inescapably to a shocking conclusion: that James was reliving the life of James Huston, a World War II fighter pilot who was killed in the battle for Iwo Jima-- over sixty years ago! Through painstaking research and conversations with war veterans and surviving members of James Huston's family, Bruce and Andrea were forced to confront their skepticism and reexamine their entire belief system. In the process, they not only managed to solve the mystery of their son's statements. They also uncovered revelations about James Huston's life and wartime experiences that could finally bring peace and healing to his loved ones, decades after his death.This book features stunning drawings from James Leininger illustrating his unshakable memories, photos that portray the eerie resemblance between young James and the adult James Huston, and a foreword from world-renowned past lives expert Carol Bowman. In SOUL SURVIVOR, readers will come to know and believe in the special child who harbors the soul of a man who died in 1945.
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Reprint edition (June 11, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446509345
ISBN-13: 978-0446509343
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (414 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #171,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #220 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age & Spirituality > Reincarnation #311 in Books > History > Military > Aviation #1551 in Books > History > Military > World War II
Writing about reincarnation brings the skeptics out of the woodwork and many people in Western culture say, "I don't believe". The Judeo-Christian ethic does not believe in coming back in the form of another person. Bruce Leininger, a Human Relations executive, and his wife, discussed their two-year-old son James' nightmares and bizarre conduct. Soul Survivor, will be released in June 2009 dispelling some of the doubts that Bruce had about the phenomenal behavior of his son. Ken Gross provides a great assist in conveying their story.Since their son was a lot different than most two-year-olds, Bruce and Andrea Leininger sought the help of Carol Bowman, renowned author, who wrote books about vivid past lives of her children. The Leininger's needed a better way to contend with the mysterious recollections by their son with his screaming in the night as his plane dove into the ocean in flames. "Little man" James would describe his life as a fighter pilot and how he died when he was unable to get out of the cockpit of his Corsair, which had been hit by enemy aircraft in the battle for Iwo Jima.Bruce and Andrea were unable to rationalize James' behavior. They could not explain his vast knowledge of airplanes, crew members, or recollection of actual events which had taken place during the life of James M. Huston Jr. At the age of four, James was able to name crew members who had died before him and states he met them in heaven before his birth as James Leininger. "He was a four-year-old, and he was saying things that made his parent's skin crawl," according to Ken Gross.Bruce became a first-rate detective in the ensuing years, uncovering actual people who swore that his son James III was indeed James Jr. after many years had gone by.
I have enjoyed Carol Bowman's books in the past so this was a natural for me when I saw the Leiningers interviewed on GMA about their son's past life memories. The Leiningers do not present a very sympathetic picture in the beginning of the book - shallow corporate power couple, obsessed with perfection, frantic over their son's acceptance to the "right" kindergarten making their gradual forced conversion to belief in reincarnation more powerful. I especially loved the last chapters where Bruce is underemployed and begins really opening his heart to the elderly WWII pilots and surviving family members; it shows real growth from the absentee father who had been working 12-hour days to the man who cherishs every minute spent with the crew of the Natoma Bay. Therein lies the rub: 50% of the book is spent viewing the life of the Leiningers pre-conversion, as average American consumers - decorating house, attending cookouts, choosing wall paper and wall colors. Only the last two chapters document James meeting his Natoma crew mates, recognizing them instantly by voice, meeting his sister Anna and knowing intensely personal details of her girlhood, and meeting airplane pilots who recognize him as a trained professional. These astonishing meetings are given barely one sentence each while whole pages earlier in the book are devoted to Andrea's housecleaning regimes. The writers state that James was the star of the Natoma crew reunion, but no details are given. It feels like they ran out of room at the end of the book, but rather than edit the first chapters they shoehorned all the really interesting material into the last two chapters failing to detail conversations or meetings. Maybe they are saving that for a sequel?
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