Brinkley claims to have been struck by lightning and to have been clinically dead for approximately twenty-eight minutes. He eventually told of a dark tunnel, a crystal city, and a "cathedral of knowledge" where thirteen "angels" shared with him over a hundred revelations about the future, some of which he claims have come true.[1]
Reception
Commercial success
Within two weeks of publication, 5000 copies were added to the initial run of 35,000.[2] The book was on The New York Times' bestseller charts for over 25 weeks and it was distributed in over 20 countries.[3] In 1995, it was made into a movie of the same title.[4]
Brinkley wrote sequels, At Peace in the Light in 1995,[5] followed by Secrets of the Light in 2009,[6] and Ten Things to Know Before You Go in 2014.[7]
Refutations
Some of the book's assertions were subsequently challenged, including claims of where and how Brinkley recovered and how long he was supposedly dead,[8] and claims made about his military service record.[9][10][11] Interviews with his physician and the reporter who initially interviewed him indicate that Brinkley never entered the hospital or morgue and that Brinkley originally did not claim to have died, but only that he "was out for a few minutes", and that his wife saved his life.[8]
^Brinkley, Dannion (1995). At peace in the light: a man who died twice reveals amazing insights into life, death and its mysteries. London: Piatkus. ISBN9780749915810.
^Brinkley, Dannion (2008). Secrets of the light: lessons from heaven. New York: HarperOne. ISBN9780061662461.
^Brinkley, Dannion (2013). Ten Things to Know Before You Go: How the Secrets of the Afterlife Can Transform Your Life Now. HarperCollins Publishers Limited. ISBN9780062123886.
^B. G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley, Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam generation was robbed of its heroes and its history, pp. 385–387. Verity Press, 1998. ISBN0-9667036-0-X.
^Excerpt from "Reverend Death" on YouTube, June 25, 2008, produced by www.WorldofWonder.net and aired on Britain's Channel 4
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