61 Minutes to a Miracle: Fulton Sheen and a True Story of the Impossible

This book such an amazing story! And it's told so well!The book, 61 Minutes To A Miracle, chronicles the miraculous circumstances of new parents, Bonnie and Travis, as they prepare to welcome a new child into the world, the panic of their child showing no signs of life at birth, and the miraculous events of him coming back to life. The author, Bonnie Engstrom, is the mother of the miraculously born son, James Fulton. She gives us her first-person perspective on the emotional rollercoaster ride of the events surrounding the birth and recovery of her son.Bonnie writes with colloquial simplicity, vulnerability, and humor. Chapter 1 is two pages. Chapter 2 is three pages. I'd be surprised if any of the chapter lengths reached double digits. Because Bonnie tells the story so well, it's hard to put the book down. You're always left wondering "What happens next?" It's also entertainingly filled with Bonnie's honest observations from how she initially thought Fulton Sheen looked "like a vampire", to how she first recorded nurse's "medical jargon" then wrote down "in simple English what it really meant".This is an incredible story about faith, struggle, community, and the power of God working through the intercession of Fulton Sheen. I keep recommending the book to friends! I think everyone who'd like to be reminded of the miraculous ways that God can work in the middle of our everyday lives will enjoy it.Full disclosure: I personally met Bonnie several years before the events in this book, and know other people and places mentioned in the back. Although that adds to the familiarity of the story, I bet that if I had never met her, I would feel about as excited and inspired by the book.

A concise, deeply spiritual account of a verified miracle.I started this book this morning & finished it this afternoon. I couldn’t put it down. Bonnie’s voice, her experience, is so clear & relatable, so personal. Her experience of a good-birth-turned-traumatic is so gripping, I couldn’t tear myself away.Bonnie & Travis’s trust in God is inspiring, but also very relatable. “I didn’t say ‘or else,’ but it was implied. I wasn’t making a statement of faith, I was letting God know that I was holding him accountable.”Yes, yes, I have had these conversations with God before!Bonnie addresses her fear, her faith, her struggle with a sincerity & an authenticity that makes me not only like & identify with her, but which also inspires me. This woman, who deals with fears & frustrations the same way I do, has leaned so entirely on God, so maybe I can, too.The way she wrote about parenting James the best they could while he was alive, man, I had to put the book down & cry for a little bit.This book made me cry; it stirred, unsettled, & challenged me. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Fulton Sheen’s cause, but also to anyone struggling with surrendering their will & lives to God’s providence. You have to read it!

I first heard of Jame's miracle on WGN radio years ago, and I was immediately caught up in the story. Fast forward to last year when I was invited to hear Bonnie talk, but was unable to go. Then I discovered Instagram. When I saw her post that the book was out on Kindle, I ordered it that minute even though I had ordered a print copy. I was not disappointed.Bonnie tells the story of Jame's birth and his first months of life with an incredible voice of honesty and calm. Her and Travis's devotion to Fulton Sheen throughout her pregnancy, birth, and Jame's hospital stay is so beautiful. When the birth went horribly wrong, they still had the presence of mind to pray to Fulton Sheen for his intercession for Jame's health and well being. There were so many things that happened that there are no medical explanations for that should have resulted in death or at least severe impairment, but, thanks to Fulton Sheen's intercession and God's will, James is a normally boy.Even if you are not Catholic and do not believe in the ability of deceased to intercede for another, this is a must read. It attests to the fact that miracles are happening all around us every day. It's just that this one is a bigger miracle than others.Thank you, Bonnie, for writing this incredible book so that others too may know of the greatness of Fulton Sheen and God.

I received an advanced copy of this book and finished it in two days. The true genius of this books is the simplicity of it. It would have been easy to over sensationalize a miracle of this proportion - a stillborn child whose heart starts beating after 61 minutes! - but the author instead lets the incredible events speak for themselves. The straightforwardness of Bonnie’s writing is not without depth and emotion, but does steer clear of sentimentalism, which makes it all the more powerful.You can also sense the author’s humility in her writing, sharing her family’s miracle, something intensely personal, in a way that presents it as a miracle that belongs to the Church and to all believers. Time and again, she focuses on God’s goodness and glory, not her own strength or faith.I was very well acquainted with the basics of this miracle prior to reading, yet the book contained details that made me see the miracle with fresh eyes and the same wonderment I felt the first time I heard about it. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you should skip this book because you’ve read an article or two about Fulton Sheen’s cause and the Engstroms’ miracle!If I have any criticism of this book, it would be that if doesn’t delve much into the life of Fulton Sheen, however that’s truly beyond the scope of his book. And I do think part of the purpose of this book was to pique the interest of the reader so that you finish the book wanting to know more about Fulton Sheen, wanting to read his books and biographies and watch his YouTube clips, wanting to get to know this man of God, and it certainly fulfills that purpose.

Beautifully presented and well written book. I would recommend it for anyone who needs inspiration and strengthening of faith. I purchased the book first and found I really needed the eBook version as well so I could have it as a reference even when I was not home.