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by Thom Miller (Author)
Between Two Breaths tells the story of what happens when Central California resident Thom Miller takes a whitewater rafting trip with five of his sons and his younger brother, and discovers that being fit and strong can't always save you from the unexpected.
Not long after the Miller gang meets up with a rafting excursion company in the mountains northeast of Fresno, Thom, a Christian husband and father, is excited to get about their first day of rafting on the Kings River. It is exhilarating and beautiful. But the following day, the rapids are different. And what starts as a fun family vacation turns into a harrowing and dangerous adventure that takes more twists and turns than the river itself.
The water level is down due to lower temperatures, resulting in significantly less snowmelt. Thom doesn't notice much of a difference until they reach a spot called "Bonzai Canyon," where there is a rooster tail-like rock in the middle. Their raft hangs up on the rock and flips over from front to back. The men who land on the left side of the river get to shore.
Thom lands on the right, where there is a "keeper," an area where the water moves up and down, like a plunger, pulling Thom down and then pushing him up. He fights it, but ultimately sucks water deep into his lungs and drowns. For twenty-two minutes, he is dead.
Later, Thom remembers where he was during those long minutes-in heaven, where he sees his deceased niece who hugs him and tells him it's not his time and he must go back. Immediately, he's in his body, then taken to the hospital, where it's up and down until he finally recovers.
In this true story, the author creatively weaves in flashbacks to other times when the daring risk-taker could have easily lost his life. However, the fact that he lives today suggests there is something more.
In the final few chapters, Thom reveals the source of his extraordinary life and how uniquely he discovered it. Buckle in for the heart-pounding, heart-warming ride.
