Best-Seller 'Boy Who Came Back From Heaven' Pulled From Shelves After Author Recants

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A boy whose story about coming back from heaven became a documentary and a best-selling novel says now he made it all up.

Christian booksellers like LifeWay in Tustin are pulling the best-selling book "The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven" off shelves after Alex Malarkey's open letter to booksellers, recanting his testimony.

In the open letter, Alex wrote: "I did not die. I did not go to heaven. I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth."

Alex Malarkey was 6 when he suffered head trauma in a car crash and went into a two-month coma. When he awoke, he claimed he'd been escorted to heaven, where he met Jesus.

"And why this little boy did that, who knows? But that's unfortunate, because it taints again Christianity," Gloria Kamiak said outside LifeWay bookstore.

LifeWay has reportedly said they would return the few remaining copies in their stores to the publisher.

The book is still listed for sale online at sites like Amazon.com.