Thursday, September 8, 2011

Book Review: Courageous

Police officer, Adam Mitchell, spends his days fighting crime on the gang-ridden streets of Albany, Georgia. He knows the statistics--that the vast majority of gang members come from fatherless homes--but as a father himself, he feels that his physical presence in his children's lives is "good enough". But when life brings a sudden reminder that he only has one chance at fatherhood, Adam, along with friends Nathan Hayes, Shane Fuller, David Thomson and Javier Martinez, resolve to love God and love their families courageously.

Courageous by Randy Alcorn is a novelization of the screenplay written by Alex and Stephen Kendrick (makers of the movie Fireproof). I felt that Courageous was much more like the Kendrick brothers' Fireproof than any of Randy Alcorn's other novels, but being a fan of both, I enjoyed it very much. It felt a lot like the sequel to Fireproof, except with all new characters.

There are several main characters in the book and for about the first third, I felt like I was chasing them around in my head and trying to pin down who was who. Unfortunately, because of that, I never quite made a connection with the characters in a way I felt I should.

The message of Courageous is an excellent one! Unfortunately, I think sometimes the story got lost in the message, but overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it--especially to fans of Fireproof or Facing the Giants. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie when it is released.

Bonus features in the book included a reading group guide and production and movie photos that give you sneak peek behind the scenes on the set of the movie Courageous.