Review – Courageous

Brimming with optimism over a “…new job, new house and new start” in Georgia, Nathan Hayes topped off his tank, got into the pickup and turned the key then stepped back out. He left the “…truck running, door open and reached for the squeegee…in seconds…the door slammed…and the truck pulled away from the pump!” Nathan’s nightmare with the Gangster Nation’s gang leader had just begun.

Randy Alcorn’s well-done novelization of Courageous, Sherwood Pictures first release since Fireproof, the highest grossing independent film of 2008, doesn’t disappoint. While Fireproof involved fire fighters and marriage, Courageous is about fatherhood, absentee fathers and mentoring. The story includes a new resolution with a serious moral message set against the backdrop of law enforcement called to “serve and protect.” Although policemen give their best on the job, the narrative asks if officers have anything left to “serve and protect those most dear to them.”

The story opens with a tense carjacking that pulls readers into the lives of officers Adam, Shane, Nathan and David. Then tragedy strikes Adam’s family. His pastor encourages him to become a “student of God’s Word.” Adam accepts the challenge to set a better example, be a better father and get right with his teenage son Dylan.

Strong, vulnerable characters deliver a strong moral message wrapped in an action-packed story of realism that grabs the reader and doesn’t let go until the last page is turned. A reading group guide, full-color production and movie photo inserts and message from screenplay authors complete the book. Courageous, produced by the ministry arm of Sherwood Baptist Church in Georgia is scheduled for movie release September 30th.

This much-needed story of fatherhood and absentee fathers belongs on the bookshelves of every family, church and library. On a scale of ten out of ten, Alcorn’s adaptation is an eleven. To preview a video trailer: http://www.courageousthemovie.com