Book review - Courageous.

I saw the movie Courageous when it came out in theaters and enjoyed it. A coworker recently recommended I read the book. Generally I am not a big fan of books written based on a movie but I decided to give it a go.

Author Randy Alcorn has done a pretty good job fleshing out the movie characters and adding in a few as well. Alcorn brings in some of the characters from Facing the Giants and Fireproof as well as bringing some of the background folks to life. There are also details and events that aren't even hinted at in the movie.

The five main characters are still the main characters and they each make their own journey in faith and growth. As in the movie, some make the hard decisions and some decide to fall by the wayside. The depth of some of those decisions increases with the space provided in a book.

Courageous moves along well and is an interesting read. It keeps the original intent of the story intact. For me it was a much more emotional trip than the movie was.

All in all I give this book two thumbs up. A caution though, if you are reading this book as a family or plan to let your younger children read it you should read it before they do. There are some much darker themes that surface here than on the big screen. They are handled well but could raise some deep questions among the younger set.