Review of Eric Blehm's book "Fearless"

    I have read several books about Navy Seals and their exploits. Eric Blehm tells the story of Adam Brown from a more personal perspective than some of the other books. It is a testimony to Adam Brown and his family to want all of the good, the bad and the ugly of Adam's life revealed. This is not the story of a perfect Christian boy grown into a hero. It is a story of a man and his family overcoming what could have been tragic circumstances in his life.

    Adam earned his fearless reputation as a small boy daredevil. That reputation followed him through high school. He took a wrong turn after high school by getting involved with drugs and progressing to the hardest forms of crack cocaine. His family stuck by him and tried every intervention possible to no avail. Adam's father had him arrested and put into jail. After a jailhouse conversion to Christ, Adam went into a Christian rehabilitation program. He made it through but was not completely healed of his addiction. He met his future wife Kelley two months after graduating from rehab. Kelley stuck with him as he had several relapses. Finally, Adam escaped from his familiar drug hangouts and went to a friend in Texas. He convinced Kelley to marry him. The father of a childhood friend helped him get into the Navy Seal program in spite of his past record.

    Adam and Kelley endured many trials as Adam successfully completed his SEAL training and further exploits in the SEAL program. Adam overcame a debilitating eye injury in one accident and a hand injury in another. Adam's story is one of unbelievable bravery and perseverance in the line of duty. His is also the story of a devoted husband and father at home and a compassionate man in the field. Adam had his family at home collect shoes to give to Afghan children in the winter. Adam ultimately died a hero's death in Afghanistan. He was received back with a hero's welcome in his beloved state of Arkansas. Adam's family, friends, teammates and our nation were impacted positively by his actions in life and by the telling of his story after his death. Another sad fact is that many of the brave men interviewed for this book were later killed in action as well.

    This story is a compelling and inspiring account of bravery and a great testament to Adam's favorite scripture "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13, NKJV).

    Although the language is much less graphic than in "Lone Survivor" there is some profanity. The few occurrences of these could have been omitted without adversely affecting the quality of the story. I realize the culture of the military and the nature of high school kids, but this could have been left out.

    I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah publishing in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion of the book. Rate my review at http://tinyurl.com/bzyct84

Fearless by Eric Blehm (Chapter 1 Excerpt)