Courageous by Corey Jay Johnson is entered as urban fiction,
a category that fits the book neatly, a story that is, according to the author,
loosely based on the life of Avon “Flubber”Johnson Sr. Raised by a single mom,
young Flubber grows up in the streets of Baltimore. He quickly takes to the
streets, where he soon becomes attracted to drugs and lowlife. He quickly
builds himself a reputation associated with drugs and develops an uncontrollable
addiction. With a band of friends, he establishes his own fiefdom and rises as
a drug lord. Then he hits rock bottom and is diagnosed with a life-threatening
illness; to his great dismay, he has HIV. Can he live life the way he wants
anymore, or will he allow himself the chance for redemption?
This is a great story
and I was extremely taken by the way the author handled the transformation that
takes place within the protagonist. This novel has a lot of beautiful lessons
and here is one that kept me thinking: We can play with life, but we can’t have
reason over it. It always triumphs. The writing is beautiful and I loved how
Corey Jay Johnson captured the reality of the color line and the consciousness
that black kids grew up with. There are numerous dramatic moments in the book
and they are accompanied by relevant social and cultural commentaries. The
social issues are woven into the story well. Courageous features very
compelling characters, strong and relevant themes like family, crime, social
conflict, and redemption, and a powerful, empowering message of hope.