Step Into Fear: A Journey from Addiction to Courage and Purpose

BOHEMIA, N.Y. — October 2026 — The AMAC Book Club is pleased to announce Step Into Fear: A Journey from Addiction to Courage and Purpose by journalist Ben Bergquam as its October Book of the Month. A deeply personal story of addiction, redemption, faith, and transformation, Bergquam’s memoir challenges readers to confront fear and discover the purpose that can emerge on the other side.

The October selection comes at a particularly meaningful time. This month marks 10 years since the turning point Bergquam credits with changing the direction of his life. Once trapped in crack cocaine addiction, deception, and a destructive double life, Bergquam reached a point where he believed his future could end in prison or death. Instead, he began a difficult journey toward recovery, rebuilding his marriage, strengthening his faith, and discovering a new sense of purpose.

In Step Into Fear, Bergquam shares that journey with remarkable candor, taking readers from some of the darkest moments of his personal life to his work today as an award-winning journalist reporting from dangerous locations around the world. His career has taken him to the U.S.-Mexico border, cartel-controlled regions, the Darién Gap, riots in American cities, and other volatile environments.

But the heart of Step Into Fear is not simply about confronting physical danger. It is about learning how to respond when fear appears in everyday life.

Bergquam explores the difference between fear that warns us of genuine danger and fear that prevents us from pursuing what we are called to do. Through his experiences with addiction, marriage, faith, journalism, and personal failure, he presents courage not as the absence of fear, but as the decision to continue forward despite it.

His story also offers a message of hope for individuals and families affected by addiction. Bergquam writes from the perspective of someone who once struggled to see a way forward but ultimately found recovery, reconciliation, and purpose through faith and the support of those closest to him.

“Step Into Fear gives AMAC Book Club readers an opportunity to have an important conversation about courage, faith, addiction, recovery, and what it means to find purpose after experiencing failure,” said AMAC CEO Rebecca Weber. “Ben Bergquam’s story reminds us that even during the darkest moments of life, there can still be a path forward—and that sometimes courage begins simply by taking the next step.”

Published in September 2026, Step Into Fear is part memoir, part story of Christian faith and redemption, and part account of Bergquam’s experiences as a frontline journalist. Bergquam is the founder of FrontlineAmerica.com and host of Law & Border on Real America’s Voice News. He has spent more than a decade reporting on border security and immigration issues in the United States and abroad.

Throughout October, AMAC Book Club members are encouraged to read Step Into Fear and consider its larger questions: How can fear become an obstacle to purpose? What separates healthy fear from fear that holds us back? How can faith help someone move beyond seemingly hopeless circumstances? And how can individuals help family members and loved ones who are facing addiction, fear, or despair?

How to Join the Conversation

• Get your copy of Step Into Fear – available here.
• Participate in our online discussion forum using discussion questions.
• Share your thoughts on social media using #AMACBookClub and #StepIntoFear

For more information about the AMAC Book Club, please visit amac.us/bookclub or contact: Bookclub@amac.us

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How does the author’s journey from addiction to answering God’s call illustrate the possibility of transformation, redemption, and discovering a new purpose? 
2. One of the book’s central ideas is that fear can actually help us find our purpose. How can confronting the things we fear reveal what we are called to do? 
3. The author distinguishes between “good fear” and “bad fear.” What is the difference between the two, and how can we recognize when fear is protecting us versus preventing us from moving forward? 
4. What does it mean to “step into fear” rather than run from it? Was there a moment in the book that particularly demonstrated this idea? 
5. How does the author suggest we deal with fear in a practical or pragmatic way? Which of these approaches could be applied to challenges in everyday life? 
6. For someone who feels trapped, discouraged, or hopeless, what lessons does the author’s experience offer about taking the first step toward changing their circumstances? 
7. Addiction and other serious struggles often affect more than the individual experiencing them. What can parents, family members, and friends do when someone they love needs help but may not be ready to accept it? 
8. How do faith, personal responsibility, and the support of others work together in the author’s journey? Does the book suggest that lasting change requires all three? 
9. The author also discusses the future of the political movement and the dangers of division and distraction. What does his personal journey teach about staying focused on a larger mission even when disagreements or outside pressures threaten to pull people apart?
10. After reading Step Into Fear, what do you believe is the book’s most important message for someone facing fear or uncertainty today? How might that message apply not only to individuals, but also to families, communities, and the country?