Should civic leaders prioritize their country over their political party’s preferences? How can we better understand others’ beliefs instead of assuming they are wrong?
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These are the questions that Jack Carson — a Korean War veteran and American political icon — must face throughout his life.
That is, his fictional life.
Jack Carson is the main character in 18-year-old Kevin McGowan’s book “The Courage of a Congressman.”
Recent high school graduate Kevin McGowan with his book, “Courage of a Congressman” in Huntington Beach on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Recent high school graduate Kevin McGowan with his book, “Courage of a Congressman” in Huntington Beach on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Known by his friends as a history and politics buff, McGowan wrote the novel to inspire others in his generation to become politically active at a time when politics, he thinks, is very divisive.
“Everybody has their own passion. Mine just happens to be politics and history, and I wrote a book because of it,” McGowan said.
The novel takes readers on a first-person journey of the fictional congressman’s life from the 1930s to the early 2020s. From the Vietnam War to the Jan. 6 insurrection, Kevin’s character is at the center of many of the country’s monumental political and historical events.
“I really hammered into main events that people would recognize, and that even maybe people in my generation have heard the name of, but really don’t know that much about,” McGowan said.
The recent Edison High School graduate self-published the historical fiction novel as part of the high school’s Center for International Business and Communication Studies program.
He had been working on the novel throughout his high school career, although his research extended even beyond that. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kevin would spend his time watching historical documentaries and speaking with his grandmother about events she lived through.
“Some of the stuff I really wanted to learn about when COVID first started, and I was home alone a lot, was modern political trends,” McGowan said. “The 2020 election happened, and I really wanted to figure out what really is a Republican and what really is a Democrat.”
McGowan researched political trends and American political figures for character inspiration, including former President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the late U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, an Arizona Republican.
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It was Goldwater, McGowan said, who “was definitely super influential in my character’s development. He’s featured in the book a lot.”
Then it was time for McGowan to develop his characters and build his story. At the start of his senior year, McGowan decided to complete the book as a project for his Center for International Business and Communication Studies program.
“My mom was really the one who tried to push me to get it done,” McGowan said. “Two years ago, she started asking ‘When’s the book going to be done?’ and she would have other people ask me.”
McGowan worked alongside his parents and teachers to complete the novel and publish it in May. “Courage of a Congressman” is available to purchase for $15 on Amazon and has already sold more than 20 copies — with a 5-star review highlighting his favorite part of the novel.
“It made me really happy to see because it showed that someone took away exactly the message that I was trying to show,” McGowan said.
It’s those themes — prioritizing one’s country over a political party and working to understand each other more — that McGowan hopes people will take away from his book.
“People are so much more than their political beliefs, and we don’t have to agree on everything,” McGowan said. “We can strongly disagree on things, and still be able to have the same morals and same shared values that make us American.”
Starting in the fall, McGowan will begin working toward a political science degree at Orange Coast College. He is interested in attending law school and hopes to make his way into politics one day.
“In America right now, a lot of people are looking for something that gives them hope or something that gives them optimism, especially with America turning 250 years old,” McGowan said.
“We’ve come a long way, but we’re not sure where we’re gonna go,” said McGowan. “I really hope that people take away a message of hope and optimism in our country.”
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