Soul Surfer - Movie Tie-In: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board

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Soul Surfer - Movie Tie-In: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board

by Bethany Hamilton, Rick Bundschuh, Sheryl Berk (Contributor)

4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 · rating details · 4,121 ratings · 790 reviews

She lost her arm in a shark attack and nearly died, but she never lost her faith. Now a major motion picture, Soul Surfer is the moving story of Bethany Hamilton’s triumphant return to competitive surfing and has continued to be a beacon of inspiration to all who hear it.

They say Bethany Hamilton has saltwater in her veins. How else could one explain the passion that dri

...more

Paperback, 250 pages

Published March 1st 2011 by MTV Books (first published October 5th 2004)

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May 01, 2011 Oakley 3rd rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Soul Surfer is a very inspiring book. It talks about a girl named Bethany Hamilton she was on a surf board one summer morning when she got a big suprise. And she got bit by a shark. She lost her left arm but she kept pushing her self forward and taught herslef to keep trying. Soon she was ok and went back to surfing before this all happened, she was in a competition and she kept trying and got second place. She was so glad she never gave up or she would never have been able to prove to herself a...more

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May 11, 2012 Lexiem rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Soul Surfer
By: Bethany Hamilton

Bethany Hamilton is a shark attack survivor, at age thirteen as she was surfing and a shark attacked her and took most of her left arm. She started off as a competitive surfer at the age of eight. Bethany has continued to surf competitively even after her shark attack. She is a top womens surfer and has a movie made about her life. She has strong Christian beliefs and a tight knit family, she claims those two things combined are what got her through her traumatic...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Athena L. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Soul Surfer

It was just a flash of a big shadow, lurking in the water…. Suddenly her arm was gone! Not even panicking, Bethany Hamilton remained calm in the water, while loosing a lot of blood. Just hearing that I was shocked! I saw the movie & read the book “Soul Surfer” - I was glad to be alive. Soul Surfer is about a girl, who was living the dream and thinking that nothing could possibly stop her. When I hear the title “Soul Surfer”, I think of Bethany Hamilton surfing. She is courageous...more Soul Surfer

It was just a flash of a big shadow, lurking in the water…. Suddenly her arm was gone! Not even panicking, Bethany Hamilton remained calm in the water, while loosing a lot of blood. Just hearing that I was shocked! I saw the movie & read the book “Soul Surfer” - I was glad to be alive. Soul Surfer is about a girl, who was living the dream and thinking that nothing could possibly stop her. When I hear the title “Soul Surfer”, I think of Bethany Hamilton surfing. She is courageous because of her spirit, faith, soul, and facing the magnificent ocean waves. This book also shows her Christianity, and her caring about her friends, family, God, and others.

Bethany surfed ever since she was four years old. She trained to be a professional surfer. I think that she thought, nothing bad would happen to her or affect her loved ones. After the shark bit her arm, most everybody thought that she might never surf again. I thought that in her mind, I would be crying if I were her, and I think at one time she did. Her problem was she had trained to be a surfer and didn’t see this coming. But, she moved on and had to live with it. One advantage that she has had all her life, is her faith. She never gave up her dream of being a surfer. That’s why everyone thinks that she’s a spark of inspiration to live by. She says that, when there are problems in life, you shouldn’t back down. When something comes your way, you persevere. That’s why I think she is an amazing, spectacular, and brilliant person. I started reading this book from June 29th, 2011 - July 6th, 2011.

The genre of this book is an autobiography of Bethany Hamilton and her life. When I read this book, I noticed that she didn’t want to write this book. I’m glad she did, because she is living proof, that you don’t run away from your goal or problem in the game of life. I would recommend this book to anyone, because she got to experience what life has in the impact zone like a wave of life.
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Oct 10, 2008 76Tinkerbell34 added it · review of another edition

Soul Surfer is a book about a girl named Bethany and her surfing life. When Bathany was 5, she started surfing. Bethany's best friend was Alanna. One day at the beach, Bethany and Alanna went to surf. There was no waves, they were just sitting back and enjoying the breeze. All of a sudden, Bethany saw a gray flash, felt a tug on her arm, and then slowly saw the water turn red.....

After Bethany was released from the hospiltal, she started therapy on her arm, so that it would get stronger. When h...more

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Dec 03, 2010 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This book is a true insperation of a young girl willing to get back on her board and risk it all. I myself am a surfer and I don't think I would have the courage to get back on my board after a tiger shark took of my left arm,but Bethany Hamilton is different. I have not completed this book but, so far it diserves 4 stars. If you love a good story of courage and faith this is the book for you! :)

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Dec 16, 2012 Sabrina Depue rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This one was really good!

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May 15, 2013 Jenelle Frey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think that Soul Surfer was an amazing book. The story of Bethany Hamilton is so inspiring. I think that's so cool how she wasn't even an author or anything but she wrote such an amazing book. I also love how in the book, no matter what happened to her she always had a positive look at things. She is probably one of the most inspiring people to ever hear about. I saw the movie before I read the book so I already had an idea what it was about so that is the main reason I decided to read this boo...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Vanessa Sanchez rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Soul Surfer" by Bethany Hamilton is such an inspiring and touching book. With the traumatic, happy, courage, bravery and love situations that goes on in the book, it was hard for me to put it down. Bethany wrote this book about her experience with a traumatic shark event that occurred when she was surfing and how it actually made her life more exciting and brought people closer than ever. Bethany talks about her life as a younger child and her parents' life as children and how they fell in love...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Zoe rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

I thought this was a very well-written, inspiring novel!

I find it so amazing that a girl who endured such a tragedy as Bethany could make such a comeback. You can tell by reading this book how selfless, strong, determined, and spirited Bethany is. I very much admire her. I thought the book was great, not only because Bethany was able to tell her story firsthand, but the book was more like a journal than an actual "book," with pages here and there listing her favorite surf spots and surf language...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Catherine Busalacchi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book that I read was Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton. It is basically about a thirteen year old girl named Bethany, who lost her arm in a shark attack. Bethany was going surfing on Halloween morning in Kauai, Hawaii when she noticed a large gray object creeping up on her. Just within a moment, the large grey shark bit her arm off. The water around her turned bright red and she started paddling away with one arm. She was in total shock. The accident might have took her arm, but she definitel...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Haylee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was about a girl named Bethany Hamilton. When she was 14 she got her arm bitten off by a shark while surfing on the North Shore of Hawaii. This book just goes into detail about her life before and after the attack. She tells a lot about her family and Hawaiian traditions. She tells how she got through losing an arm, and how God and her faith help her still.

The movie that was made for this book was really good. There were some scenes they left out, but it makes sense that they would le...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Parisa Vaziri added it · review of another edition

Shelves: independent-reading

I somewhat enjoyed reading this book. It was not very interesting at some points so I did not want to continue reading. However, the fact that it was based on a true story was very eye opening for me and made me aware that dangerous events could happen to anyone. Soul Surfer is about a girl named Bethany Hamilton that lives in Kauai, Hawaii with her family. Bethany loves to surf and she is very passionate about her sport. She would wake up at 5 in the morning to go surf, and have the time of her...more

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Mar 16, 2013 07mikellem rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton. I’d say this book is mostly for teens or older kids, but really it would be a good book for anyone. I think the main point of this book is to address that even if you’re having a hard time in your life, you can get through it if you believe in yourself. This book takes place in Hawaii where Bethany lives, and I think that the setting fits the story well.

Soul Surfer is a Biography about Bethany that she wrote herself. Bethany loved to surf. It was one of h...more I read Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton. I’d say this book is mostly for teens or older kids, but really it would be a good book for anyone. I think the main point of this book is to address that even if you’re having a hard time in your life, you can get through it if you believe in yourself. This book takes place in Hawaii where Bethany lives, and I think that the setting fits the story well.

Soul Surfer is a Biography about Bethany that she wrote herself. Bethany loved to surf. It was one of her favorite things to do, and she had a lot of friends who surfed along with some family members. One morning she went with her friend to go surf. It was a normal sunny warm morning in Hawaii. She said the water was so clear and blue, that it didn’t even feel like she was in the ocean, it just felt like she was in a huge swimming pool. They were sitting on their boards out in the ocean watching for waves, and she had a shiny rip curl watch on her left had that was dangling in the water. Bethany said, “I sometimes wonder if the reflection of that watch in the clear water is what attracted the shark.” Her friend was no more than 15 feet away from her, when all of the sudden she noticed a huge grey object closing in on her left side. “He was slow and silent; he really crept up on me.” She said. The shark bit off her left hand almost to the shoulder. She said it didn’t really hurt at first, and her friend said that she didn’t even really panic. She just knew she had to get back to the beach.

I loved reading this book! There really wasn’t anything I didn’t like about it. I love how she stayed positive through everything. The only time she had any doubts were after the attack. She thought she would have to give up surfing forever. Honestly, I don’t blame her for thinking that. That would probably be my first thought if something like that happened to me. But her family and friends were always there to support her. She knew she had to keep surfing and her family was always there to help her.

Besides having family and friends by her side to support her along the way, she had great fans as well. She got hundreds of letters from fans telling her how brave she is, how amazing she is, and how much she has inspired them to live their dreams no matter what roadblocks try to stop them along the way. Through this she has become pretty famous, but she doesn’t really like it. She even said, “honestly, I don’t really like being in the spotlight. It’s a really strange feeling and kind of like living in a fishbowl.” Honestly, I can’t blame her. I would feel the exact same way if I were her. It would probably get annoying, but she has a ton of amazing fans that love her, and she loves them too.

Bethany is a great example and role model. She shows us that you can make something great out of the worst things that happen. You just need to have a positive attitude and believe in yourself. This was such a good book! I would definitely recommend it to anyone! It was so fun to read about her story and how she overcame a hardship in her life.(less)

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Jan 16, 2013 Aubrey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Soul Surfer
By: Bethany Hamilton
288 pages
Auto-Biography

The book Soul Surfer is about a girl named Bethany, who has a passion for surfing. Bethany has been surfing since age five and she competes in competitions in Hawaii. On October 31st Bethany and her best friend Alaana were laying on their surfboards in the water when a shark came and attacked Bethany, biting off almost all of her left arm. Bethany shares about this traumatic experience; she shares how she felt and how much support she got fr...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Antonina Busalacchi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

How would you feel if your favorite thing in the world to do was taken from you? Thirteen year old Bethany Hamilton lost her arm in a shark attack while surfing. You would think she would give up but she didn't.
Bethany Hamilton was a special and strong girl. She started surfing when she was about seven years old. She had such a supportive family watching out for her. She always loved to surf in fact she did it mostly every day. Her dream was taken away from her by her arm. But she never gave up....more

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Jan 06, 2013 Mary Hammi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Independant Reading

1. What did you like about the book and what could have been better?

I liked this book a lot and I honestly thought it was extremely inspirational. Bethany dealt with the loss of her arm and still managed to recover and return to do what she loves doing the most, surfing. I don't see what could have been better in this book I thought the autobiography was very interesting and it was difficult for me to put the book down!

2. Discuss the style of the book. What kind of diction an...more

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Jan 06, 2013 hamptonenglish10 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ashley Stokes
Ms. Brooks, Mrs. Sims
Academic English 10
7 January 2013
Soul Surfer Book Review
Soul Surfer is a book written by Bethany Hamilton, a fourteen year old girl. She was born in Kauai, Hawaii, where her parents met. When she was two years old her parents taught her to surf because they had a passion for surfing also. At the very young age of 8, Bethany started entering surfing competitions, and from there she built her passion for surfing. Almost every day she and her best friend Alana go...more Ashley Stokes
Ms. Brooks, Mrs. Sims
Academic English 10
7 January 2013
Soul Surfer Book Review
Soul Surfer is a book written by Bethany Hamilton, a fourteen year old girl. She was born in Kauai, Hawaii, where her parents met. When she was two years old her parents taught her to surf because they had a passion for surfing also. At the very young age of 8, Bethany started entering surfing competitions, and from there she built her passion for surfing. Almost every day she and her best friend Alana go surfing. When Bethany was thirteen she was attacked by a tiger shark. The shark bit off almost her whole entire left arm, and because of that she has had surgery two times. She thought that she would never be able to surf again, but with loving and caring family and friends supporting her through it all she got back in the water. Bethany is now a professional surfer and competes all over the world, along with encouraging other people by telling her story.
My book falls into the autobiography nonfiction genre. I know it is an autobiography because Bethany Hamilton wrote it about herself. I learned a lot of interesting things throughout the book, especially about Kauai, Hawaii. One interesting thing is that in the book Bethany explains how there are specific different spots to go surfing in her part of Hawaii. Along with those specific spots she knows how the waves are usually in each of those spots. Another fascinating thing about the book was how passionate people are into surfing. It does not seem to be like other sports where your opponents are so competitive that they hate each other. In surfing all of the competitors get along and are all friends. Lastly, something that I found interesting in the book was that Bethany never gave up on trying and not only did she keep trying for herself, but she did it for everybody to learn off of her story.
I would recommend this book for my peers, but mostly for girls. I believe my peers would like it because it is a very inspiring book and it gets you motivated to go out and what you love yourself. I would mostly recommend it for girls because I think they would understand it more coming from another girl’s point of view on things. This book was very fascinating and that is why I would definitely recommend it.
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Dec 18, 2012 Natalia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book I read was Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton. This book is about a 13 year old girl who lost her whole arm from a shark. This unexpected tragic has opened many doors for Bethany. Although, Losing a arm at only 13 can be extremely overwhelming and very hard to adjust, her dream of being a pro surfer felt like it was slowly fainting away. But Bethanys faith and determination brought her back on top.
The authors purpose was to simply tell her story to the world. To let everyone know that no m...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Maya rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Imagine you doing your favorite thing in the world, whatever it may be: a sport, an art form, or a subject in school. Now imagine that one outlet of creativity and expression being stripped away from you, with nothing you could do to help it. This should have been the story of committed surfer, Bethany Hamilton. But according to her, she wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for surfing. “I’ve just fallen in love with the art of riding waves,” Bethany states in this amazing and inspiring story o...more Imagine you doing your favorite thing in the world, whatever it may be: a sport, an art form, or a subject in school. Now imagine that one outlet of creativity and expression being stripped away from you, with nothing you could do to help it. This should have been the story of committed surfer, Bethany Hamilton. But according to her, she wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for surfing. “I’ve just fallen in love with the art of riding waves,” Bethany states in this amazing and inspiring story of a young girl with a path towards a big dream, who has a smooth ride until that one day, when there was suddenly a huge obstacle in her way.
It was an ordinary day. Bethany woke up, did her studies and then got ready for the day; polished her precious surfboard, ate breakfast and checked the local surfing forecast. Perfect day to surf. She went out to the waves with her brother, Timmy, her best friend Alana Blanchard and her dad. They were paddling, waiting for the perfect wave to hit, dangling their arms casually into the water. Little did they know what would be coming next. The shark came literally out of nowhere, snapped off Bethany’s arm and was never seen again. She didn’t scream, she just lied there, in shock. After that, her life was changed forever, but that would never have stopped her from going towards her goal: pro surfer.
After the descriptive and story-like introduction, the book got kind of weird. Instead of telling about her story, it told about different aspects of her life: her faith, her parents history, the movie that was made about her. In short, although this book contained a very interesting story, it was not in my opinion a “good book”. I personally would not recommend it to anyone looking for an intriguing book. Instead of how this book was laid out, I personally would have told it like a story starting from the beginning, and going until my first victorious surf competition after the attack. Instead, I feel that it was a disorganized jumble of information that I couldn’t put together. Although I enjoyed learning about Bethany Hamilton’s life, I did not enjoy the choppy delivery of the story.(less)

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Dec 09, 2012 Courtney Belden rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The authors purpose of writing this book is to show that don't take things for granted in life because the littlest things in life that can change can make a huge difference like how Bethany lost her arm and it was hard for her to do the littlest things in life. This could also be looked at as the theme or moral of the story. This book was a narration because it was telling the story through events in her life from when she was a young kid playing with her 2 brothers to where she first started s...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Ali Pankey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bethany Hamilton, the author of this autobiography, talks about her terrifying incident throughout her story. She tells her readers about all of the important things and people in her life, that helped her get through her rough times after a shark attack, and bring her skill back. But most importantly, bring back her confidence. In my opinion, Bethany looked at the whole situation as a way to see who would always be there for her, and also made her realize that other people have similar or even...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Rachel Lohman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Soul Surfer is a book about a girl named Bethany Hamilton, who at the age of 13 lost her arm to a shark while surfing. Since Bethany wrote the book herself, I think that you can really understand how she was feeling when the attack happened and you can imagine all of her emotion. If someone else would have written the book, I don’t think that they would have been able to capture all of the things that Bethany was going through. Even though she received help on writing the book, I still think tha...more Soul Surfer is a book about a girl named Bethany Hamilton, who at the age of 13 lost her arm to a shark while surfing. Since Bethany wrote the book herself, I think that you can really understand how she was feeling when the attack happened and you can imagine all of her emotion. If someone else would have written the book, I don’t think that they would have been able to capture all of the things that Bethany was going through. Even though she received help on writing the book, I still think that if she had not have written it, it would have been completely different.
I think that her purpose for writing this book was so that it would eliminate some of the questions that people were wondering about the attack and the emotions of what was going through her head. Once the movie came out, I don’t think that very many people reached out to read the book but I think that by reading the book, there is a better description about everything that happened before, during, and after the attack. Even with all of the interviews that went on during this time, I think that there were still some unanswered questions that people wanted to know about so the solution was writing this book.
The theme of this book was what happening during the time of the attack as well as before and after. People could also argue that the theme would be how Bethany recovered from a terrible attack that changed her life forever. Being so young and having to adapt to only having one arm had to have been a very rough thing to go through. I think that she wanted people to realize what a hard time it actually was because when people watched the interviews, she was just answering the same questions so it was hard to go in depth when you have answered the same question over and over.
Soul Surfer is written in a very effective way so that the readers are intrigued during the book and want to keep reading about what happened on that day. I think that the description of what was going through everyone’s head close to Bethany helped a lot with understanding how if something like that happened to someone you were close to, you would feel the same type of emotions her family was feeling that day. Since I saw the movie, I already had known most of the story but when I read the book, I was surprised how much more depth there actually was during the event.
Overall, I would recommend this book to people who liked the movie but still want to know more about the feelings of people. Soul Surfer is a very easy book to read and it goes by really fast. Since, Bethany wrote the book herself, you get to know more about her perspective during the whole event and what she was feeling like after. The book was very well written and it explains a lot of unanswered questions about the story of how Bethany Hamilton’s arm was bitten off by a shark.
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Nov 15, 2012 Caitlin L rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I recently finished "Soul Surfer" by: Bethany Hamilton. Bethany is a passionate surfer with big dreams. Her dream of becoming a professional surfer is crushed after a fatal shark bite that takes away her arm. You would think Bethany would stop surfing for life, but no. Bethany Hamilton isn't that kind of girl. With the help of her friends, family, and God, Bethany Hamilton manages to get back on board. This book was interesting because Bethany describes everything (especially the shark attack!)...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Mackenzie Wood rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Soul Surfer is a non-fiction book that tells a story about Bethany Hamilton’s shark attack. Throughout this book Bethany proves to the readers that with great determination anything is possible. Bethany was destined to have an incredible surfing career until the day of Halloween when a 14-foot tiger shark attacks Bethany. Her whole arm was nearly gone and everyone thought that her surfing career would now be over. Bethany was not giving up, surfing was everything she had and was all she ever wan...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Sarah Livingston rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books

The book I chose was Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton. My thought of the purpose for her to write this book was so everybody could know and understand what happened to her Halloween morning. She wanted people to know happened through her own thoughts, feelings and words, not somebody else’s.

The theme of the book is never give up. Even if it seems impossible, just keep trying. When the shark bit off Bethany’s arm she didn’t stop trying to surf she kept going and got better than she ever was.

T...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Stacey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

We’ve all heard from somewhere, the news, the movie, the internet or from stories, the story of Bethany Hamilton, the thirteen year old surfer who was attacked by a shark, but this is a book of her words.
I first saw the story from billboards that have the genius inspirational messages on them. Every time I saw one it was another jumpstart, I can do whatever I want to try thing. Then I saw the movie, funnily enough it was on the beach, my first time to the Atlantic. Right after that trip I got a...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Soul Surfer by: Bethany Hamilton
non-fiction
222 pages
This book starts out telling us about how its not easy living with one arm but she says she would not change what happend to her because then she would not get a chance to help and support people who go through the same thing she went through. Bethany then goes on telling about what it was like when she got her armed bit off by a shark. This story goes on telling people how thank full she is getting all these thanks even know she does not need...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Jacqueline Gorr rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

the book soul surfer by bethany hamilton was about her passion for surfing and while she was out with her friends a shark attacked her she made it clear she wanted to surf again so this book goes through her journey about getting back out there to be a pro surfer.she is very into family and church that also helped her through the process. i gave this book 4 stars because this book is actually a true story and its interesting learning how you can basically do anything because she learned how to s...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The other night I went to bed to read--my usual routine--and found that my Kindle battery was dead. I panicked. I HAVE to read! I rembembered that my daughter had just bought and read Soul Surfer last week and read it in less than 24 hours. I have wanted to read it but never remember to add it to my "to-read" list. Like my daughter, I couldn't put it down. Once I finished it, I couldn't stop thinking about Bethany, the then-14-year-old Christian surfer who had her left arm bitten off by a shark....more The other night I went to bed to read--my usual routine--and found that my Kindle battery was dead. I panicked. I HAVE to read! I rembembered that my daughter had just bought and read Soul Surfer last week and read it in less than 24 hours. I have wanted to read it but never remember to add it to my "to-read" list. Like my daughter, I couldn't put it down. Once I finished it, I couldn't stop thinking about Bethany, the then-14-year-old Christian surfer who had her left arm bitten off by a shark. What an amazing story! This was not a test of her faith. Clearly, God chose Bethany to be a voice to the world. We can all look back at situations in our lives and see the work God was doing. In Bethany's situation, you can see the blueprints of God's master plan before, during, and after the attack. Growing up, Bethany was raised in a very loving, Christian home. She was very active in her church and youth group. The small community on her Hawaiian island was very close. When the attack happened, everyone went into rescue mode while Bethany prayed. From there on, there was no coincidence; God had coordinated everything. The EMT in the ambulance whispered Bible verses to Bethany on the way to the hospital. The two doctors who performed her surgeries were family friends and Christians. In the months following the attack, she did countless interviews and was always sure to mention her faith and how God had brought her through this--even when reporters didn't care to hear about her faith. God clearly gave her a platform to use to glorify Him. There was never a test of whether Bethany believed; it was who she could reach--other teens, kids, and even adults. She grew up very quickly in that time, and it was all God's handiwork. It made me almost jealous--hey! Use me in a big way too! But I have to remember that I have two precious, fragile souls who God gave me to mold and shape. He has a plan--a good plan--for each of us, and I hope we can all make the most of it, like young Bethany did. I encourage you to read this book and pass it on. Encourage your kids to read this book. Pray that it will make a difference--it did for me, even though I didn't think I needed it!(less)

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Jun 02, 2012 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is not my normal sort of read, but every now and then a story just catches your eye, I first heard about Bethany's story on 'Ellen' the TV show, she had Bethany and Anna-Sophia Robb on to discuss the movie, of the same name. I am a massive fan of Anna-Sophia so I wanted to find out more. And what i found seemed totally inspiring and herat-felt that I was despereate to know more.
Living in the UK I haven't been able to see the film (comes out here 2nd July 2012 on DVD), and as a bookworm anyw...more This is not my normal sort of read, but every now and then a story just catches your eye, I first heard about Bethany's story on 'Ellen' the TV show, she had Bethany and Anna-Sophia Robb on to discuss the movie, of the same name. I am a massive fan of Anna-Sophia so I wanted to find out more. And what i found seemed totally inspiring and herat-felt that I was despereate to know more.
Living in the UK I haven't been able to see the film (comes out here 2nd July 2012 on DVD), and as a bookworm anyway I decided to request the book from the library.
It took forever to come but it arrived a couple of weeks ago. I finished a book last night and wanted something different and so picked this up. I have to just say that Bethany Hamilton is an inspiration, she really is.
For those of you who don't know her story, basically on October 31st 2003, Bethany (aged 13) was out surfing with her best friend when her left arm got bitten off by a shark, thanks to the quick reactions of those around her and by the grace of God, Bethany was treated quickly. She ended up with just a stump of her left arm remaining, but she didn't give up and was determined to get back on her surf board and help other people.
This book is told by Bethany, it recounts the whole incident and also the background of her life and her hopes for the future. It's written with pur honesty and an open heart, and I really admire her bravery. She faces every day with her head high and has refused to give up. She puts her faith in God and knows she is destined for something great, and as a Christian myself, I love how open she is about her religion.
I can see why she recieves so much fan mail and support, for someone so young she showed immense bravery and courage and also selflessness.
This book will touch your heart and mind and make you think about what you have in life. It's a very quick read, but definitely one that will stay with you.
If you want more information about Bethany, visit her website. It's well worth a visit.
So in case you had any doubts - I loved this book and would highly recommend it, I'm looking forward to the film even more now too, I know I will be crying!
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“I don't really want people looking to me for inspiration. I just want to be a sign along the way that points toward Heaven.” — 54 people liked it

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title link	preview: Soul Surfer - Movie Tie-In: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board
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