Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board
by Bethany Hamilton
Narrator: Eleni Pappageorge
Published: October 1, 2004
Genres: Memoir, Young Adult
Format: Audiobook (3 hrs and 52 mins)
Source: Library
The amazing story of the thirteen-year-old surfer girl who lost her arm in a shark attack but never lost her faith -- and of her triumphant return to competitive surfing.They say Bethany Hamilton has saltwater in her veins. How else could one explain the tremendous passion that drives her to surf? How else could one explain that nothing -- not even the loss of her arm in a horrific shark attack -- could come between her and the waves?
"Soul Surfer" is a moving account of Bethany's life as a young surfer, her recovery in the wake of the shark attack, the adjustments she's made to her unique surfing style, her unprecedented bid for a top showing in the World Surfing Championships, and, most fundamentally, her belief in God. It is a story of girl power and spiritual grit that shows that the body is no more essential to surfing -- perhaps even less so -- than the soul.
After watching the movie Soul Surfer, I wanted to read the original biography that the movie was based on. The story line in this book was very similar to the movie but I think I liked the movie better. The movie focused on her struggles and overcoming them. The book focused more on her life before and after the shark attack and what she learned from it. If you liked the movie, the book is still definitely worth reading because it shows what an amazing person she is and how she learned from all of it. But I feel like the book was a lot of telling about her life instead of showing us the details of what happened. Even though it was short it made it a little difficult to get through because the writing wasn’t that great. I felt like I connected more with the story in the movie.
At the end of the book, she also talked about the experience of making the movie which was fun to listen to. She did all the surfing in the movie which I didn’t know until I read this. Bethany Hamilton also talked about the history of surfing which I thought was so cool. I could really see her passion for the sport come through in Soul Surfer.
Narrator Rating: ★★★★
The narration for this novel was great. The narrator did an amazing job of reading this like a teenager would. She was interesting to listen to and read at a great pace.
Overall, a great read about overcoming hardships from an inspiring teenager.
Content Rating: Mild, for non-graphic descriptions of a shark attack.
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About Bethany Hamilton
Bethany Hamilton has become a source of inspiration to millions through her story of faith, determination, and hope. Born into a family of surfers on February 8, 1990, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, Bethany began surfing at a young age. At the age of eight, Bethany entered her first surf competition, the Rell Sun Menehune event on Oahu, where she won both the short and long board divisions. This sparked a love for surf competition within her spirit.
At the age of thirteen, on October 31, 2003, Bethany was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark while surfing off Kauai’s North Shore. The attack left Bethany with a severed left arm. After losing over 60% of her blood, and making it through several surgeries without infection, Bethany was on her way to recovery with an unbelievably positive attitude. Lifeguards and doctors believe her strong water sense and faith in God helped get her through the traumatic ordeal.
Miraculously, just one month after the attack, Bethany returned to the water to continue pursuing her goal to become a professional surfer.
Married at the age of 23 to Christian youth minister, Adam Dirks, Bethany has a story that is continually growing as she strives to be the best at whatever God calls her to do. The future is truly wide open for this young soul surfer!
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
My name is Jessica. I love to read Young Adult and classic literature. I’ve been a book blogger for six years and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet. I’m a very curious reader. Writing about all the questions and thoughts I had while reading a book is the best hobby ever.
Interesting. I still want to read this one even if the writing isn’t that great because her story sounds amazing. The movie sounds great, too.
Great review! Bethany’s story is amazing. I thought the movie was OK but nothing that I would want to see more than once to be honest. It sounds like this was a pretty good audiobook. With an audiobook, the narrator can make or break the story. I am glad that you enjoyed it.