Soul Surfer

Title: Soul Surfer

Author: Bethany Hamilton

Genre: Biography

Pages I have read: 60 

I am reading the novel Soul Surfer, it is a biography on Bethany Hamilton. This is the main information to know about her,Bethany Hamilton was born on February 8^th, 1990 in Lihue, Hawaii, the child of Tomas and Cherilyn Hamilton. Bethany started surfing at a very young age. When she was 8 she entered her first competition the Rell Sun Menehue event on Oahu, and won both the long and short board divisions. On October 31^st 2003 at the age of thirteen, off Kauai’s north shore she was attacked by a 14 foot tiger shark that bit of her whole left arm. After one month from the attack Bethany entered the water again and continued her goal to become a professional surfer. Around a year later in the Explorer Women’s division of the 2005 NSSA National Championships she took 1^st pace, this was her first National title.

In chapter 1, Bethany talks about the begging of that day she got attacked. At 5 in the morning Bethany’s mum Cheri opened the door and peeked inside asking if she wanted to go surfing. As usually surfing was Bethany’s wake up call. As she was laying in bed for a few minutes she listened to her mums morning ritual” first flicks on the living room television and witches to the local island weather channel for the report while she brew a strong cup of coffee. Listening to not only the weather but also the buoy reports to think of the swell activity. As Bethany puts on a red-white-and blue swim suit to match her board downstairs in the living room her mum so already waiting. ‘I think she gets as excited as I do about surfing. That’s because from the time she was my age, she’s been a surf nut too’ (Hamilton 29).

They get into the ‘Blue Crush’ their car and start down the road. They go to different spots but there is not much. Just to have a look they head to Tunnels beach for a look, there is nothing there but when they go to turn around Alana her best friend shows up with her brother Bryon and dad Holt. Bethany decides to stay with them and her mum goes back home. As they head into the water she looks at her watch and, ‘It was 6:40 o a beautiful Halloween morning’( Hamilton 40). 

1. Whom are three people I would consider to be a great human being? Why?

The first person I think who is a great human being is Bethany Hamilton, because first she was just any other ordinary surfer but then a shark bit of her arm, and that is hard because it was interfering with her dreams and her goals. But she then tried all she could to get to the top again, as she would practice, at the same time she would inspire other disabled people to do things that they thought was not possible. She also them still accomplished her dreams and became a professional surfer. The second person that I think is a great human being is Martin Luther King Jr. Why I think he is such a great human being is because I the 1960’s he stood up for black people, he was their leader. He did not want to fight white people instead he marched, still bringing peace. He led boycotts which was not taking the buses since they had to sit in the back. If it was not for Martin Luther King I do not think that black people would not be equal to white people as they are today. Martin Luther King has changed the world. They last person that I think is a great human being is Amelia Earhart. Why I think she is a great human being is because she is the first women to fly an airplane, and why this is so amazing is because she is a woman. And back during her time so many things men thought women were not able to do. So she stood up for women, showed that they are just as good, or even better. She was also the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, no not women but person. I think that is a great accomplishment because the fact that a woman did something first before a man is just really great in history. The one thing that all these people have in common is that they inspired people. Bethany inspired disabled people, Martin Luther King inspired black people,and Amelia Earhart has inspired women. To inspire someone is just an amazing thing to do, it helps someone in the world to find the dreams and achieve their goals. 

2. Are there commonalities in the ways in which great human beings have lived and the choices they have made?

I think that in life Bethany has made the right choices, of course she did not ask for this to happen but it has made her stronger than before. IN life maybe she has made some wrong choices but for her goals and dreams she has picked the right ones. For example when she could have used a prosthetic arm she decided not to, and she made the right decisions there because, since she does not have a prosthetic arm she has shown all the disabled people not to give up and to keep on trying. She has helped them followed their dreams to be whatever they want.

3.What are three things that would make my top Living History pick a strong entry into the museum?

Bethany s known as the amazing surfer who followed her dreams without an arm. But beside that what makes her a strong entry person is first she has helped many people indifferent ways. First she does a lot of charity work, for example when the tsunami struck Thailand in 2003, Bethany traveled there to help Thai children to get over their fear of the ocean, and showing them that the ocean will not hurt them. Second she has her own foundation ‘Friends of Bethany’ which helps people that have had shark attacks. Lastly she has She inspired many disabled people in the world to try and do things that they thought they could not. Her passion, determination, strength, integrity, and honor have changed lives in the world. Just when people thought that they were hopeless and were going to be nothing she gave them the inspiration and determination to follow their dreams and goals, and to just never give up. After her attack before she went into the water, she was not scared of the shark, she was not scared of the water, and she was scared to never being able to surf again. But when she stood up on her first wave after the attack she knew that she could do it, that it was going to be hard, but she was going to reach for her dreams and achieve them.

This is a picture of the 14 foot tiger shark that bit of Bethany's arm. The shark was caught by Ralph Young and Billy Hamilton. The jaws are a perfect match to the bit in Bethany's surf board.