Notes

xxii, 222 p., 24 p. of plates : col. ill., ports. They say Bethany Hamilton has saltwater in her veins. How else could one explain the passion that drives her to surf? How else could one explain that nothing -- not even the loss of her arm -- could come between her and the waves? That Halloween morning in Kauai, Hawaii, Bethany responded to the shark's stealth attack with the calm of a girl with God on her side. Pushing pain and panic aside, she began to paddle with one arm, focusing on a single thought: Get to the beach.... And when the first thing Bethany wanted to know after surgery was When can I surf again? it became clear that her spirit and determination were part of a greater story -- a tale of courage and faith that this soft-spoken girl would come to share with the world. Soul Surfer is a moving account of Bethany's life as a young surfer, her recovery after the 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 the body is no more essential to surfing -- perhaps even less so -- than the soul.