Soul Surfer

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? That Halloween morning in Kauai, Hawaii Bethany responded to the shark's stealth with a calmness beyond belief. Pushing pain and panic aside, she immediately thought: 'Get to the beach...' Rushed to the hospital, where her father, Ted Hamilton, was about to undergo knee surgery, Bethany found herself taking his spot in the operating theatre. When the first thing Bethany wanted to know after surgery was 'When can I surf again?' it became clear that her unfaltering spirit and determination were part of a greater story - a tale of courage and faith that this modest and soft-spoken girl would come to share with the world.

Cheri Hamilton, Bethany’s mom, tells the inspiring story of the Hamilton Family. Bethany Hamilton’s incredible story of surviving and thriving in the wake of a shark attack, told in her best-selling autobiography Soul Surfer, has sold more than 1.5 million copies. Yet her family’s adventures started long before Bethany lost her arm and became a pro surfer. Now Cheri Hamilton, Bethany’s mom, tells the inspiring story of the Hamilton Family. Raising a Soul Surfer invites readers to journey with the Hamiltons to the lush islands of Hawaii, to experience a worldwide news event, Bethany’s shark attack, from her parents’ point of view. Witness the many small steps of faith and how God stepped in and gave them a higher purpose.

Young girls will get encouraging words from the Bible and from courageous, young surfer Bethany Hamilton to see them through their day in this devotional book. Both “hot” and “cool” topics that every young girl faces will be addressed. An extra, tucked-in feature will give the girls the “inside scoop” on what Bethany’s life is all about.

Unstoppable Me, written by New York Times bestselling author and champion surfer Bethany Hamilton with husband, Adam Dirks, tells the story of Makana the lion, who loves to surf but loses her nerve when she wipes out. When her friend encourages her to go back out again, Makana summons up the courage and discovers the success that comes from believing in yourself and never giving up. As seen in the feature film Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable, this playful book will have little ones cheering for Makana and inspire them to stay strong and keep trying, no matter what challenges might come their way.

The almost true story of how a bad boy discovers he's really a nice kid inside, through surfing, self-discovery, wild surfing adventures, and meditation.

This special edition of the "Soul Surfer Johnny" trilogy brings all three books together in one volume, with a special bonus chapter of 15 new stories. It includes the complete versions of "Soul Surfer Johnny," "Soul Surfer Johnny Returns," and "Soul Surfer Johnny Rips" intact and unabridged. Plus a new 12,000-word segment of new stories.

In Bill Missetts final chapter of Soul Surfer Johnnys adventures, we are taken through the journeys of many thrill seeking travelers, as Johnny and his wife Mia finally move to Puerto permanently, and their adventure begins anew. He and Mia meet countless soul surfers who add ingredients to the secret recipe that eventually becomes an award winning course of life to be enjoyed by the two true lovers. As Johnny matures in his new home of Puerto Tranquilo, he learns to digest and learn from the stories of those who have been through what he is currently experiencing. Missett conveys all of the life lessons the couple soaks in during what can only be described as a rich life without riches. They build a popular restaurant, a beautiful home, and more importantly, a bucket list of friends and memories. The surf remains an important part of their lives, but in this final chapter, Johnny and Mia drop into a veritable Mexican Pipeline barrel, breathing in every detail. Luckily, a writer like Missett is able to bring us back through that barrel in magnificent detail. We get to know so many characters from the previous chapters as well as new names. Several members of the famous crowd of Puerto regulars get to add their input this time. Their stories are told in first person, adding a great feeling of unedited authenticity. Several of the local famosos reappear, and some of the Puerto Elders walk us through the life and times of the enigmatic surf town. Missett writes in such a way that informs, intrigues, and entertains. This is the most entertaining of his works and deserves a loud applause. To be intrigued, you must read the earlier Soul Surfer Johnny books. To be truly informed, everyone should read his earlier Awakening the Soul series. A favorite author of all who read his works, Missett put together a great collaboration of stories with Soul Surfer Johnny Rips. However, in all honesty, we all hope that Johnny has another wave to catch through Bill Missetts eyes. Thomas Wilson

While writing Soul Surfer Johnny, the first book in this series, I was flooded with so many additional memories of “Puerto Tranquilo” that I knew a second book was waiting to be written. By the time the first book was finished, I had jotted down more than 125 other memorable episodes. I was challenged to write the book that became Soul Surfer Johnny by Joel Fotinos, vice president for spiritual books for Penguin-Putnam publishers, during a lunch we had in 2007. He had just read my Awakening The Soul: The Trilogy, and challenged me to write a novel incorporating the essence of that tome, ala the most successful novel of the millennium, Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. While Soul Surfer Johnny is certainly no Da Vinci Code, it does carry forth that essence of spiritual growth, describing a young man’s soul awakening. The heart of the story, however, remains his many wild surfing adventures, most in Puerto. But it wasn’t planned that way. A number of years ago, I began compiling a list of topics for my Puerto book, which I knew I would write some day. But I had no plans of incorporating those memories into the book Fotinos challenged me to write, revealing how to create the spiritual awakening possible within each of us. However, when I started writing, it was immediately apparent where this story was going ... to Puerto, where my personal spiritual awakening occurred some 25 years earlier. Thus, the first Soul Surfer Johnny book had a serious underlying story of spiritual awakening that seemed out of place in a surfing adventure novel. But it really wasn’t, because what was being portrayed as happening to Johnny really had happened to me, and has occurred to others, so I knew it was eminently possible. I had so much fun writing Soul Surfer Johnny that I immediately started writing this book, its direct sequel, but with a difference. This volume does not have that heavy underlying story of spiritual growth, but rather only occasional references to Johnny’s continuing awakening. It’s mostly outrageous tales of his many Puerto adventures and episodes. This book richly continues the adventures of Soul Surfer Johnny, the story of an East Coast bad boy who becomes a good kid as he learns to surf in the waves off Southern California. In the process, he joins his own sort of “gang,” then ventures south to the big waves of Southern Mexico. He is guided to “Puerto Tranquilo” in the late 1970s by several of his fellow Tyrony Bros. “gang” members, who had discovered the fantastic surf break there several years before. There he is witness to and participates in a bizarre series of adventures. Unexpectedly, he begins to explore his spirituality, and discovers his true inner self for the first time, dramatically improving his life. Like its predecessor, this continuing wild tale is almost true, however sometimes the actual circumstances are slightly “enhanced,” while conveying the basic truth. For example, a few wave heights may have been exaggerated occasionally – except in the “Big Wednesday” chapter, which is Johnny’s true, eye-witness account. But most of the book’s stories actually happened as described. It makes no claim toward being all-inclusive, or a legitimate history of the town. It’s just a lot of mostly true stories about a wonderful little town in Southern Mexico. All stories are re-told as accurately as memory serves.