Soul Surfer

For my next blog, I decided to find a non fiction book. I decided to go with Soul Surfer by Sheryl Berk and Rick Bundschuh. This story belongs under the genre of nonfiction because it is a completely true story. This book is not written by Bethany, but it is all about her life and the challenges she overcame. I read this book a few years ago, and also saw the movie. This book is a great tale of inspiration and perseverance to go towards your goals. 

This book is about a girl who lives in Hawaii. This girl loves to surf and plans on being a professional surfer when she gets older. Her dreams are cut short when she is surfing one day and is attacked by a shark. This shark bit off her entire arm. Bethany now has to rethink her entire life because she no longer has an arm. All Bethany know is that she wants to surf again. Surfing is in her veins and she refuses to give up. With the help of her family and friends, Bethany is able to overcome her obstacles and get back in the water. Even though she faces an incredibly tough hardship, but she does not let that get in the way of her dream. I think think this is a great book for young adults to read. This book is filled with inspiration and the never give up attitude. I hope that many people are able to read this book and be inspired themselves.

The first project that I would have go along with this story is to have the readers put themselves into the story. I would have them keep a journal as they read the book and for each chapter, they would need to create an entry. In each entry they would need to act as if they were truly in the story. They could make themselves one of Bethany's friends of even a fellow surfer. The next project I would have is to think about a time in their life when they had to overcome an obstacle like Bethany. If they could not come up with their own, then they could think of a family member. When they cam up with their obstacle, they would need to create a presentation for the teacher only about how they were able to overcome it. This project would be more private, so the whole class would not need to see it. 

Hamilton, Bethany, Sheryl Berk, and Rick Bundschuh. Soul surfer: a true story of faith, family, and fighting to get back on the board. New York: Pocket Books ; MTV Books, 2004. Print.