“I'm in God’s hands.” This is what Bethany Hamilton said to herself as she was being rushed to the hospital after a major shark attack. At only thirteen years old Bethany Hamilton got her arm bitten off by a fourteen-foot Tiger shark off the North Shore of Kaua’i, Hawai’i. In both the book and the movie you can understand Bethany’s passion for surfing and how nothing can stop her from doing what she loves. I liked the book and the movie, but if I had to choose the better one it would be the book.
     I enjoyed the book a little more because of different reasons. One is because Bethany Hamilton wrote it and it came straight from her. It was very descriptive and detailed. I could see the different events happening in my mind. One event that I could vividly see was when Bethany and her camp friends played a church game where they threw a raw turkey around on a slip in slide. I could also picture Bethany’s shiny Rip Curl watch floating in the crystal clear ocean.
    There were some differences in what happened in the book and movie. In the book it said that after being release from the hospital Bethany went to stay at a friends house in Anahola Beach. In the movie Bethany went straight back home with her family. Also, in the book there was nothing about a night surfing Halloween party, but in the movie Bethany and her best friend, Alana, snuck out to go night surfing with other friends. There were differences in characters too. In the movie there were added characters like Malina Birch and Keoki. I think that the director added these differences to try make the film have more events. the directors chose amazing actors to portray the characters.
    If you like a story that is about struggle, courage and motivation then you should read and watch Soul Surfer. I recommended that you read the book first. This is because you get Bethany’s real story and then you can watch the movie to see the differences and make connections. I hope you enjoy it as much I did.