Soul Surfer

56 pages • 1 hour read

Soul Surfer

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2004

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Introduction

Before Reading

During Reading

After Reading

During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Preface-Chapter 3

Reading Check

1. As described in the Preface, what’s the universal question at the heart of Hamilton’s story?

2. What type of shark attacked Hamilton?

3. In what state did Hamilton’s father, Tom, grow up?

4. In what state did Hamilton’s mother, Cheri, grow up?

5. What are the names of Hamilton’s two older brothers?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Hamilton opens the book with the line: “To be honest, I never wanted to write a book.” What does this simple statement say about Hamilton’s character and the nature of the story to follow?

2. Describe the morning of Hamilton’s accident. What was she doing beforehand?

3. As Hamilton explains in Chapter 3, how did her family influence her love of surfing?

Paired Resource

“Bethany Hamilton Short Documentary by – This Iz My Story”

This 7-minute documentary from 2011 provides a brief look at Hamilton’s story.
This video touches upon the book’s themes of Resilience Is the Key to Dealing With Loss and Faith in God Enables You to Overcome Any Challenge.
As she describes in this video, how did Hamilton’s faith help her return to surfing after the shark attack?

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. On what specific island in Hawaii does Hamilton live?

2. What is Hamilton wearing the day of the attack? Why is this significant to her story?

3. How long does the shark attack last, in total?

4. When Hamilton arrives at the hospital post-attack, why is her father already there?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Even after the shark attack, Hamilton still feels like herself. How is this possible?

2. How is the high tide at the moment of the attack significant?

3. How does Hamilton’s mother take the news about Bethany’s accident? How does she use faith to cope with her pain?

Paired Resource

“Advice on Motherhood from My Mom, Cheri”

In this discussion from 2022, Hamilton shares her own mother’s, Cheri’s, advice on how to be a good mom.
The first piece of advice from Cheri is to pray often, which coincides with the book’s theme Faith in God Enables You to Overcome Any Challenge. Cheri writes that, through her faith, she learned to “turn worries into prayer” (Chapter 6).
What does it mean to “turn worries into prayer”? How does Cheri do so in this chapter?

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. After the attack, what profession does Hamilton mention in a discussion with her father as a possibility for her future?

2. How does Hamilton’s psychologist explain his purpose in life?

3. Prior to the attack, what was Hamilton’s attitude toward being bitten by a shark?

4. What subject does Hamilton detail with a bulleted list?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Hamilton consider herself lucky to receive the care of the doctor who happened to be on duty?

2. In the aftermath of the attack, what are some examples of how Hamilton’s loved ones are also impacted?

3. As evidenced in this section, how does the community help support her recovery?

Paired Resource

“Ka Moolelo O Kauai – The Story of Kauai”

This is a timeline by the Kauai Historical Society that shows key moments in the history of Kauai, from the island’s formation in 5 million BC to the overthrow of Hawaii’s last reigning monarch in the early 1900s.
Hamilton’s home, and the site of her attack, is the island of Kauai. Like Hamilton, the island itself has had to show Resilience to endure difficult times.
How does Hamilton’s own personal story parallel that of Kauai? How might this shared history build a sense of community among the citizens of Kauai?

Chapters 10-13

Reading Check

1. To Hamilton, what is even more important than surfing?

2. Hamilton agrees to be interviewed by media about the shark attack. What topic does she want to discuss?

3. Hamilton’s accident occurs on Halloween, 2003. On what holiday does she first get back in the water?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Who is Joseph Damien de Veuster? Why does Hamilton tell his story?

2. Why does the word “aloha” have special significance in Hawaii?

Paired Resource

“Bethany Hamilton, The Soul Surfer, Talks About Her Faith”

In this video from MomLife Today, Hamilton discusses how she maintains her faith in God, even when the outside world challenges her beliefs.
This video was filmed eight years after Hamilton’s accident, and Hamilton’s Faith continues to be a source of Resilience and Community for her.
How has Hamilton changed since her accident, as portrayed in this video? How has her faith evolved in that period?

Chapters 14-16

Reading Check

1. With what organization does Hamilton partner to help children living in poverty around the world?

2. What Bible passage does Hamilton include in her narrative to convey the image of the necessity of a firm foundation to one’s faith?

3. Hamilton says that her “Sweet 16^”birthday will be even sweeter with who by her side?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Hamilton shake off negative thoughts about having one arm?

2. As suggested in the narrative, how does the Bible’s story of Job serve as an example of faith that persists even in the face of tragedy?

3. In Chapter 16, Hamilton explains how, two years after her accident, she has evolved. How does the experience of looking at herself in the mirror evidence that change?

Recommended Next Reads

Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler

In this memoir, Kate Bowler confronts her own morality when she is diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at age 35.
As a Christian, Bowler centers faith at the heart of her memoir.
At the start of Bowler’s memoir, she takes a different view from Hamilton regarding misfortune: Rather than seeing bad luck as part of God’s Plan, Bowler sees misfortune as an indication of God’s disapproval.
Everything Happens for a Reason on SuperSummary

Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People by Bob Goff

This New York Times-bestselling Christian self-help book attempts to help people live their best life possible without inhibition, restriction, or insecurity.
Goff’s Christian Faith is at the heart of his advice to develop Resilience to survive tough times in life.
Goff, like Hamilton, expresses a casual, modern sensibility when talking about God.
Everybody, Always on SuperSummary

Reading Questions Answer Key

Preface-Chapter 3

Reading Check

1. “Why do bad things happen to good people?” (Preface)

2. A tiger shark (Chapter 1)

3. New Jersey (Chapter 2)

4. California (Chapter 2)

5. Timmy and Noah (Chapter 3)

Short Answer

1. The opening line suggests a sense of humility; Hamilton never wanted to be a famous author. It also tells the reader that she feels a higher calling to tell her inspiring and important story. (Preface)

2. Hamilton recalls driving to the beach with her mother, listening to Christian music along the way. She recalls the beauty of the Hawaii landscape. The waves at Pauaeaka were poor surfing conditions, so Hamilton and her mother head to Tunnels Beach, which is where the accident occurs. (Chapter 1)

3. Hamilton’s parents both had a love of surfing. As the only girl in the family, her older brothers engendered a sense of competition in her, which helped her become a serious surfer. (Chapter 3)

Chapteres 4-6

Reading Check

1. Kauai (Chapter 4)

2. She is wearing a shiny watch, which may have drawn the shark’s attention. (Chapter 5)

3. A few seconds (Chapter 5)

4. To have knee surgery (Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. Even after the attack, the core elements of her life remain unchanged: her community, her love of nature, and her faith. (Chapter 4)

2. Because it was high tide, Hamilton did not need to go all the way around the reef to get to the shore post-attack, meaning she was able to get help more quickly. Hamilton considers this to be good fortune, which connects to the themes of Faith and God’s plan. (Chapter 5)

3. She listens to Christian music on the way to the hospital. Even through her tears and pain, she praises God; she knows that Hamilton is in God’s hands. (Chapter 6)

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. Surf photography (Chapter 8)

2. The psychologist tells Hamilton his purpose is helping those who have experienced loss. (Chapter 8)

3. You can’t let “what ifs” hold you back. (Chapter 8)

4. The history of surfing (Chapter 9)

Short Answer

1. The doctor dealt with a shark bite before. A few years prior, he worked on a surfer’s foot that had been bitten off by a shark. He is a member of Hamilton’s church, as well, so Hamilton is comforted by the community connection. (Chapter 7)

2. She details her grandmother crying. She also writes of her parents’ financial challenges, as well as her brother’s trouble in school. (Chapter 8)

3. Hamilton receives dozens of visitors from her church at her hospital room. Her loved ones also have solidarity with her in her experience post-accident, experiencing hardships of their own. (Chapters 7-9)

Chapters 10-13

Reading Check

1. Faith in God (Chapter 10)

2. Her faith and God’s goodness (Chapter 12)

3. Thanksgiving, 2003 (Chapter 13)

Short Answer

1. De Veuster is a missionary who came to Hawaii to work with lepers. He is an inspiration to Hamilton in that he inspired others to overcome their own struggles. (Chapter 10)

2. It is not just a way to say “hello” and “goodbye”; it also implies mutual regard and affection, without the expectation of anything in return. (Chapter 11)

Chapters 14-16

Reading Check

1. The World Vision Foundation (Chapter 14)

2. A passage from the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 7:24-27) (Chapter 15)

3. Jesus (Chapter 16)

Short Answer

1. She tells herself that she needs to focus on how to deal with new challenges. The past is the past. She is onto bigger and better things. (Chapter 14)

2. Job was a wealthy and pious man. When Job loses all of his riches, however, he still refuses to curse God. He retains his piety, even in the face of disaster. (Chapter 15)

3. Hamilton says it is not strange to see herself in the mirror anymore. She is no longer grieving her missing arm; she uses it to share her faith and spread the word of God. (Chapter 16)