Bethany Hamilton with her latest book, Surfing Past Fear. Photo: Courtesy of Bethany Hamilton
Bethany Hamilton became a household name long ago.
The life of this surfer, author, and public speaker has been told and retold across a swath of media, from documentaries to dramas to talk shows.
But Hamilton is also a prolific content creator herself. With her latest work, a children’s book titled Surfing Past Fear (her tenth book), Hamilton’s aim is to inspire young girls with a message of hope and overcoming life’s inevitable obstacles.
Many children’s books aim for that goal, of course, but Hamilton’s life has proven her an unofficial world champion in confronting fear — the story of her run-in with a 14-foot tiger shark at 13, and then her drive and perseverance to surf again, has inspired thousands already.
Hamilton’s is a heavy story that involved trauma and then extreme resilience. And that’s why her new book relies on a “family of friendly cartoon characters” to “lighten the heavy load,” a press release said. Aiming the book at children as young as four, Hamilton wanted to ensure they leave the story with a feeling of hope.
“I’m so excited for everyone to be able to experience this story, and I pray that it encourages you to be resilient and adaptable when life isn’t perfect, and to live in faith, rather than fear,” Hamilton said.
Her book comes with two games that all kids can participate in: “Fearing Freaky Food” and “Cowabunga.” According to Hamilton, the games are meant to teach two lessons: “the root of fear is a lack of trust” and “the fear of failure can stop our progress in life.”
Hamilton has previously published the hit memoir Soul Surfer which came out just a year after her shark attack, and her first children’s book Unstoppable Me — another kid-friendly version of her life story published in 2018.
You can find Surfing Past Fear, here.
