Christian Retailing

Regal to release 'Raising a Soul Surfer' Print Email
Written by Eric Tiansay   
Monday, 14 March 2011 02:33 PM America/New_York
Capitalizing on the forthcoming release of a movie based on the inspirational life story of surfer Bethany Hamilton, Regal Books is publishing Raising a Soul Surfer by Cheri Hamilton—the mother of the Christian teen who had her left arm bitten off by a tiger shark.

To be released in June, the book tells the story of the Hamilton family's "courage, determination and the many small steps of faith that took place before, after and since the shark attack that made international headlines," Regal said.

Releasing April 8 and heavily marketed to the faith-based community, Soul Surfer stars AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany; Dennis Quaid as her father, Tom; Helen Hunt as Bethany's mother, Cheri; and Carrie Underwood as church youth leader Sarah Hill.

Bethany, now 21, has become a top-performing pro surfer despite her October 2003 injuries. The movie was filmed on location in Hawaii, where she and her family live. The film is based on her Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board (MTV Books and Pocket Books), which was sold in some Christian bookstores.