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With the worldwide success of the documentary "Rising Son: The Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi" in 2006, it was only a matter of time before Hosoi would chronicle his life in book form. Today, the memoir of Hosoi, whose rise to the sport's pinnacle, subsequent fall to prison for drug trafficking and resurrection as a born-again pastor, is released.

"I wrote this so people can go through my life without going down the same roads as me," said Hosoi, who was a skateboarding pro at 13, celebrity by 20 and a drug addict by 30. "I found peace in the prison cell reading the Bible. I understood I was created for a purpose."

Hosoi's pro career, which rivaled that of Tony Hawk, began to falter in the early 1990s as his drug addiction grew.

Following two arrests in 1995, a warrant was issued for Hosoi after he did not show for his court appearance, and he stopped performing in public. In Jan. 2000, he was caught transporting methamphetamine, and served four years in prison as a result.

"I have no regret in life," Hosoi said. "The process I went through took me where I am today. Everything happens for a reason. I've grown and I'm moving on."

Since he was released, he got married, started a family and won the 2009 and 2010 X-Games Legends competition.

"I'm excited about life," Hosoi said. "Before, I had it all but I was never satisfied. Instead, I was pushing it close to the edge, close to death."