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Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916
Combining rich historical detail and a harrowing, pulse-pounding narrative, Close to Shore brilliantly re-creates the summer of 1916, when a rogue Great White shark attacked swimmers along the New Jersey shore, triggering mass hysteria and launching the most extensive shark hunt in history.
During the summer before the United States entered World War I, when ocean swimming was just becoming popular and luxurious Jersey Shore resorts were thriving as a chic playland for an opulent yet still innocent era's new leisure class, Americans were abruptly introduced to the terror of sharks. In July 1916 a lone Great White left its usual deep-ocean habitat and headed in the direction of the New Jersey shoreline. There, near the towns of Beach Haven and Spring Lake-and, incredibly, a farming community eleven miles inland-the most ferocious and unpredictable of predators began a deadly rampage: the first shark attacks on swimmers in U.S. history.
For Americans celebrating an astoundingly prosperous epoch much like our own, fueled by the wizardry of revolutionary inventions, the arrival of this violent predator symbolized the limits of mankind's power against nature.
Interweaving a vivid portrait of the era and meticulously drawn characters with chilling accounts of the shark's five attacks and the frenzied hunt that ensued, Michael Capuzzo has created a nonfiction historical thriller with the texture of Ragtime and the tension of Jaws. From the unnerving inevitability of the first attack on the esteemed son of a prosperous Philadelphia physician to the spine-tingling moment when a farm boy swimming in Matawan Creek feels the sandpaper-like skin of the passing shark, Close to Shore is an undeniably gripping saga.
Heightening the drama are stories of the resulting panic in the citizenry, press and politicians, and of colorful personalities such as Herman Oelrichs, a flamboyant millionaire who made a bet that a shark was no match for a man (and set out to prove it); Museum of Natural History ichthyologist John Treadwell Nichols, faced with the challenge of stopping a mythic sea creature about which little was known; and, most memorable, the rogue Great White itself moving through a world that couldn't conceive of either its destructive power or its moral right to destroy.
Scrupulously researched and superbly written, Close to Shore brings to life a breathtaking, pivotal moment in American history. Masterfully written and suffused with fascinating period detail and insights into the science and behavior of sharks, Close to Shore recounts a breathtaking, pivotal moment in American history with startling immediacy.
During the summer before the United States entered World War I, when ocean swimming was just becoming popular and luxurious Jersey Shore resorts were thriving as a chic playland for an opulent yet still innocent era's new leisure class, Americans were abruptly introduced to the terror of sharks. In July 1916 a lone Great White left its usual deep-ocean habitat and headed in the direction of the New Jersey shoreline. There, near the towns of Beach Haven and Spring Lake-and, incredibly, a farming community eleven miles inland-the most ferocious and unpredictable of predators began a deadly rampage: the first shark attacks on swimmers in U.S. history.
For Americans celebrating an astoundingly prosperous epoch much like our own, fueled by the wizardry of revolutionary inventions, the arrival of this violent predator symbolized the limits of mankind's power against nature.
Interweaving a vivid portrait of the era and meticulously drawn characters with chilling accounts of the shark's five attacks and the frenzied hunt that ensued, Michael Capuzzo has created a nonfiction historical thriller with the texture of Ragtime and the tension of Jaws. From the unnerving inevitability of the first attack on the esteemed son of a prosperous Philadelphia physician to the spine-tingling moment when a farm boy swimming in Matawan Creek feels the sandpaper-like skin of the passing shark, Close to Shore is an undeniably gripping saga.
Heightening the drama are stories of the resulting panic in the citizenry, press and politicians, and of colorful personalities such as Herman Oelrichs, a flamboyant millionaire who made a bet that a shark was no match for a man (and set out to prove it); Museum of Natural History ichthyologist John Treadwell Nichols, faced with the challenge of stopping a mythic sea creature about which little was known; and, most memorable, the rogue Great White itself moving through a world that couldn't conceive of either its destructive power or its moral right to destroy.
Scrupulously researched and superbly written, Close to Shore brings to life a breathtaking, pivotal moment in American history. Masterfully written and suffused with fascinating period detail and insights into the science and behavior of sharks, Close to Shore recounts a breathtaking, pivotal moment in American history with startling immediacy.
318 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 2001
About the author
Michael Capuzzo
14 books40 followersMichael Capuzzo is a syndicated animal columnist and author of "Wild Things". Formerly a feature writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Miami Herald, Capuzzo has written for Esquire, Life, and Sports Illustrated. His numerous awards include the National Headliner Award and his animal stories have been honored by the ASPCA and American Humane Association. He lives in Wenonah, New Jersey.
A four-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, his recent bestseller, "Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in an Age of Innocence", tells the blood-curdling truth about the deranged great white shark that became the prototype for the villian of Peter Benchley's "Jaws".
A four-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, his recent bestseller, "Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in an Age of Innocence", tells the blood-curdling truth about the deranged great white shark that became the prototype for the villian of Peter Benchley's "Jaws".
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July 12, 2021
WHO'S READY FOR SHARK WEEK?????? SHARK WEEK STARTS NOW!!
in 1916, fish eat you!!
every august, i get totally amped for shark week. and yet, i have not seen jaws since i was seven. (although i have seen open water both one and two. skip the second one - it is a complete waste of time). but the events in this book are the ones that inspired the movie jaws, so it is particularly awesome.
shaaaaaark!
sharks are the coolest of all apex predators. they will just bump you with their nose to see what you are and if you are delicious, then they will scraaaape you with their crazy rough skin, and then the ensuing blood will make them go buckwild and they will eat your leg. it is the most delicious frottage.
this book is great, but there are too many teases throughout. in a shark movie, when you see a swimmer separated from the herd - that swimmer is totally going to get noshed. in this book (yes - in the real world) several people do not, in fact, get noshed, which is frustrating because you get all tensed up and ready for noshing to happen, and then there is the letdown of no nosh, as the person simply swims toward shore to safety. who cares about people who in 1916 could have but didn't get eaten by a shark? this should be a drinking game; will this person who we are following for 8 pages get eaten or not?? there should be more reading-related drinking games.
but the book is really good at placing the events in a particular historical context. everything you ever wanted to know about the time period: what was stirring in europe, what music the kids were listening to, what was happening in the world of women's bathing costumes, what medical practices were like at the time - it is very comprehensive in a way that is fascinating instead of feeling like school.
plus, this particular shark is breaking all the rules - leaving the ocean to swim through some freshwater tributary to mangle some kids swimming in their local crick - WHAT THE FUCK!!?? worst shark ever!
there is this line, which is a giggle at the movie of jaws: "had they intended to hunt the rogue shark, they would have taken out a larger boat"
but then there is this line, which worried me: "that same morning in spring lake, the soul of (no spoilers here!) was committed to eternal life at a funeral service..."i mean, not to quibble, but isn't the expression "committed to eternal rest??" because otherwise it makes it sound like that shark was a zombie shark and everyone knows those are the worst type of sharks.
they will come for you anywhere:
by the end, i was beginning to feel almost sorry for the damn shark. it was just trying to survive in a world where there wasn't enough food, and it went through all sorts of unexpected trials only to end up captured, killed, and stuffed. i had less sympathy for the people who got bitten - that's what you get for swimming in the toilet of a billion sea creatures,full of pointy shells and jellyfish. gross.
come to my blog!
in 1916, fish eat you!!
every august, i get totally amped for shark week. and yet, i have not seen jaws since i was seven. (although i have seen open water both one and two. skip the second one - it is a complete waste of time). but the events in this book are the ones that inspired the movie jaws, so it is particularly awesome.
shaaaaaark!
sharks are the coolest of all apex predators. they will just bump you with their nose to see what you are and if you are delicious, then they will scraaaape you with their crazy rough skin, and then the ensuing blood will make them go buckwild and they will eat your leg. it is the most delicious frottage.
this book is great, but there are too many teases throughout. in a shark movie, when you see a swimmer separated from the herd - that swimmer is totally going to get noshed. in this book (yes - in the real world) several people do not, in fact, get noshed, which is frustrating because you get all tensed up and ready for noshing to happen, and then there is the letdown of no nosh, as the person simply swims toward shore to safety. who cares about people who in 1916 could have but didn't get eaten by a shark? this should be a drinking game; will this person who we are following for 8 pages get eaten or not?? there should be more reading-related drinking games.
but the book is really good at placing the events in a particular historical context. everything you ever wanted to know about the time period: what was stirring in europe, what music the kids were listening to, what was happening in the world of women's bathing costumes, what medical practices were like at the time - it is very comprehensive in a way that is fascinating instead of feeling like school.
plus, this particular shark is breaking all the rules - leaving the ocean to swim through some freshwater tributary to mangle some kids swimming in their local crick - WHAT THE FUCK!!?? worst shark ever!
there is this line, which is a giggle at the movie of jaws: "had they intended to hunt the rogue shark, they would have taken out a larger boat"
but then there is this line, which worried me: "that same morning in spring lake, the soul of (no spoilers here!) was committed to eternal life at a funeral service..."i mean, not to quibble, but isn't the expression "committed to eternal rest??" because otherwise it makes it sound like that shark was a zombie shark and everyone knows those are the worst type of sharks.
they will come for you anywhere:
by the end, i was beginning to feel almost sorry for the damn shark. it was just trying to survive in a world where there wasn't enough food, and it went through all sorts of unexpected trials only to end up captured, killed, and stuffed. i had less sympathy for the people who got bitten - that's what you get for swimming in the toilet of a billion sea creatures,full of pointy shells and jellyfish. gross.
come to my blog!
September 18, 2023
Jaws is currently not having a good time. He is being hunted mercilessly by Port and Starboard.
I am not joking.
Two South African killer whales, Port and Starboard, have been killing great white sharks like they owe them money. Great whites are washing up on beaches without livers. How Hannibal Lecter of them. And it's not just the great whites they've been targeting. They will kill every shark they can get their hands fins on. It's quite fascinating (and sad). Port and Starboard kill a shark, remove its liver, and leave the rest. Whose side am I on? I don't know. I love both orcas and great white sharks. I hope my girl Deep Blue (the largest living great white shark) is doing alright.
What has been happening with the orcas lately? Killing great white sharks, sinking rich people's yachts... Orcas are going wild, and the internet loves it.
No humans were harmed. For whatever reason, the Iberian orcas seem to have a personal vendetta against certain types of boats.
This book has been bothering me for a long time. It's decently written and somewhat interesting. So why do I dislike it? Because it's speculative, overdramatic, and sensationalized. I hate this kind of journalism.
Let's begin with the blurb.
when a rogue Great White shark attacked swimmers along the New Jersey shore. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A ROGUE GREAT WHITE SHARK. That theory has been disproven years ago. Why are you like this?
Close to Shore is about The Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916. I'm sure most of you are familiar with the story. A shark (or sharks) attacked five people over the span of twelve days. It sounds similar to Jaws, doesn't it? Peter Benchley based his hit novel on the Jersey Shore attacks. He later regretted writing Jaws and dedicated his life to shark conservation.
The identity of the culprit is still debated. Some say it was Carcharodon carcharias, aka the infamous great white shark. Others claim it was a bull shark. I'm not saying it was a bull shark, but it was a bull shark. Three of the five attacks happened in a freshwater creek. Bull sharks are the most aggressive shark species in the world. They have the highest testosterone levels in the animal kingdom. They can survive in saltwater as well as freshwater. They're, however, not as cool as great white sharks. People don't want to read a book about bull sharks, they want to read about great white sharks. Thanks a lot, author.
It's possible it was a great white. It's possible it was more than one shark. We'll never know. So why does this book exist?
Hollywood has portrayed sharks as aggressive, blood-thirsty monsters. I like shark movies. I shouldn't, but I do. Jaws is one of my all-time favorite movies. I like Deep Blue Sea, Open Water, The Reef, and 47 Meters Down.
Sharknado, The Meg, and Jaws: The Revenge made me question the director's sanity. Ok, I admit, Sharknado was kind of fun in a shut-off-your-brain way. Real-life sharks aren't mindless eating machines. Are they dangerous? Yes, of course. Sharks are apex predators. They should be feared and respected, not demonized.
Great white sharks have it rough. They have to deal with liver-eating orcas, poachers, and bad writers.
And Steven Spielberg.
They deserve a respite.
Did I enjoy the book? No. Did I enjoy the last chapter? Yes.
Indeed, by the twenty-first century, Carcharodon carcharias had assumed a new status as magnificent yet misunderstood sea creature, rare and accidental killer of man, and endangered species protected by the laws of numerous countries, including the United States. So radical was the change in attitude that in 2000 Peter Benchley pleaded with Australians not to destroy a great white that had killed a young swimmer. “This was not a rogue shark, tantalized by the taste of human flesh and bound now to kill and kill again. Such creatures do not exist, despite what you might have derived from Jaws. . . . Let us mourn the man and forgive the animal, for, in truth, it knew not what it did.”
Still, in an era of fisheries that would eradicate it, science that would plumb all its mysteries, and global media that would reveal its every move, the great white endures in the depths where it has always reigned: in cautionary tales told by mothers and fathers, in whispers in the unconscious, in offshore shadows, and in ripples on a tidal creek.
Book recommendation: The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks by Susan Casey.
I am not joking.
Two South African killer whales, Port and Starboard, have been killing great white sharks like they owe them money. Great whites are washing up on beaches without livers. How Hannibal Lecter of them. And it's not just the great whites they've been targeting. They will kill every shark they can get their
What has been happening with the orcas lately? Killing great white sharks, sinking rich people's yachts... Orcas are going wild, and the internet loves it.
No humans were harmed. For whatever reason, the Iberian orcas seem to have a personal vendetta against certain types of boats.
This book has been bothering me for a long time. It's decently written and somewhat interesting. So why do I dislike it? Because it's speculative, overdramatic, and sensationalized. I hate this kind of journalism.
Let's begin with the blurb.
when a rogue Great White shark attacked swimmers along the New Jersey shore. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A ROGUE GREAT WHITE SHARK. That theory has been disproven years ago. Why are you like this?
Close to Shore is about The Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916. I'm sure most of you are familiar with the story. A shark (or sharks) attacked five people over the span of twelve days. It sounds similar to Jaws, doesn't it? Peter Benchley based his hit novel on the Jersey Shore attacks. He later regretted writing Jaws and dedicated his life to shark conservation.
The identity of the culprit is still debated. Some say it was Carcharodon carcharias, aka the infamous great white shark. Others claim it was a bull shark. I'm not saying it was a bull shark, but it was a bull shark. Three of the five attacks happened in a freshwater creek. Bull sharks are the most aggressive shark species in the world. They have the highest testosterone levels in the animal kingdom. They can survive in saltwater as well as freshwater. They're, however, not as cool as great white sharks. People don't want to read a book about bull sharks, they want to read about great white sharks. Thanks a lot, author.
It's possible it was a great white. It's possible it was more than one shark. We'll never know. So why does this book exist?
Hollywood has portrayed sharks as aggressive, blood-thirsty monsters. I like shark movies. I shouldn't, but I do. Jaws is one of my all-time favorite movies. I like Deep Blue Sea, Open Water, The Reef, and 47 Meters Down.
Sharknado, The Meg, and Jaws: The Revenge made me question the director's sanity. Ok, I admit, Sharknado was kind of fun in a shut-off-your-brain way. Real-life sharks aren't mindless eating machines. Are they dangerous? Yes, of course. Sharks are apex predators. They should be feared and respected, not demonized.
Great white sharks have it rough. They have to deal with liver-eating orcas, poachers, and bad writers.
And Steven Spielberg.
They deserve a respite.
Did I enjoy the book? No. Did I enjoy the last chapter? Yes.
Indeed, by the twenty-first century, Carcharodon carcharias had assumed a new status as magnificent yet misunderstood sea creature, rare and accidental killer of man, and endangered species protected by the laws of numerous countries, including the United States. So radical was the change in attitude that in 2000 Peter Benchley pleaded with Australians not to destroy a great white that had killed a young swimmer. “This was not a rogue shark, tantalized by the taste of human flesh and bound now to kill and kill again. Such creatures do not exist, despite what you might have derived from Jaws. . . . Let us mourn the man and forgive the animal, for, in truth, it knew not what it did.”
Still, in an era of fisheries that would eradicate it, science that would plumb all its mysteries, and global media that would reveal its every move, the great white endures in the depths where it has always reigned: in cautionary tales told by mothers and fathers, in whispers in the unconscious, in offshore shadows, and in ripples on a tidal creek.
Book recommendation: The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks by Susan Casey.
June 20, 2021
HOOPER: Look, the situation is that apparently a great white shark has staked a claim in the waters of Amity Island, and he’s going to continue to feed here as long as there is food in the water.
BRODY: And there’s no limit to what he’s gonna do. I mean, we’ve already had three incidents. Two people killed inside a week. And it’s gonna happen again. It happened before. The Jersey Beach…1916. There were five people chewed up in the surf…
HOOPER: In one week.
- Richard Dreyfuss (as Matt Hooper) and Roy Scheider (as Chief Martin Brody) in Jaws (1975)
“Someone on the beach cried across the waves, ‘Watch out!’ As the fin approached, the chorus grew: ‘Watch out! Watch out!’ But Charles could not hear the warnings. He was turning his head in and out of the water in a rhythmic crawl. The great white could see his prey now moving underwater with startling clarity, making what followed even more unusual. For in the great majority of shark attacks on humans, sharks are hurtling through roiling, cloudy water in which they must strike quickly to seize their prey. The flash of a pale foot resembles the darting of a snapper, a belt buckle winks in the sun like a fish scale, and the shark bites. But the great white saw Charles Vansant clearly and kept coming. In the last instant, some researchers have suggested, it detected the final confirmation of mammal: the blood pounding through Charles’s veins.The thumping of his heart…”
- Michael Capuzzo, Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916
Sharks can be terrifying, especially apex predators like the great white. They are primordial creatures cloaked by the depths of the sea, which itself can awe and frighten with its massive size, its incalculable power. It’s the rare person who doesn’t set foot in the ocean and at least wonder what might be below the surface.
That said, shark attacks are not anything you should spend any time worrying about. Even with an increase in incidents, I can guarantee you this: You will not be eaten by a shark. But if this one-hundred percent, ironclad assurance fails to assuage your doubts, I have a foolproof plan.
Stay on the beach.
Despite the ridiculously low odds of a fatal encounter, shark attacks have loomed overlarge in the public consciousness. Recall, for example, the long hot summer of 2001. As al-Qaida hijackers quietly mustered, and as certain members of the intelligence community warned that “the system was blinking red,” America’s eyes were firmly fixed on the seaside, where we observed the “Summer of the Shark” as prelude to the Age of Terror.
While shark-terror is a primitive fear-response that has been around forever, most look to Steven Spielberg’s 1975 Jaws as the coming out party for the villainous shark. Before that classic movie, though, and before the middling novel upon which the movie was based, there were the 1916 shark attacks along the New Jersey shore.
These attacks, which killed four and injured one over the course of twelve days, is the subject of Michael Capuzzo’s Close to Shore.
The main thing to be said about this short book is that it is too long. Capuzzo takes a small historical footnote – one that really only contains enough substance to support a longform article – and tries desperately to inflate that material to book-length. Like one of my kids playing with a wad of gum, he pulls and stretches this story to its breaking point. Somehow, in a 298-page book where all the pertinent facts can be summarized in a paragraph, the first shark attack does not occur until nearly 100-pages have passed.
In other words, Close to Shore is mostly filler.
Now, I am on the record as being mostly pro-filler. Generally, I don’t mind a little bagginess in the books I’m reading. I am in favor of context, and detail, and in over-including rather than leaving stuff out. With that said, the nature of the filler is important.
It is abundantly clear that Capuzzo began Close to Shore with the knowledge that the shark attacks alone would not suffice. Thus, his eye drifts. He intersperses chapters on the shark’s journey with a chapter on the Engleside Hotel, a chapter on Dr. Eugene Vansant (the first victim’s father), and another chapter detailing the train that took bathers to the beach. Pretty soon, the filler overwhelms the substance, as the useless minutiae piles up: Dr. Vansant’s home address; the layout of his home; and the experience of riding the Broadway Limited from Philadelphia to Chicago (it included roast duck á l’orange for dinner).
(For some reason, the filler isn’t even shark-related. In discussing the chomp-chomp-chomp of 1916, it would’ve made sense to explore the history of shark-human interactions, including the overblown summer of 2001, or the feeding frenzy that consumed so many of the initial survivors of the USS Indianapolis. Yet Capuzzo does not go that route).
As any member of my immediate family will tell you, I have no aversion to useless factoids. Indeed, they might tell you that useless factoids is another name for dinner around our house. Still, the way Capuzzo blatantly uses these pennyweight nuggets of info to swell the word count is aggravating.
More aggravating still is his transparent efforts to goose the tension. The shark attack sequences go on for pages, as Capuzzo milks this material for everything it’s worth. The milking goes so far as to stray into territory that is best described as fiction. Specifically, Capuzzo attributes thoughts and feelings to dead victims who never had the opportunity to share those thoughts or feelings.
Capuzzo does the same thing with the shark, tracing its path throughout the book. The catch (pun intended) is that there is no way to know every place the shark traveled, or the time period in which it made these movements. Heck, there are those who posit that the attacks weren’t even the work of a shark, or perhaps were the results of two or more sharks (potentially a great white and a bull shark). Capuzzo does not even reflect upon these possibilities (though admittedly it would be quite the coincidence), instead providing an authoritative recounting of every inch of the great white’s swim, even though its pure speculation. Not surprisingly, there are no endnotes.
Any notion of forgiving this book’s sins was pushed away by Capuzzo’s cheap chicanery, as when he narrates the tumultuous swim of Gertrude Schuyler. Capuzzo describes Schuyler as paddling along “when suddenly without warning an overpowering force pulled her under.” She struggles as she attempts to escape “the grip of the thing,” as surfmen (as lifeguards were then known) rowed to her rescue. At the end of Capuzzo’s breathless little tale, he reveals that Schuyler had been merely drowning. (It is left unsaid, but I assume the “overpowering force” was a riptide).
Close to Shore only really clicks into gear during its final third. Not coincidentally, this is the section of the book where the great white shark (if it was a great white) swims up the Matawan Creek and wreaks havoc on unsuspecting bathers. Here, for the only time, Capuzzo is able to keep his focus on the shark and its victims without having to put sawdust in the flour.
Capuzzo hints at – but unsurprisingly, does not explore – the contours of the knee-jerk, hysterical reaction to the Jersey Shore shark, including calls for shark annihilation patrols.
The reality is that four people died. In 1916. As far as tragedies go, this one is relative. That is to say, during this same period, twenty-four kids in New York City died in a twenty-four hour period from infantile paralysis. At the Battle of the Somme, which began in July 1916, concurrent with the first shark strike, the British alone had some 19,000 fatalities. On the first day. Upon those dismal fields, it would not be surprising for four men to be killed in a fraction of a second. Yet, in America, the world temporarily stopped on its axis because of one rogue great white. It is a mystery of our existence why some things grip our attention, while others do not.
In terms of a recommendation, I give Close to Shore a soft pass. Overall, it’s fine, but it says something to me that when I finished, the first things that came to mind were irritations. If you are really interested in the topic, my suggestion is to spend five minutes reading the Wiki page, and then plop yourself down on the couch for two hours to watch Jaws.
It will be a far more efficient – and enjoyable – use of your time.
BRODY: And there’s no limit to what he’s gonna do. I mean, we’ve already had three incidents. Two people killed inside a week. And it’s gonna happen again. It happened before. The Jersey Beach…1916. There were five people chewed up in the surf…
HOOPER: In one week.
- Richard Dreyfuss (as Matt Hooper) and Roy Scheider (as Chief Martin Brody) in Jaws (1975)
“Someone on the beach cried across the waves, ‘Watch out!’ As the fin approached, the chorus grew: ‘Watch out! Watch out!’ But Charles could not hear the warnings. He was turning his head in and out of the water in a rhythmic crawl. The great white could see his prey now moving underwater with startling clarity, making what followed even more unusual. For in the great majority of shark attacks on humans, sharks are hurtling through roiling, cloudy water in which they must strike quickly to seize their prey. The flash of a pale foot resembles the darting of a snapper, a belt buckle winks in the sun like a fish scale, and the shark bites. But the great white saw Charles Vansant clearly and kept coming. In the last instant, some researchers have suggested, it detected the final confirmation of mammal: the blood pounding through Charles’s veins.The thumping of his heart…”
- Michael Capuzzo, Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916
Sharks can be terrifying, especially apex predators like the great white. They are primordial creatures cloaked by the depths of the sea, which itself can awe and frighten with its massive size, its incalculable power. It’s the rare person who doesn’t set foot in the ocean and at least wonder what might be below the surface.
That said, shark attacks are not anything you should spend any time worrying about. Even with an increase in incidents, I can guarantee you this: You will not be eaten by a shark. But if this one-hundred percent, ironclad assurance fails to assuage your doubts, I have a foolproof plan.
Stay on the beach.
Despite the ridiculously low odds of a fatal encounter, shark attacks have loomed overlarge in the public consciousness. Recall, for example, the long hot summer of 2001. As al-Qaida hijackers quietly mustered, and as certain members of the intelligence community warned that “the system was blinking red,” America’s eyes were firmly fixed on the seaside, where we observed the “Summer of the Shark” as prelude to the Age of Terror.
While shark-terror is a primitive fear-response that has been around forever, most look to Steven Spielberg’s 1975 Jaws as the coming out party for the villainous shark. Before that classic movie, though, and before the middling novel upon which the movie was based, there were the 1916 shark attacks along the New Jersey shore.
These attacks, which killed four and injured one over the course of twelve days, is the subject of Michael Capuzzo’s Close to Shore.
The main thing to be said about this short book is that it is too long. Capuzzo takes a small historical footnote – one that really only contains enough substance to support a longform article – and tries desperately to inflate that material to book-length. Like one of my kids playing with a wad of gum, he pulls and stretches this story to its breaking point. Somehow, in a 298-page book where all the pertinent facts can be summarized in a paragraph, the first shark attack does not occur until nearly 100-pages have passed.
In other words, Close to Shore is mostly filler.
Now, I am on the record as being mostly pro-filler. Generally, I don’t mind a little bagginess in the books I’m reading. I am in favor of context, and detail, and in over-including rather than leaving stuff out. With that said, the nature of the filler is important.
It is abundantly clear that Capuzzo began Close to Shore with the knowledge that the shark attacks alone would not suffice. Thus, his eye drifts. He intersperses chapters on the shark’s journey with a chapter on the Engleside Hotel, a chapter on Dr. Eugene Vansant (the first victim’s father), and another chapter detailing the train that took bathers to the beach. Pretty soon, the filler overwhelms the substance, as the useless minutiae piles up: Dr. Vansant’s home address; the layout of his home; and the experience of riding the Broadway Limited from Philadelphia to Chicago (it included roast duck á l’orange for dinner).
(For some reason, the filler isn’t even shark-related. In discussing the chomp-chomp-chomp of 1916, it would’ve made sense to explore the history of shark-human interactions, including the overblown summer of 2001, or the feeding frenzy that consumed so many of the initial survivors of the USS Indianapolis. Yet Capuzzo does not go that route).
As any member of my immediate family will tell you, I have no aversion to useless factoids. Indeed, they might tell you that useless factoids is another name for dinner around our house. Still, the way Capuzzo blatantly uses these pennyweight nuggets of info to swell the word count is aggravating.
More aggravating still is his transparent efforts to goose the tension. The shark attack sequences go on for pages, as Capuzzo milks this material for everything it’s worth. The milking goes so far as to stray into territory that is best described as fiction. Specifically, Capuzzo attributes thoughts and feelings to dead victims who never had the opportunity to share those thoughts or feelings.
Capuzzo does the same thing with the shark, tracing its path throughout the book. The catch (pun intended) is that there is no way to know every place the shark traveled, or the time period in which it made these movements. Heck, there are those who posit that the attacks weren’t even the work of a shark, or perhaps were the results of two or more sharks (potentially a great white and a bull shark). Capuzzo does not even reflect upon these possibilities (though admittedly it would be quite the coincidence), instead providing an authoritative recounting of every inch of the great white’s swim, even though its pure speculation. Not surprisingly, there are no endnotes.
Any notion of forgiving this book’s sins was pushed away by Capuzzo’s cheap chicanery, as when he narrates the tumultuous swim of Gertrude Schuyler. Capuzzo describes Schuyler as paddling along “when suddenly without warning an overpowering force pulled her under.” She struggles as she attempts to escape “the grip of the thing,” as surfmen (as lifeguards were then known) rowed to her rescue. At the end of Capuzzo’s breathless little tale, he reveals that Schuyler had been merely drowning. (It is left unsaid, but I assume the “overpowering force” was a riptide).
Close to Shore only really clicks into gear during its final third. Not coincidentally, this is the section of the book where the great white shark (if it was a great white) swims up the Matawan Creek and wreaks havoc on unsuspecting bathers. Here, for the only time, Capuzzo is able to keep his focus on the shark and its victims without having to put sawdust in the flour.
Capuzzo hints at – but unsurprisingly, does not explore – the contours of the knee-jerk, hysterical reaction to the Jersey Shore shark, including calls for shark annihilation patrols.
The reality is that four people died. In 1916. As far as tragedies go, this one is relative. That is to say, during this same period, twenty-four kids in New York City died in a twenty-four hour period from infantile paralysis. At the Battle of the Somme, which began in July 1916, concurrent with the first shark strike, the British alone had some 19,000 fatalities. On the first day. Upon those dismal fields, it would not be surprising for four men to be killed in a fraction of a second. Yet, in America, the world temporarily stopped on its axis because of one rogue great white. It is a mystery of our existence why some things grip our attention, while others do not.
In terms of a recommendation, I give Close to Shore a soft pass. Overall, it’s fine, but it says something to me that when I finished, the first things that came to mind were irritations. If you are really interested in the topic, my suggestion is to spend five minutes reading the Wiki page, and then plop yourself down on the couch for two hours to watch Jaws.
It will be a far more efficient – and enjoyable – use of your time.
January 13, 2016
The true story of the New Jersey shark attacks by a rogue Great White that triggered mass hysteria and launched the most extensive shark hunt in history—these events eventually inspired the movie JAWS.
August 9, 2022
In 1916 maybe one, maybe several sharks over the span of one and a half weeks attacked and killed swimmers along the coast of New Jersey. This happened during a deadly summer heat wave and a polio epidemic in the United States. Thousands of people were flocking to the shore and indulging in the, at the time, relatively new pastime of swimming in the ocean. What happened back then changed the perception of sharks, an animal of which relatively little was known at the time, and lead to a panic and subsequent shark hunt. The events of 1916 allegedly inspired Peter Benchley to write his 1974 novel Jaws, carry huge cultural significance and left a lasting impression on peoples’ relationship with and perception of the ocean. This book is telling that story.
The chapters for the most part are alternating between painting a picture of the times of the late 19th and early 20th century, explored through the people involved in the events, and depicting the nature of the great white shark. In the beginning it was a slow but nevertheless interesting reading experience. But when the attacks started, I got some very strong Jaws vibes and the book became a real-life-thriller that had me glued to the pages. I think I read somewhere that Benchley denied these events were the inspiration for his book, but some of the attacks are remarkably similar to some scenes of the movie and the reaction of the people as well gave me constant flashbacks. I think Steven Spielberg at least took quite a bit of inspiration from this and I’m only less sure about Benchley because his book is not quite so ingrained in my memory as is Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster.
Michael Capuzzo is a talented writer and at times his book got me pretty excited, notwithstanding that the events were gruesome and a terrible experience for a number of people. But next to the hysteria and in some cases lunacy that characterized peoples’ reactions to the attacks there are also a couple of examples of remarkable bravery. People are capable of many things, for better or worse.
Capuzzo seems to be pretty convinced that one single white shark was responsible for the attacks. Personally, I have my doubts. Especially the attacks in Matawan Creek are much more likely the doing of one or several bull sharks, in my opinion. He acknowledges in the end that there are other theories, and, in any case, it has never been proven one way or the other. His story is compelling enough to look past the fact that it might not have happened exactly the way he is telling it. No one can be 100% sure anyway, and he’s clearly done extensive research and formed his own opinion from all the input he got. I’m fine with that.
Recommended, if you are not planning to go to the beach in the immediate future.
Buddy read with Russ.
…these people lived before modern oceanography, before radio and television, and were no more prepared to witness the first man-eating shark in American history rise from the waves than to see Captain Nemo’s Nautilus surface from the abyss. Who could blame them if they saw a “sea monster”?
The chapters for the most part are alternating between painting a picture of the times of the late 19th and early 20th century, explored through the people involved in the events, and depicting the nature of the great white shark. In the beginning it was a slow but nevertheless interesting reading experience. But when the attacks started, I got some very strong Jaws vibes and the book became a real-life-thriller that had me glued to the pages. I think I read somewhere that Benchley denied these events were the inspiration for his book, but some of the attacks are remarkably similar to some scenes of the movie and the reaction of the people as well gave me constant flashbacks. I think Steven Spielberg at least took quite a bit of inspiration from this and I’m only less sure about Benchley because his book is not quite so ingrained in my memory as is Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster.
Michael Capuzzo is a talented writer and at times his book got me pretty excited, notwithstanding that the events were gruesome and a terrible experience for a number of people. But next to the hysteria and in some cases lunacy that characterized peoples’ reactions to the attacks there are also a couple of examples of remarkable bravery. People are capable of many things, for better or worse.
Capuzzo seems to be pretty convinced that one single white shark was responsible for the attacks. Personally, I have my doubts. Especially the attacks in Matawan Creek are much more likely the doing of one or several bull sharks, in my opinion. He acknowledges in the end that there are other theories, and, in any case, it has never been proven one way or the other. His story is compelling enough to look past the fact that it might not have happened exactly the way he is telling it. No one can be 100% sure anyway, and he’s clearly done extensive research and formed his own opinion from all the input he got. I’m fine with that.
Recommended, if you are not planning to go to the beach in the immediate future.
Buddy read with Russ.
September 6, 2019
Shark! Shark! Get out of the water!!!
This book recounts the deadly shark attacks that took place along the east coast in the year 1916. Ladies and gentlemen these are the events that inspired both the novel and the film Jaws. 🦈
This book is very nearly poetically written in sentence structure but very matter-of-factly when presenting facts to the reader. And boy does it present a lot of facts! Folklore, scientific theories, facts that were later learned in years to come... you will read them all here in this book. Michael Capuzzo definitely did his research for this book!!! After reading this book I feel like an expert on the subject.
In reading, the book goes back and forth between introducing things of the time and people essential to the story, but also following the culprit shark's conception, birth, adolescence, and journey up the coast. In essence this book is written like a well-written true crime novel with the shark playing the role of the killer.
The well-rounded details drop you right into the middle of 1916 and put you right there at the grisly scenes of the horrible attacks. And there is great build-up to each of the attacks.
I loved reading this book and reading about the actual true events that happened that inspired one of my all-time favorite films. It is a very horrible and bloody tale but it is a tale that needs to be told none the less. Capuzzo does an exceptional job with this.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject of sharks, history, film history, or even true crime.
Or you can watch my review here:
🦈 https://youtu.be/SN9Q5Vl9gFU 🦈
This book recounts the deadly shark attacks that took place along the east coast in the year 1916. Ladies and gentlemen these are the events that inspired both the novel and the film Jaws. 🦈
This book is very nearly poetically written in sentence structure but very matter-of-factly when presenting facts to the reader. And boy does it present a lot of facts! Folklore, scientific theories, facts that were later learned in years to come... you will read them all here in this book. Michael Capuzzo definitely did his research for this book!!! After reading this book I feel like an expert on the subject.
In reading, the book goes back and forth between introducing things of the time and people essential to the story, but also following the culprit shark's conception, birth, adolescence, and journey up the coast. In essence this book is written like a well-written true crime novel with the shark playing the role of the killer.
The well-rounded details drop you right into the middle of 1916 and put you right there at the grisly scenes of the horrible attacks. And there is great build-up to each of the attacks.
I loved reading this book and reading about the actual true events that happened that inspired one of my all-time favorite films. It is a very horrible and bloody tale but it is a tale that needs to be told none the less. Capuzzo does an exceptional job with this.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject of sharks, history, film history, or even true crime.
Or you can watch my review here:
🦈 https://youtu.be/SN9Q5Vl9gFU 🦈
July 25, 2014
I have just finished reading Close to Shore, it took just two days to read which is an indication of how good the story is and not that it's a short book. The author, Michael Capuzzo tells the horrifying story of how a rogue shark took a number of innocent lives in the United States back in 1916. The narrative runs for 298 pages and although it may appear to start off sluggish when the book begins with the lead up to the first attack it becomes hard to put down.
Some reviews have mentioned that the author fills up the story with subsidiary information but I don't think that is the case. I believe he is trying to put a picture into the reader's mind of how people lived back in those days and why they thought and acted as they did, some what foreign to us modern people of the 21st century.
I was amazed to read how Americans never considered the Great White as a potential threat, but back then they didn't and sadly quite a few people suffered for it. The story of the shark and the attacks it made on humans along the East Coast of American is very well told and held my interest throughout. I would have to agree with a previous review that a few photographs would have been of enormous benefit to this book.
I don't know if this book is any better or not than the other book currently on the market titled Twelve Days of Terror by Richard Fernicola. However I can honestly say that `Close to Shore' has sparked my interest so much that I am going to buy that book as well. The story is very well told and the author has placed numerous facts about the shark in general and the Great White in particular throughout the narrative. I never got bored with the story and I found myself reading late into the next morning.
I couldn't help but tell my wife snippets of information about the Great White as I was reading the book and she complained of having nightmares that night! This is a good book, I don't know if its the best book on the market at the moment but I can say that it's worth the time to sit down and read. Very enjoyable!
Some reviews have mentioned that the author fills up the story with subsidiary information but I don't think that is the case. I believe he is trying to put a picture into the reader's mind of how people lived back in those days and why they thought and acted as they did, some what foreign to us modern people of the 21st century.
I was amazed to read how Americans never considered the Great White as a potential threat, but back then they didn't and sadly quite a few people suffered for it. The story of the shark and the attacks it made on humans along the East Coast of American is very well told and held my interest throughout. I would have to agree with a previous review that a few photographs would have been of enormous benefit to this book.
I don't know if this book is any better or not than the other book currently on the market titled Twelve Days of Terror by Richard Fernicola. However I can honestly say that `Close to Shore' has sparked my interest so much that I am going to buy that book as well. The story is very well told and the author has placed numerous facts about the shark in general and the Great White in particular throughout the narrative. I never got bored with the story and I found myself reading late into the next morning.
I couldn't help but tell my wife snippets of information about the Great White as I was reading the book and she complained of having nightmares that night! This is a good book, I don't know if its the best book on the market at the moment but I can say that it's worth the time to sit down and read. Very enjoyable!
December 31, 2019
I loved this book! It's about the first recorded shark attacks in American history in 1916 on the New Jersey shoreline. The research is superb. The characters are very vividly brought to life. You'll learn a lot about the introduction of sharks into the American consciousness, the culture in the towns and farmlands along the east coast in 1916, and more.
4 Stars = Outstanding. It definitely held my interest.
4 Stars = Outstanding. It definitely held my interest.
September 26, 2015
There were certain aspects of this that I really enjoyed. The context in the first few chapters is wonderful--really helped set up just what a shock such violent shark attacks would have been at that time. Also at the beginning, the information on great white shark biology and behavior was really interesting. However, this 'stage-setting' and random tidbits got very, very annoying as the book stretched on, partly because it began to meander farther and farther away from the subject of the book, distracting from the 'action' and also creating frustration as I found myself drawn down a completely different path in the middle of suspenseful moments. The book might easily have been pared down by 150 pages if some of these non-essential wanderings and, occasionally, repetitious information had been excised. In the beginning of the book, it provided context, which is wonderful--by the end, it was no longer acceptable and had become static. It also had a somewhat 'cinematic' feel, at times--by which I mean that it seemed as though the author was attempting to write a very detailed screenplay, rather than a literary nonfiction piece. This is not a good feeling, for me, anyway.
I also found it somewhat aggravating that the author did such an excellent job making us feel as though we knew these victims and their families, only to completely exclude any follow-through--we're never told what happened to the families of the victims (or the victim who survived) in the years after the attacks. That frustrated me, because the author had done a beautiful job making me care about these people. Possibly that information wasn't available, but even saying so would have helped.
All in all, the book dragged. The off-topic context and the shark stories from other years and locations were interesting, but by the end had become tiresome. Half as much of that would have done. I'm sure many others would find this book wonderful--personally, I preferred Vaillant's The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival for an example of a good animal attack book. All of the digressions were on-topic, save for a few sections on context (but those didn't go overboard), and the suspense was maintained. It, too, ran on the long side, but unlike with this book, I never felt a struggle to continue reading it.
Still, this book has its merits. There is more information than can be found in the Wikipedia article on the subject. Just be aware that there is a lot of extraneous information.
I also found it somewhat aggravating that the author did such an excellent job making us feel as though we knew these victims and their families, only to completely exclude any follow-through--we're never told what happened to the families of the victims (or the victim who survived) in the years after the attacks. That frustrated me, because the author had done a beautiful job making me care about these people. Possibly that information wasn't available, but even saying so would have helped.
All in all, the book dragged. The off-topic context and the shark stories from other years and locations were interesting, but by the end had become tiresome. Half as much of that would have done. I'm sure many others would find this book wonderful--personally, I preferred Vaillant's The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival for an example of a good animal attack book. All of the digressions were on-topic, save for a few sections on context (but those didn't go overboard), and the suspense was maintained. It, too, ran on the long side, but unlike with this book, I never felt a struggle to continue reading it.
Still, this book has its merits. There is more information than can be found in the Wikipedia article on the subject. Just be aware that there is a lot of extraneous information.
January 31, 2021
These were the shark attacks which inspired JAWS. Taking place in 1916, the sudden violence shocked the East Coast of America especially since some of the victims were killed in a creek. A creek!
It was still a time of innocence. Men wore bathing suits which covered the chest while women had to adhere to beach regulations requiring modesty and, preferably, full-length bathing outfits. But times were a-changing, because for the first time in its young history, the United States had its first generation of the leisure class. These were the young men and women who dared to challenge the Victorian and Edwardian ideals while taking to actual ocean swimming, something which had never really been done before. Instead of just going to the shore and dipping their toes in the water, the young were heading straight out to sea in the belief that nothing was out there to...eat them.
Railroads discharged thousands of city denizens, who were desperate for cooling breezes in the says before air conditioning. In fact, 1916 was the pinnacle of American passenger railroading. More Americans rode the railroad than they ever had before, or ever would again. It was like leading the masses to the slaughter who, again, had no idea the ocean was so dangerous. More worrisome were the German U-Boats which patrolled the East Coast of the States, even though the Yanks were not at war yet. A time of innocence was to come to a startling end.
If we still barely know little of the Great White Shark almost a century later, you can imagine the lack of knowledge of sharks back then. Many 'experts' proclaimed sharks to be benevolent, marine specimens who would never dare hurt a human. The first generation-to-not-fear-the-sea bought it all up. But not for long.
To this day, no one knows for sure why the shark deviated from its normal ocean highway. Was it ill? Was it a wacko? Or did it just crave human flesh? The first victim was killed in just 3 1/2 feet of water. The beaches didn't close, though, because the hotels didn't want to lose the summer throngs. The business of America is business. The next victim, right up the way from the first, finally brought a bit of "uh-oh". But the next victims, well, who would have thought a demented shark would leave the ocean to look for its next snack?
The layout of this book is like a movie. We get the historical background first, then each victim has a bio. Interspersed with its own chapters is the star, the SHARK. The author explains what is now known about the Great White and some of the various attacks in history. The shark's viewpoint is described and some of the information is simply fascinating. There are also 'teasers' as in one chapter where we get the full description of what we assume will be two more victims, but who come out alive. Whew. I had to read the text while peeking through my fingers.
Was this the shark that feasted off the Jersey Shore and in Matawan Creek? We'll never know for sure. In the aftermath of the attacks, many sharks were killed, a slaughter of proportions that would make one sick, now. Although the attacks DID stop, was it because the guilty shark left or was it one of the many killed?
This book probably affected me more than the average reader, because I grew up with a healthy respect for Mr. and Mrs. Shark. While most children are warned against rabid dogs or hungry insects, I and my friends in Australia learned, while very young, to be mindful of what lurked in the ocean. It didn't really sink in until the day a surfer came out of the water bleeding. I had to hold the tin can that captured his blood (I was under the mistaken belief that he would need his blood back at some point). He hadn't been bitten, but deeply scarred by a young white with its razor-sharp skin. Eventually, my parents restricted me to skimboarding instead of surfing, in the belief that sharks wouldn't get that close to shore (wrong). When we moved to the States, we chose to live in that other dining room for Great Whites, the Bay Area of California. And people wonder why I survey salt-water pools before I carefully jump in, eyes wide open.
One more thing. Never, ever swim with a dog. Pure shark bait.
Book Season = Summer (safety is never really at hand)
It was still a time of innocence. Men wore bathing suits which covered the chest while women had to adhere to beach regulations requiring modesty and, preferably, full-length bathing outfits. But times were a-changing, because for the first time in its young history, the United States had its first generation of the leisure class. These were the young men and women who dared to challenge the Victorian and Edwardian ideals while taking to actual ocean swimming, something which had never really been done before. Instead of just going to the shore and dipping their toes in the water, the young were heading straight out to sea in the belief that nothing was out there to...eat them.
Railroads discharged thousands of city denizens, who were desperate for cooling breezes in the says before air conditioning. In fact, 1916 was the pinnacle of American passenger railroading. More Americans rode the railroad than they ever had before, or ever would again. It was like leading the masses to the slaughter who, again, had no idea the ocean was so dangerous. More worrisome were the German U-Boats which patrolled the East Coast of the States, even though the Yanks were not at war yet. A time of innocence was to come to a startling end.
If we still barely know little of the Great White Shark almost a century later, you can imagine the lack of knowledge of sharks back then. Many 'experts' proclaimed sharks to be benevolent, marine specimens who would never dare hurt a human. The first generation-to-not-fear-the-sea bought it all up. But not for long.
To this day, no one knows for sure why the shark deviated from its normal ocean highway. Was it ill? Was it a wacko? Or did it just crave human flesh? The first victim was killed in just 3 1/2 feet of water. The beaches didn't close, though, because the hotels didn't want to lose the summer throngs. The business of America is business. The next victim, right up the way from the first, finally brought a bit of "uh-oh". But the next victims, well, who would have thought a demented shark would leave the ocean to look for its next snack?
The layout of this book is like a movie. We get the historical background first, then each victim has a bio. Interspersed with its own chapters is the star, the SHARK. The author explains what is now known about the Great White and some of the various attacks in history. The shark's viewpoint is described and some of the information is simply fascinating. There are also 'teasers' as in one chapter where we get the full description of what we assume will be two more victims, but who come out alive. Whew. I had to read the text while peeking through my fingers.
Was this the shark that feasted off the Jersey Shore and in Matawan Creek? We'll never know for sure. In the aftermath of the attacks, many sharks were killed, a slaughter of proportions that would make one sick, now. Although the attacks DID stop, was it because the guilty shark left or was it one of the many killed?
This book probably affected me more than the average reader, because I grew up with a healthy respect for Mr. and Mrs. Shark. While most children are warned against rabid dogs or hungry insects, I and my friends in Australia learned, while very young, to be mindful of what lurked in the ocean. It didn't really sink in until the day a surfer came out of the water bleeding. I had to hold the tin can that captured his blood (I was under the mistaken belief that he would need his blood back at some point). He hadn't been bitten, but deeply scarred by a young white with its razor-sharp skin. Eventually, my parents restricted me to skimboarding instead of surfing, in the belief that sharks wouldn't get that close to shore (wrong). When we moved to the States, we chose to live in that other dining room for Great Whites, the Bay Area of California. And people wonder why I survey salt-water pools before I carefully jump in, eyes wide open.
One more thing. Never, ever swim with a dog. Pure shark bait.
Book Season = Summer (safety is never really at hand)
January 13, 2016
The true story of the first official recording of a person being killed by a shark in the U.S.
This shark, a Great White, was considered a serial killer of its kind. The events of the shark attacks that took place off the Jersey shore in 1916 was the basis for Benchley's 'Jaws'.
This was not only a tale of the sad and gruesome killings of man by possibly natures most proficient killing machine but it was also a lesson in history. There were some very interesting details about life during that period that I had never imagined; unfortunately, and the reason I only gave this a three star, there was too much historical information of a sort that was just not that important and that didn't help push the story along but rather bored me at times.
The ending was anti-climactic but of course, this was a true story, not a Hollywood version. Nevertheless, as it was with so many who watched 'Jaws', this read will make you think twice before going into the water...even if you are in a boat!
This shark, a Great White, was considered a serial killer of its kind. The events of the shark attacks that took place off the Jersey shore in 1916 was the basis for Benchley's 'Jaws'.
This was not only a tale of the sad and gruesome killings of man by possibly natures most proficient killing machine but it was also a lesson in history. There were some very interesting details about life during that period that I had never imagined; unfortunately, and the reason I only gave this a three star, there was too much historical information of a sort that was just not that important and that didn't help push the story along but rather bored me at times.
The ending was anti-climactic but of course, this was a true story, not a Hollywood version. Nevertheless, as it was with so many who watched 'Jaws', this read will make you think twice before going into the water...even if you are in a boat!
June 20, 2018
Kudos to the author for his book packed with historical and biographical detail. It made the story come alive for me - I felt like I was in the mix versus reading a dry well-researched accounting. The structure dips its toe into reading more like a novel, yet one is always clear that all you read really happened. The weight of that is never lost.
The author made it known what was understood at that time about sharks by the general public and the scientific community without condescending to them. That's so important - to write with empathy and the author did that for both human and shark. One feels the loss of life sharply while also seeing the shark's side of things. It was fascinating being in the water with the shark.
And yes, it's hard not to see parallels with the book or movie Jaws - obviously inspired by the 1916 shark attacks. It puts the freak-out when the movie came out in the mid-1970s in historical context.
Probably one of the oddest revelations was the mention of a bet made with the odds favoring that sharks didn't bite humans. The prevalent notion that sharks were no match and not harmful for human beings was astonishing to hear. A respected shark expert thought that sharks didn't have the jaw power to shred human bones. The shark didn't get the memo on that one. The experts were sure until the end that a shark wasn't responsible for the attacks at all.
As the horror of the shark attacks were learned nationwide, people demanded the president rid the sea of sharks. The idea of exterminating an entire species is ironic and poignant. And the laughable "war on sharks" declared from the White House completed the satire.
The bloodlust of men as they exacted their revenge on any shark they saw reminded me of how white men have done that to black men for most of our country's history. Any black man accused of doing something makes all black men subject to violent vigilante justice. The terror of men on sharks and all other creatures on sea and land far exceed the bad rap sharks get.
It was riveting, the description of why Great Whites are so rare. His descriptions of conception to birth were jaw-dropping. Great White's are loners from the get-go. No families, no brothers or sisters to play with, no mother and father to teach them anything.
The detail of how shark's behave, the special skills they have, was fascinating. They aren't some brainless sea-thugs. The description of how their eyes and other things work were fascinating. That they have storage for food inside like a camel's hump was something I wasn't aware of.
It's mind-boggling that sharks are ancient creatures that have been here about as long as anyone. Long before dinosaurs or humans. They have survival skills like few others that have ever lived. Of the five mass extinctions in earths history, sharks have survived them all. The irony of maybe not surviving humans says something about us as a species. Something not so good.
When I got toward the end of the book where three men were going out to sea, I couldn't help but think of the movie "Jaws." I won't spoil it for anyone that hasn't read it. I will just say, what really happened would have made a much more riveting ending than the movie version. It's far and few between when things are tied up with a nice tidy little Hollywood ending. Especially in the wilds of the deep blue sea with a creature as fascinating and formidable as the Great White.
The author made it known what was understood at that time about sharks by the general public and the scientific community without condescending to them. That's so important - to write with empathy and the author did that for both human and shark. One feels the loss of life sharply while also seeing the shark's side of things. It was fascinating being in the water with the shark.
And yes, it's hard not to see parallels with the book or movie Jaws - obviously inspired by the 1916 shark attacks. It puts the freak-out when the movie came out in the mid-1970s in historical context.
Probably one of the oddest revelations was the mention of a bet made with the odds favoring that sharks didn't bite humans. The prevalent notion that sharks were no match and not harmful for human beings was astonishing to hear. A respected shark expert thought that sharks didn't have the jaw power to shred human bones. The shark didn't get the memo on that one. The experts were sure until the end that a shark wasn't responsible for the attacks at all.
As the horror of the shark attacks were learned nationwide, people demanded the president rid the sea of sharks. The idea of exterminating an entire species is ironic and poignant. And the laughable "war on sharks" declared from the White House completed the satire.
The bloodlust of men as they exacted their revenge on any shark they saw reminded me of how white men have done that to black men for most of our country's history. Any black man accused of doing something makes all black men subject to violent vigilante justice. The terror of men on sharks and all other creatures on sea and land far exceed the bad rap sharks get.
It was riveting, the description of why Great Whites are so rare. His descriptions of conception to birth were jaw-dropping. Great White's are loners from the get-go. No families, no brothers or sisters to play with, no mother and father to teach them anything.
The detail of how shark's behave, the special skills they have, was fascinating. They aren't some brainless sea-thugs. The description of how their eyes and other things work were fascinating. That they have storage for food inside like a camel's hump was something I wasn't aware of.
It's mind-boggling that sharks are ancient creatures that have been here about as long as anyone. Long before dinosaurs or humans. They have survival skills like few others that have ever lived. Of the five mass extinctions in earths history, sharks have survived them all. The irony of maybe not surviving humans says something about us as a species. Something not so good.
When I got toward the end of the book where three men were going out to sea, I couldn't help but think of the movie "Jaws." I won't spoil it for anyone that hasn't read it. I will just say, what really happened would have made a much more riveting ending than the movie version. It's far and few between when things are tied up with a nice tidy little Hollywood ending. Especially in the wilds of the deep blue sea with a creature as fascinating and formidable as the Great White.
April 15, 2023
A decent but unspectacular account of the 1916 shark attacks off the Jersey Shore, which served as the inspiration for Jaws. The book is slow to get going as Capuzzo attempts to paint a picture of life in the Eastern United States in the teens, a task with which I felt he had only limited success. Clearly a lot of research went into this account, and Capuzzo provides a lot of detail, but he never really makes the past come alive like, for example, E.L. Doctorow does in Ragtime. Neither are the descriptions of the shark attacks particularly intense; there are far too many chapters in which Capuzzo describes a swimmer going out into the water in proximity to the shark, only to close with a line like, “Little did Robert know how close he came to death that day.” This doesn’t add suspense; it just makes the narrative seem needlessly drawn out. Weirdly, Capuzzo also orders the climax so that the chapter in which the shark is captured and killed is followed by several chapters describing failed attempts to capture and kill the shark. Uh, dude—I think you’ve got that backwards.
If you’re a big shark fan, you might enjoy this book more than I did, although I feel like I’ve read National Geographic articles that described shark attacks in a more titillating manner. Or you could just watch Jaws again, which I did the day after finishing the book—I found it much more satisfying.
If you’re a big shark fan, you might enjoy this book more than I did, although I feel like I’ve read National Geographic articles that described shark attacks in a more titillating manner. Or you could just watch Jaws again, which I did the day after finishing the book—I found it much more satisfying.
April 5, 2009
What makes this book particularly interesting is the period detail: the mores, the social habits, life ( at least along the eastern seaboard among the fairly wealthy.) The author follows the shark as it meanders up the coast ( something that annoyed me was attribution of motivation to the shark, but a minor quibble) and the reactions from the local populace (the general feeling was that the attacks were the work of killer whales and that sharks did not attack people.)
Shark attacks began to occur along the Jersey shore and then a child swimming and the man who dove in after him were killed by the same great white shark who had swum up the Matawan Creek (called a creek, but it had to be larger than what I usually think of as a creek) during high tide when partly salty ocean water moved inland. Not understanding anything about sharks, who have no flotation gall and sink when dead unlike most fish, the community was immediately aroused to attack with ever kind of imaginable firearm and multiple sticks of dynamite. To no avail.
John Nichols, an ichthyologist, was fascinated by the reports. Until this time most scientists believed that orcas, killer whales, were the man-eaters and sharks were relatively harmless. They were about to have their minds changed.
Shark attacks began to occur along the Jersey shore and then a child swimming and the man who dove in after him were killed by the same great white shark who had swum up the Matawan Creek (called a creek, but it had to be larger than what I usually think of as a creek) during high tide when partly salty ocean water moved inland. Not understanding anything about sharks, who have no flotation gall and sink when dead unlike most fish, the community was immediately aroused to attack with ever kind of imaginable firearm and multiple sticks of dynamite. To no avail.
John Nichols, an ichthyologist, was fascinated by the reports. Until this time most scientists believed that orcas, killer whales, were the man-eaters and sharks were relatively harmless. They were about to have their minds changed.
August 25, 2022
Two-hundred interesting, well-researched pages on the 1916 shark attacks in New Jersey and the panic they wrought amongst beachgoers at the time...BUT FIRST you'll be treated to one-hundred pages of historical information on (wait for it) PHILADELPHIA and its (supposed) importance to the United States at the dawn of the 20th century, despite the fact that Philadelphia plays NO PART WHATSOEVER in the aforementioned shark attacks, except that the first victim was from there. That's one-hundred pages by a completely unbiased author who, uh, just so happens to live in Pennsylvania and used to work for the Philadelphia Inquirer. So you'll learn how Philadelphia at the time was more than just a repository for mullet haircuts and old Pontiac Trans Ams and people who boo Santa Claus and guys named "Paulie." But yes, after that you'll read about the shark attacks that inspired the novel and film JAWS. But don't forget about all that great information on Philadelphia which was super-useful, thanks.
October 12, 2016
This book suffers from the same disease as Isaac's Storm, that unpleasant new mix of fiction and non-fiction that, miraculously, seems to be very popular among readers. I don't get it. I was immediately suspicious when I read the author's disclaimer at the beginning of the book, stating that all of it *was* true and that any speculation was based on sound reasoning etc. That made it pretty clear what was ahead.
When I read a book about shark attacks, I don't particularly want to read speculations about the sharks mental state of mind and ridiculous accounts of its exact movements (as if it had been filmed back in 1916 and the author was describing what he was seeing). I want to read about the facts! But, if this book were to only contain facts, it would be an article. That's how little factual material there is here. The rest is this or that person walking down the street wearing this or that, turning around that corner there and admiring the sun, feeling the breeze on his face, thinking about his sister in the garden, and bla bla bla.
Another issue that does not only apply to this book in particular is the repetition of words. Today, when it is so easy to check the number of occurances of a word in a text, well, perhaps some authors or editors should do just that? "Hullaballoo" three times within like 50 pages is perhaps a bit much? And how many instances of "Victorian" are there really here? Or "man-eater"? The author does not tire of the idea of how Victorians were obsessed with ideas of sea monsters and how the shark represented their dark innermost thoughts or whatever.
I was annoyed the whole time I read this.
When I read a book about shark attacks, I don't particularly want to read speculations about the sharks mental state of mind and ridiculous accounts of its exact movements (as if it had been filmed back in 1916 and the author was describing what he was seeing). I want to read about the facts! But, if this book were to only contain facts, it would be an article. That's how little factual material there is here. The rest is this or that person walking down the street wearing this or that, turning around that corner there and admiring the sun, feeling the breeze on his face, thinking about his sister in the garden, and bla bla bla.
Another issue that does not only apply to this book in particular is the repetition of words. Today, when it is so easy to check the number of occurances of a word in a text, well, perhaps some authors or editors should do just that? "Hullaballoo" three times within like 50 pages is perhaps a bit much? And how many instances of "Victorian" are there really here? Or "man-eater"? The author does not tire of the idea of how Victorians were obsessed with ideas of sea monsters and how the shark represented their dark innermost thoughts or whatever.
I was annoyed the whole time I read this.
February 26, 2017
I've read Jaws, I've seen the movie, and now I have Read Close To Shore. I guess I am ready for my trip to the Beach in April. I found this story fascinating. The author kept the suspense of the capture of the shark. All the parts about what the shark was thinking was pure conjecture, of course, but I still found it entertaining. It was obvious that this was a well researched story. I find it interesting how humanities feelings about sharks tend to swing on a pendulum curve, from man-eating terror of the sea to misunderstood majestic beast of the sea, and back again.
I did find the repeated references to how all the scientist were "Victorian" and had Victorian manners" and beliefs a bit monotonous after a bit, but not enough to distract from the story. An interesting non-fiction read.
I did find the repeated references to how all the scientist were "Victorian" and had Victorian manners" and beliefs a bit monotonous after a bit, but not enough to distract from the story. An interesting non-fiction read.
January 10, 2024
3 stars, for the stronger first half and because I'm a New Jerseysean.
I was 10 years old, it was my birthday party, and for some reason my mom had the bright idea to put on Jaws as a movie for us. The rest is history, and I'm scarred for life by sharks. I don't typically go in the ocean, and even some pools have me looking over my shoulder LOL.
But I'm also from New Jersey, so the story of the Matawan Maneater has always terrified and darkly intrigued me. Shark attacks? In NJ? In freshwater NJ??? I had to finally know more.
Keep your enemies close, right? Explains why I also religiously watch Shark Week every year. Riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma and all that. Humans are weird.
Sharks aren't weird. Sharks are just sharks. That is, until this particular shark perhaps...
It appears Michael Capuzzo certainly did his due diligence when it came to research; the historical elements and feel of the time were richly described and portrayed, you almost could see the scenes playing out behind your eyes, like a black and white film reel. I also appreciated the insight into the shark's 'POV', or chapters from the perspective or about the perspective, I should say, of the shark.
The shark attacks were adequately explained without being sensationalized or embellished, and actually, in the face of the rich worldbuilding by Capuzzo, they almost felt secondary to their own book. This, coupled with the absolutely abrupt ending (I didn't even realize the attacks were over and then I was reading the last line like, "huh, is that it?"), took away from some of the star potential on this read.
I was 10 years old, it was my birthday party, and for some reason my mom had the bright idea to put on Jaws as a movie for us. The rest is history, and I'm scarred for life by sharks. I don't typically go in the ocean, and even some pools have me looking over my shoulder LOL.
But I'm also from New Jersey, so the story of the Matawan Maneater has always terrified and darkly intrigued me. Shark attacks? In NJ? In freshwater NJ??? I had to finally know more.
Keep your enemies close, right? Explains why I also religiously watch Shark Week every year. Riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma and all that. Humans are weird.
Sharks aren't weird. Sharks are just sharks. That is, until this particular shark perhaps...
It appears Michael Capuzzo certainly did his due diligence when it came to research; the historical elements and feel of the time were richly described and portrayed, you almost could see the scenes playing out behind your eyes, like a black and white film reel. I also appreciated the insight into the shark's 'POV', or chapters from the perspective or about the perspective, I should say, of the shark.
The shark attacks were adequately explained without being sensationalized or embellished, and actually, in the face of the rich worldbuilding by Capuzzo, they almost felt secondary to their own book. This, coupled with the absolutely abrupt ending (I didn't even realize the attacks were over and then I was reading the last line like, "huh, is that it?"), took away from some of the star potential on this read.
July 2, 2016
HAPPY SHARK WEEK!
In celebration of the most wonderful week of the year I usually pledge to read at least one shark-themed book. Here's the book I chose for 2016. I've actually been meaning to read Close to the Shore for years now, so better late than never. The events of 1916 shark attacks at the New Jorsey shoreline apparently inspired Peter Benchley's famous Jaws and the subsequent movie, and I can see how. There numerous parallels: the dependent on summer tourism seaside towns, the open beaches, the unbelieving scientists, the tragic attack on a little boy that sent everyone into a frenzy, and of course the manly "salty dog" who kills the man-eater mano a mano.
Close to the Shore is a rather straightforward account of the attacks, and Capuzzo barely offers his own conclusions. I think the book needed a bit of an opinionated conservationist angle. The panic that gripped the population resulted in dozens of sharks being hunted down and killed off, even if they didn't belong to the great white or bull shark varieties that were suspected of attacking humans. Man is indeed the most dangerous animal on earth. Save the sharks, people, and in the meantime I'm off to watch The Shallows.
In celebration of the most wonderful week of the year I usually pledge to read at least one shark-themed book. Here's the book I chose for 2016. I've actually been meaning to read Close to the Shore for years now, so better late than never. The events of 1916 shark attacks at the New Jorsey shoreline apparently inspired Peter Benchley's famous Jaws and the subsequent movie, and I can see how. There numerous parallels: the dependent on summer tourism seaside towns, the open beaches, the unbelieving scientists, the tragic attack on a little boy that sent everyone into a frenzy, and of course the manly "salty dog" who kills the man-eater mano a mano.
Close to the Shore is a rather straightforward account of the attacks, and Capuzzo barely offers his own conclusions. I think the book needed a bit of an opinionated conservationist angle. The panic that gripped the population resulted in dozens of sharks being hunted down and killed off, even if they didn't belong to the great white or bull shark varieties that were suspected of attacking humans. Man is indeed the most dangerous animal on earth. Save the sharks, people, and in the meantime I'm off to watch The Shallows.
November 27, 2016
I am scared to go the water. I live near an inlet bay off the Gulf of Mexico here in Texas. We have had shark sightings perhaps near-attack. So shark fear can ring bells in my gut. We have plenty of smaller sharks, like hammer heads. My brother caught one when we were teenagers when he decided for a summer to fish with other young men around here in various local waters.
Even without all the acting ability and music and other dramatization of the movie Jaws, I found this book scary.
So entertaingly, tantalizingly attention holding. Not worth a re-read.
Even without all the acting ability and music and other dramatization of the movie Jaws, I found this book scary.
So entertaingly, tantalizingly attention holding. Not worth a re-read.
July 10, 2021
DNF @ 38%.
Shark clickbait hoo ha ha.
Michael spends so much time poetically attempting to craft a tale of Victorian and Edwardian East Coasters during the turn of the century, going into full backgrounds of people, inventions, the wars, etc. and not enough time on the damn shark. The time he does spend on the shark? He's trying to get into the shark's mind, think as it thinks, portray its thoughts and motivations for what it did, while briefly touching on anything scientific.
As some others have pointed out in their reviews, this reads more like he was trying to write a screenplay and less like he was actually trying to present the facts and information about these shark attacks, and the science and research that has gone into understanding shark behaviour now as compared to what took place back then. I'm so disappointed because I love sharks, non-fiction, and history, so this in theory had it all. Instead, it was 30% into the novel before the first shark attack happened, in which time we've learned ALL about some hotel, some rich people loving the beach, the SCANDALOUS new bathing attire, proper etiquette for the rich and Quakers and proper Victorian men, and the use of ichthyologist a few times to make it seem like we're still talking about sharks. Did I mention the SCANDALOUS swimsuits? if he spent half as much time on the shark as he did on how shocking this swim attire was, it would probably have been a better book.
This is a big no for me. Clearly it works for some but I want my non-fiction to feel like non-fiction and not a wannabe screenplay.
TL;DR - Not enough sharks. Too many stuck up Victorian ideals. Swim suits.
Shark clickbait hoo ha ha.
Michael spends so much time poetically attempting to craft a tale of Victorian and Edwardian East Coasters during the turn of the century, going into full backgrounds of people, inventions, the wars, etc. and not enough time on the damn shark. The time he does spend on the shark? He's trying to get into the shark's mind, think as it thinks, portray its thoughts and motivations for what it did, while briefly touching on anything scientific.
As some others have pointed out in their reviews, this reads more like he was trying to write a screenplay and less like he was actually trying to present the facts and information about these shark attacks, and the science and research that has gone into understanding shark behaviour now as compared to what took place back then. I'm so disappointed because I love sharks, non-fiction, and history, so this in theory had it all. Instead, it was 30% into the novel before the first shark attack happened, in which time we've learned ALL about some hotel, some rich people loving the beach, the SCANDALOUS new bathing attire, proper etiquette for the rich and Quakers and proper Victorian men, and the use of ichthyologist a few times to make it seem like we're still talking about sharks. Did I mention the SCANDALOUS swimsuits? if he spent half as much time on the shark as he did on how shocking this swim attire was, it would probably have been a better book.
This is a big no for me. Clearly it works for some but I want my non-fiction to feel like non-fiction and not a wannabe screenplay.
TL;DR - Not enough sharks. Too many stuck up Victorian ideals. Swim suits.
March 6, 2008
sharks and history and the jersey shore.
yeah, so. it's an excellent account of america on the east coast during the summer of 1916.
it totally bites ass as a story of sharks. the biology is all wrong, the "theory" he puts forth as he writes from the perspective of the shark, who was probably born off montauk in 1908 (WTF?!), just makes me cringe. it's also telling how he really only likes this one shark dude, burgess, and uses him the most. because man, talk about loads of conflicting evidence out there . . .
what also irritated me was the portrayal of orcas. yeah, they are "killer whales", yeah, they have killed sharks, but so have dolphins. so you know, nature and shit.
also? how the hell does he know the shark (if it was the same shark the entire time) didn't eat some fish or something while he was cruising? how did he "develop a taste for man"? if this were true, wouldn't all sharks, who "mouth" humans (according to him, because they are trying to get them to bleed out), be multiple attackers? they don't, though. they bite things that look like seals, and usually spit them out.
this book just pissed me off, shark-wise, which was really disappointing, because the first couple of chapters are really truly excellent historical writing.
ALSO??? if the shark was STILL ALIVE swimming way the fuck upstream in jersey rivers, that sucker was a damn bull shark, not a great white. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT, mr. "i'm inside the mind of the great fish"!!
yeah, so. it's an excellent account of america on the east coast during the summer of 1916.
it totally bites ass as a story of sharks. the biology is all wrong, the "theory" he puts forth as he writes from the perspective of the shark, who was probably born off montauk in 1908 (WTF?!), just makes me cringe. it's also telling how he really only likes this one shark dude, burgess, and uses him the most. because man, talk about loads of conflicting evidence out there . . .
what also irritated me was the portrayal of orcas. yeah, they are "killer whales", yeah, they have killed sharks, but so have dolphins. so you know, nature and shit.
also? how the hell does he know the shark (if it was the same shark the entire time) didn't eat some fish or something while he was cruising? how did he "develop a taste for man"? if this were true, wouldn't all sharks, who "mouth" humans (according to him, because they are trying to get them to bleed out), be multiple attackers? they don't, though. they bite things that look like seals, and usually spit them out.
this book just pissed me off, shark-wise, which was really disappointing, because the first couple of chapters are really truly excellent historical writing.
ALSO??? if the shark was STILL ALIVE swimming way the fuck upstream in jersey rivers, that sucker was a damn bull shark, not a great white. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT, mr. "i'm inside the mind of the great fish"!!
August 24, 2012
YIKES! True accounts of a "Great White" that terrorizes the Jersey shore the summer of 1916 with a true hero in Stanley Fisher. So amazing, his courage, as he tries to free young Lester Stilwell from the mouth of a shark!
Many interesting facts about sharks; one I particularly remember is that their ability to smell is more sensitive than a hunting dog, and they can detect one part blood in ONE MILLION parts of water.
Loved the descriptions of dress codes of the time.
Interesting and horrific read.
Thanks for recommending Susan!!
Many interesting facts about sharks; one I particularly remember is that their ability to smell is more sensitive than a hunting dog, and they can detect one part blood in ONE MILLION parts of water.
Loved the descriptions of dress codes of the time.
Interesting and horrific read.
Thanks for recommending Susan!!
November 4, 2022
Educational about the history of human-shark interactions, or at least how those interactions were perceived by purported experts in the early 1900s United States.
I didn’t realize the extent to which Victorian-era Americans, even those who lived on the coast, had such a distant relationship to the ocean. Fishermen and sailors certainly understood the sea, but people rarely dipped into it, and the gentry experienced the ocean from the veranda, not in the water.
Antiquity offered ample warnings about sea monsters. And in the early 1900s, Australian doctors were already beginning to publish evidence of sharks attacking humans. But American scientists steadfastly denied the danger of great white sharks to humans, or at least along the mid-Atlantic.
Yet, in the summer of 1916, shark attacks against humans were witnessed on the Jersey shore. Dr. Nichols, prominent ichthyologist of the day, pronounced one such shark victim, Charles Bruder, to have probably died from a killer whale. Nichols's mentor, Dr. Lucas, of the American Museum of Natural History, also pooh-poohed the shark reports of Bruder's death. They went as far as to blame swordfish for Bruder’s mauling, intransigent in their efforts to deny shark culpability.
How did the experts react to the information available around them? Changes over time in temperatures, currents, and habitats that made the Eastern seaboard more hospitable territory for sharks? Ignored. Documented shark attacks in Australia? Dismissed. Anecdotes from sailors and fishermen? Mocked.
Though I'll credit Dr. Lucas credit for dispatching Dr. Nichols to the scene. The other experts seemed content to stay in their big city offices and blame other marine species from afar.
The first half of the book, with historical background that isn’t always directly related to sharks, is as slow as other reviewers have noted. The second half is very tense and suspenseful, especially the tragic creek scenes.
Disclosure: I am on Team Great White Shark, blaming that species for the attacks of that summer, because I was persuaded by the physical and documentary evidence provided by this book. Others are on Team Basking Shark. But whichever theory is more credible for you, if you liked Jaws or have an interest in American history, I think you’ll enjoy this book.
I didn’t realize the extent to which Victorian-era Americans, even those who lived on the coast, had such a distant relationship to the ocean. Fishermen and sailors certainly understood the sea, but people rarely dipped into it, and the gentry experienced the ocean from the veranda, not in the water.
Antiquity offered ample warnings about sea monsters. And in the early 1900s, Australian doctors were already beginning to publish evidence of sharks attacking humans. But American scientists steadfastly denied the danger of great white sharks to humans, or at least along the mid-Atlantic.
Yet, in the summer of 1916, shark attacks against humans were witnessed on the Jersey shore. Dr. Nichols, prominent ichthyologist of the day, pronounced one such shark victim, Charles Bruder, to have probably died from a killer whale. Nichols's mentor, Dr. Lucas, of the American Museum of Natural History, also pooh-poohed the shark reports of Bruder's death. They went as far as to blame swordfish for Bruder’s mauling, intransigent in their efforts to deny shark culpability.
How did the experts react to the information available around them? Changes over time in temperatures, currents, and habitats that made the Eastern seaboard more hospitable territory for sharks? Ignored. Documented shark attacks in Australia? Dismissed. Anecdotes from sailors and fishermen? Mocked.
Though I'll credit Dr. Lucas credit for dispatching Dr. Nichols to the scene. The other experts seemed content to stay in their big city offices and blame other marine species from afar.
The first half of the book, with historical background that isn’t always directly related to sharks, is as slow as other reviewers have noted. The second half is very tense and suspenseful, especially the tragic creek scenes.
Disclosure: I am on Team Great White Shark, blaming that species for the attacks of that summer, because I was persuaded by the physical and documentary evidence provided by this book. Others are on Team Basking Shark. But whichever theory is more credible for you, if you liked Jaws or have an interest in American history, I think you’ll enjoy this book.
May 15, 2009
I like era stories; when the spirit of a times is observed in relation to an overwhelming and seemingly daunting struggle (whether it be terror, technology or societal growing pains...). That said, when I checked out this audiobook from the library, I returned it within two days.
Someone else I know said they loved this book and thought I was crazy for not giving it more of a chance, but what a disappointment. Not quite to the level where it is 1 star trash (that is a place where Clive Cussler and few other commercial novelists get to venture to...), but certainly bad on a level that I don't commit myself long to.
I highly suggest avoiding this trite and meaningless "shark story." It is disappointing, dwells on era devices that try to transport you and ultimately lose you to superfluous detail, and...the greatest crime, methinks...the author obviously sees himself as some great master and tries to, as I would put it, "show off how great he is." He is not great. He is not even good. And the story would be great and fascinating if not told by such a stinker of a storyteller.
Avoid at all costs.
Someone else I know said they loved this book and thought I was crazy for not giving it more of a chance, but what a disappointment. Not quite to the level where it is 1 star trash (that is a place where Clive Cussler and few other commercial novelists get to venture to...), but certainly bad on a level that I don't commit myself long to.
I highly suggest avoiding this trite and meaningless "shark story." It is disappointing, dwells on era devices that try to transport you and ultimately lose you to superfluous detail, and...the greatest crime, methinks...the author obviously sees himself as some great master and tries to, as I would put it, "show off how great he is." He is not great. He is not even good. And the story would be great and fascinating if not told by such a stinker of a storyteller.
Avoid at all costs.
September 19, 2017
We're gonna need a bigger boat.
August 20, 2020
Maybe writing a review, several days after I read the book, will help me get the events described out of my mind.
Gruesome events. Terrific book - it ate me, I ate it - but it reads like a Horror novel. Make no mistake, an 8-foot shark may seem like small potatoes with a fin, after we get treated to 20-footers ("twenty-five...three tons on him") in Jaws and its spawn...but after this read, you will know your arms and legs do not want to be in the water with a juvenile, off-course, behaving-strangely 8-foot Great White shark.
And when such a beast cruises up a creek at Matawan, during high tide, where every group of young boys has a favourite swimming hole and the whole town thinks the guy who saw a shark in the creek is crazy, the author's descriptive flair will make it seem like a movie. Much more in this book seems to have bled into Jaws ("the pond! - it's in the pond! - the shark is in the pond!") than I expected, right down to mayors, sticks of dynamite as a solution, and crowded beaches suddenly the scene of a stampede to shore.
But 1916 was different, and the author makes that clear. The biggest threat on the beach was an officer of the law with a measuring tape, following you to see if your bathing suit was legal, or too shocking in the reveal (goes for men and women). Many experts asserted sharks did not attack humans. Consider, instead, a giant sea turtle...or just a sea monster. What kind of sea monster, instead of a Great White shark? I dunno...y'know...a sea monster.
I loved this book, I loved the trip back to 1916 for one suspenseful summer...but I sure felt for the victims, as the author set them up so clearly in my mind - hopes, and fears, and the whole damn thing - before the shark knocked them down. Head above water, screaming, one last time, and down for good. Until the sea monster is caught, or goes away.
Recommended, but not for the squeamish.
Gruesome events. Terrific book - it ate me, I ate it - but it reads like a Horror novel. Make no mistake, an 8-foot shark may seem like small potatoes with a fin, after we get treated to 20-footers ("twenty-five...three tons on him") in Jaws and its spawn...but after this read, you will know your arms and legs do not want to be in the water with a juvenile, off-course, behaving-strangely 8-foot Great White shark.
And when such a beast cruises up a creek at Matawan, during high tide, where every group of young boys has a favourite swimming hole and the whole town thinks the guy who saw a shark in the creek is crazy, the author's descriptive flair will make it seem like a movie. Much more in this book seems to have bled into Jaws ("the pond! - it's in the pond! - the shark is in the pond!") than I expected, right down to mayors, sticks of dynamite as a solution, and crowded beaches suddenly the scene of a stampede to shore.
But 1916 was different, and the author makes that clear. The biggest threat on the beach was an officer of the law with a measuring tape, following you to see if your bathing suit was legal, or too shocking in the reveal (goes for men and women). Many experts asserted sharks did not attack humans. Consider, instead, a giant sea turtle...or just a sea monster. What kind of sea monster, instead of a Great White shark? I dunno...y'know...a sea monster.
I loved this book, I loved the trip back to 1916 for one suspenseful summer...but I sure felt for the victims, as the author set them up so clearly in my mind - hopes, and fears, and the whole damn thing - before the shark knocked them down. Head above water, screaming, one last time, and down for good. Until the sea monster is caught, or goes away.
Recommended, but not for the squeamish.
July 31, 2016
Excellently written, this page turner was well worth the time spent reading. I was particularly drawn to it because the New Jersey shore is approximately a two hour drive from where I live, and it contains many good memories of riding the waves, tasting the salt water for the first time, the sounds and smells of the boardwalk, and wonderful family vacations.
During the summer of 1916, when vacationing at the "shore" became a new experience, a rouge shark thrown out of the gulf stream into the Atlantic ocean shore, caused five attacks and deaths. Little was known about the great white shark at the time. And those who were "experts" disbelieved that a shark would be capable of chomping off the legs and body parts of human prey.
Even the ichthyologist John Treadwell from the New York Museum of Natural History was challenged to confront what he thought was true compared to what actually occurred. The first attack in July of 1916 occurred at Beach Heaven, NJ. The target was a seasoned swimmer, and son of a wealthy Philadelphia physician. From there, the shark hugged the coast northward as a farrm boy in the Matawan Creek who, with his pals frequently took a dip to cool themselves became another target.
Not only does the author vividly portray the attacks, but it is obvious that he has done his homework and researched the behavior of the great white! This fascinating true life story occurred at a time when jazz was new, Philadelphia high society carved a niche as New Jersey shore became their playground, while the poor who road the trains to the water for relief from the high temperatures were deemed unfit for the company of the wealthy. Swimming in the ocean was a novelty, and none thought that death could be a part of their experience.
FOUR STARS
During the summer of 1916, when vacationing at the "shore" became a new experience, a rouge shark thrown out of the gulf stream into the Atlantic ocean shore, caused five attacks and deaths. Little was known about the great white shark at the time. And those who were "experts" disbelieved that a shark would be capable of chomping off the legs and body parts of human prey.
Even the ichthyologist John Treadwell from the New York Museum of Natural History was challenged to confront what he thought was true compared to what actually occurred. The first attack in July of 1916 occurred at Beach Heaven, NJ. The target was a seasoned swimmer, and son of a wealthy Philadelphia physician. From there, the shark hugged the coast northward as a farrm boy in the Matawan Creek who, with his pals frequently took a dip to cool themselves became another target.
Not only does the author vividly portray the attacks, but it is obvious that he has done his homework and researched the behavior of the great white! This fascinating true life story occurred at a time when jazz was new, Philadelphia high society carved a niche as New Jersey shore became their playground, while the poor who road the trains to the water for relief from the high temperatures were deemed unfit for the company of the wealthy. Swimming in the ocean was a novelty, and none thought that death could be a part of their experience.
FOUR STARS
February 21, 2022
Close to Shore is not your typical non-fiction. It is a period piece that attempts to transport the reader back to New Jersey and New York in 1916, providing lots of period detail, manner of dress, bathing costumes, medical thinking, and scientific knowledge of the era. It tells the story of the people who were attacked, and also attempts to track the shark itself. Now, of course, we do not truly know where the shark originated or how it got to New Jersey. Nor do we know for sure the same shark attacked all of these victims. But the author did extensive research with noted shark experts to formulate a likely scenario and he presents a compelling case.
I found it interesting that scientists in 1916 doubted that sharks would attack humans. The attacks were blamed on sea turtles, orcas, and swordfish, along with other unusual suspects. One of the main strengths of the book is that it shows how difficult it is for people to let go of previously held beliefs. The narrative presents the great white shark as the culprit, though other accounts I have read blame the bull shark, and I am not certain if the experts agree that it was a single shark. These attacks certainly changed the public’s view of sharks. The 1916 attacks were the inspiration behind Peter Benchley’s novel Jaws.
I found it interesting that scientists in 1916 doubted that sharks would attack humans. The attacks were blamed on sea turtles, orcas, and swordfish, along with other unusual suspects. One of the main strengths of the book is that it shows how difficult it is for people to let go of previously held beliefs. The narrative presents the great white shark as the culprit, though other accounts I have read blame the bull shark, and I am not certain if the experts agree that it was a single shark. These attacks certainly changed the public’s view of sharks. The 1916 attacks were the inspiration behind Peter Benchley’s novel Jaws.
July 3, 2012
"The most frightening animal on earth"
Michael Capuzzo has the soul of a novelist; this is not only evident in the dramatic episode which forms the prologue of CLOSE TO SHORE, but also in the flowery and descriptive narrative which occurs in abundance throughout the rest of the book. Based around (and one might be tempted at times to add "loosely" here) a series of shark attacks which plagued the New Jersey shoreline in the summer of 1916, CLOSE TO SHORE is as much a history of the Edwardian Era in America as it is a recounting of the shark attacks themselves. Taken as a broad history, it can be an enjoyable and rewarding reading experience.
That being said, I can certainly understand the complaints of some that Capuzzo is excessive in his "period history." In particular, at times he delves deeply into the biography and genealogy of characters that are, at best, only tangentially connected to the events surrounding the actual shark attacks. In addition, the author takes considerable license in ascribing thoughts, emotions, and motivations to his characters in a novelistic fashion. My criticism, however, remained mild through the opening chapters despite several warning signs. Again, if you allow yourself the explanation that you are truly witnessing the history of a place and a time, then the book actually works quite well.
The history, after all, has a purpose. Americans, in 1916, felt that they were on the cusp of a truly modern age where man had finally obtained physical and moral dominance over his environment. Yet, it was also an age of innocence or even naiveté. In subsequent decades, humankind would gain a greater recognition of their insignificance and powerlessness in the face of greater forces. The Great Depression, the World Wars, the Spanish Flu epidemic, and other events would soon strip this innocence violently away, but in the summer of 1916, Americans were blissfully unaware of what the century ahead would hold for them. The shark of 1916 would be one of the first agents of the changes to come in our national psychology.
However, when the chapter which, by its title, suggested the shark's long awaited appearance turned out to be merely an account of the courtship between of the shark's parents, the thoughts of Aristotle on the topic of shark mating, and the water temperatures of Long Island Sound, Capuzzo began to lose me a bit. And when the following chapter returned to the languid and fanciful descriptions of various Edwardians filled with their noble thoughts as they strolled along the boardwalks of their seaside towns, I realized (with some genuine terror), that I was approaching a quarter of the way through the book and had yet to see any blood. I am a huge fan of works exploring broad historical contexts, but enough is enough! I was ready for some shark attacks.
And, as long as we were taking our slow walks down the boardwalk, I would at least have expected the history to be accurate. Some of the facts splashed around exposed a shocking carelessness of the author, even to my unpracticed mind. To give just one small example, Capuzzo casually refers to the Winston Churchill of 1916 as "a young war correspondent," when, in fact, by that time Churchill's career had already included his serving as First Lord of the Admiralty for several years (1911-1915) while 1916 saw him commanding a battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers on the Western Front (he once had been a young war correspondent, but that had been during the Boer War of 1899. Furthermore, the quote attributed to the "young correspondent" was not actually written until 1923). These are minor facts to the story, but are numerous enough to disturb me even on my first unconscious reading.
In short, there is much to be enjoyed in CLOSE TO SHORE, but the book is flawed through its lack of direction and the loose fact-checking of the author. I would warn lovers of history or of natural history, that it is entirely possible that this book will be a disappointment to them, unless they also have a healthy love of the novel and a forgiveness of bending the truth for dramatic purposes.
Michael Capuzzo has the soul of a novelist; this is not only evident in the dramatic episode which forms the prologue of CLOSE TO SHORE, but also in the flowery and descriptive narrative which occurs in abundance throughout the rest of the book. Based around (and one might be tempted at times to add "loosely" here) a series of shark attacks which plagued the New Jersey shoreline in the summer of 1916, CLOSE TO SHORE is as much a history of the Edwardian Era in America as it is a recounting of the shark attacks themselves. Taken as a broad history, it can be an enjoyable and rewarding reading experience.
That being said, I can certainly understand the complaints of some that Capuzzo is excessive in his "period history." In particular, at times he delves deeply into the biography and genealogy of characters that are, at best, only tangentially connected to the events surrounding the actual shark attacks. In addition, the author takes considerable license in ascribing thoughts, emotions, and motivations to his characters in a novelistic fashion. My criticism, however, remained mild through the opening chapters despite several warning signs. Again, if you allow yourself the explanation that you are truly witnessing the history of a place and a time, then the book actually works quite well.
The history, after all, has a purpose. Americans, in 1916, felt that they were on the cusp of a truly modern age where man had finally obtained physical and moral dominance over his environment. Yet, it was also an age of innocence or even naiveté. In subsequent decades, humankind would gain a greater recognition of their insignificance and powerlessness in the face of greater forces. The Great Depression, the World Wars, the Spanish Flu epidemic, and other events would soon strip this innocence violently away, but in the summer of 1916, Americans were blissfully unaware of what the century ahead would hold for them. The shark of 1916 would be one of the first agents of the changes to come in our national psychology.
However, when the chapter which, by its title, suggested the shark's long awaited appearance turned out to be merely an account of the courtship between of the shark's parents, the thoughts of Aristotle on the topic of shark mating, and the water temperatures of Long Island Sound, Capuzzo began to lose me a bit. And when the following chapter returned to the languid and fanciful descriptions of various Edwardians filled with their noble thoughts as they strolled along the boardwalks of their seaside towns, I realized (with some genuine terror), that I was approaching a quarter of the way through the book and had yet to see any blood. I am a huge fan of works exploring broad historical contexts, but enough is enough! I was ready for some shark attacks.
And, as long as we were taking our slow walks down the boardwalk, I would at least have expected the history to be accurate. Some of the facts splashed around exposed a shocking carelessness of the author, even to my unpracticed mind. To give just one small example, Capuzzo casually refers to the Winston Churchill of 1916 as "a young war correspondent," when, in fact, by that time Churchill's career had already included his serving as First Lord of the Admiralty for several years (1911-1915) while 1916 saw him commanding a battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers on the Western Front (he once had been a young war correspondent, but that had been during the Boer War of 1899. Furthermore, the quote attributed to the "young correspondent" was not actually written until 1923). These are minor facts to the story, but are numerous enough to disturb me even on my first unconscious reading.
In short, there is much to be enjoyed in CLOSE TO SHORE, but the book is flawed through its lack of direction and the loose fact-checking of the author. I would warn lovers of history or of natural history, that it is entirely possible that this book will be a disappointment to them, unless they also have a healthy love of the novel and a forgiveness of bending the truth for dramatic purposes.
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