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sharkysav's review against another edition
3.0
Trying to wade through the backgrounds of figures and towns took a lot of time, the book was well written and the knowledge taken from people who were experts in there time but definitely outdated now.
funsizelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
I could also classify this one as horror, 'cause now I DEFINITELY don't wanna go in the water...
emdoux's review against another edition
4th grade booktalk
Some of you may already be familiar with the I Survived… series, and maybe you read the one about the shark attacks of 1916. Those books are fictional, though they’re based on true events, but the book about which I’m about to talk is a closer look at those attacks – and it’s nonfiction. Everything in the book is terrifyingly true, and you’ll learn much more than if you read the I Survived book – about both the attacks, about living in 1916 New Jersey, and about sharks themselves.
But for those of you who haven’t read the I Survived book (and you absolutely do not have to in order to read or enjoy this book) – let me give you some backstory. The place: the Jersey Shore. The time: summer 1916. The weather: HOT. REALLY, REALLY, REALLY HOT. So what do you think most people did with their free time? They went to the beach to swim in the ocean. And 4th of July weekend, when most people did not have to work. The 4th of July that year was on a Tuesday, so many people celebrated the holiday beginning on the 1st, which was a Saturday. The Pennsylvania Railroad, which spanned several states, made it possible for more people to go to the beach than ever before –thousands of out of towners headed to the beautiful New Jersey shore to spend their long weekend floating and swimming in the cool ocean water.
But no one knew about another beach visitor until it was too late. The first to encounter this visitor, a young man named Charles Vansant, brutally attacked by the surprise visitor: a great white shark. In only three feet of water, Charles was bitten in the leg, screaming for help.
Curiously, after the first brutal bite, the shark backed off – shark biologists believe that this tactic in shark attacks allows the victims to bleed to death – a much easier kill for a shark than fighting and biting until the prey is dead. Several men leapt into the water to pull Charles out, at which point the shark attacked again, and a deadly game of tug of war began. Though the beachgoers won the struggle, Charles Vansant’s wounds were too deep, and after being brought to a nearby hotel for medical treatment, he died.
Let me stress to you now that you should not choose this book if you do not want to read about the attack – and others – in gory detail. But let me also stress that you should not choose this book if the only thing about it that interests you is reading about brutal shark attacks – because there is much more to this story than teeth and blood. This slice of history is nothing to be entertained by – Close to Shore is an account of a never-before-experienced American terror – The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916.
Some of you may already be familiar with the I Survived… series, and maybe you read the one about the shark attacks of 1916. Those books are fictional, though they’re based on true events, but the book about which I’m about to talk is a closer look at those attacks – and it’s nonfiction. Everything in the book is terrifyingly true, and you’ll learn much more than if you read the I Survived book – about both the attacks, about living in 1916 New Jersey, and about sharks themselves.
But for those of you who haven’t read the I Survived book (and you absolutely do not have to in order to read or enjoy this book) – let me give you some backstory. The place: the Jersey Shore. The time: summer 1916. The weather: HOT. REALLY, REALLY, REALLY HOT. So what do you think most people did with their free time? They went to the beach to swim in the ocean. And 4th of July weekend, when most people did not have to work. The 4th of July that year was on a Tuesday, so many people celebrated the holiday beginning on the 1st, which was a Saturday. The Pennsylvania Railroad, which spanned several states, made it possible for more people to go to the beach than ever before –thousands of out of towners headed to the beautiful New Jersey shore to spend their long weekend floating and swimming in the cool ocean water.
But no one knew about another beach visitor until it was too late. The first to encounter this visitor, a young man named Charles Vansant, brutally attacked by the surprise visitor: a great white shark. In only three feet of water, Charles was bitten in the leg, screaming for help.
Curiously, after the first brutal bite, the shark backed off – shark biologists believe that this tactic in shark attacks allows the victims to bleed to death – a much easier kill for a shark than fighting and biting until the prey is dead. Several men leapt into the water to pull Charles out, at which point the shark attacked again, and a deadly game of tug of war began. Though the beachgoers won the struggle, Charles Vansant’s wounds were too deep, and after being brought to a nearby hotel for medical treatment, he died.
Let me stress to you now that you should not choose this book if you do not want to read about the attack – and others – in gory detail. But let me also stress that you should not choose this book if the only thing about it that interests you is reading about brutal shark attacks – because there is much more to this story than teeth and blood. This slice of history is nothing to be entertained by – Close to Shore is an account of a never-before-experienced American terror – The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916.
cblange10's review against another edition
4.0
Awesome details about life in the early 1900's - hard to believe this shark was so deadly. Lots of local NJ places- would have liked some photos or news clips - some primary sources that documented the events. The original Jaws.
villyidol's review against another edition
challenging
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.25
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 [book: Jaws|126232], carry huge cultural significance and left a lasting impression on peoples’ relationship with and perception of the ocean. This book is telling that story.
<blockquote>…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 <i>Nautilus</i> surface from the abyss. Who could blame them if they saw a “sea monster”?</blockquote>
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 <i>Jaws</i> 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.
<i>Buddy read with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/43553552-russ">Russ</a>.</i>
<blockquote>…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 <i>Nautilus</i> surface from the abyss. Who could blame them if they saw a “sea monster”?</blockquote>
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 <i>Jaws</i> 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.
<i>Buddy read with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/43553552-russ">Russ</a>.</i>
amysteid's review against another edition
4.0
Wow....beautifully written (if overdramatized & wordy) book about the real story that Jaws was based on. I read it on vacation and definitely did not want to go in the water! I got back and logged on to Yahoo news and there were 2 beaches near Martha's Vineyard over the weekend that had to be cleared because people had spotted a great white shark...exactly like in this story from 1916. I loved the way the author immersed you in the time / culture / beliefs that people would have held then.
burnourhistory's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
For a 'short' book, this read for longer than I imagined it would. I am usually lukewarm about the integration of a narrative style in non-fiction because the break between story and information is usually evident. It was less so the case in this book and I liked the story for the most part. The organization of the information lacked continuity at several points but it the majority of the book was well lineated. Overall, the book lacked something for me but it is hard to point at a specific.
For a 'short' book, this read for longer than I imagined it would. I am usually lukewarm about the integration of a narrative style in non-fiction because the break between story and information is usually evident. It was less so the case in this book and I liked the story for the most part. The organization of the information lacked continuity at several points but it the majority of the book was well lineated. Overall, the book lacked something for me but it is hard to point at a specific.
teaxmillions's review against another edition
5.0
I saw this book as I was scanning over my school's library towards the end of the school year last year, and I was immediately intrigued by the cover (which I love, by the way). I find sharks and ships and most anything about the ocean interesting, so I immediately wanted to read it. However, the end of the school year was approaching so I tucked this book away in my "to-read" pile and waited.
The school year has started up again and this was my first pick that I knew I wanted to read when I was drifting through the bookshelves.
The way this book was written had me constantly engaged in the material, which doesn't often happen when I read non-fiction books. Often I find myself drifting into daydreams. Not so with this book. It was filled with the action of shark attacks and interesting descriptions of how life was like at the time and what a frenzy the shark put in the human race after attacking people.
I don't think I've ever "oh-no'd" so much during a book than in this one in my entire life. I'd get the feeling that this person that the author had been describing was going to die (and I was usually right) and I'd just whisper "oh no" to myself and continue reading. The deaths were made even worse because I knew that they were real events that happened. It really brought home how terrible the idea of death by an animal attack really is, when there's barely anything there to bring home to the distraught family.
Honestly, I think this book is a good choice if you ever just want to read about interesting aspects of history, because this is definitely one of them.
The school year has started up again and this was my first pick that I knew I wanted to read when I was drifting through the bookshelves.
The way this book was written had me constantly engaged in the material, which doesn't often happen when I read non-fiction books. Often I find myself drifting into daydreams. Not so with this book. It was filled with the action of shark attacks and interesting descriptions of how life was like at the time and what a frenzy the shark put in the human race after attacking people.
I don't think I've ever "oh-no'd" so much during a book than in this one in my entire life. I'd get the feeling that this person that the author had been describing was going to die (and I was usually right) and I'd just whisper "oh no" to myself and continue reading. The deaths were made even worse because I knew that they were real events that happened. It really brought home how terrible the idea of death by an animal attack really is, when there's barely anything there to bring home to the distraught family.
Honestly, I think this book is a good choice if you ever just want to read about interesting aspects of history, because this is definitely one of them.
crowyhead's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating study of a series of shark attacks that occurred off the Jersey Shore in 1916. There's enough action and tension in this narrative to satisfy fans of "Jaws," but Capuzzo's book is almost more interesting for his thorough description of the social mores of the time -- swimming and sunbathing on beaches was quite a new fad. I also found it interesting because of the location; one of the victims lived in a house in Philadelphia not four blocks from where I live now. My only wish is that there had been pictures included in the text; several times he mentions newspaper photos and such that it would have been nice to have reproduced in the book.