pontalba
Well-Known Member
I just finished Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo.
It's a true story, telling all sides of the shark attacks of 1916 off the New Jersey, USA shore.
At the time, no one believed that a Great White, or any shark for that matter, was a man eater. There was simply no evidence available on a wide spread level that said so, only scattered reports from some sea faring men, or from far off lands that-goodness-knows-what-was-happening-there sort of aura about them.
This book covers the entire spate of attacks, tells the human society side, and fascinatingly so, the sharks side of it. Capuzzo has done the research for sure, both on shark habits, and the history of the areas of question. He also tells of the people and their families; the victims lives come across strongly. It was an era of huge transformations, the US wasn't into WWI yet, it was dreaded by all of course. The automobile was coming into fashion, farm life was giving 'way to city life. Everything was in upheaval, changing more rapidly than the eye could follow. Capuzzo captures all of that.
His chapters tend to alternate between the human history, and the shark's wanderings. I've learned so much about the why's and wherefore's of sharks...it's an endlessly fascinating subject. Capuzzo cites many instances of shark attacks, from Australia, to the American East Coast. I could go on and on about this story, it's non fiction that reads like a fictional thriller.
Highly Recommended.
It's a true story, telling all sides of the shark attacks of 1916 off the New Jersey, USA shore.
At the time, no one believed that a Great White, or any shark for that matter, was a man eater. There was simply no evidence available on a wide spread level that said so, only scattered reports from some sea faring men, or from far off lands that-goodness-knows-what-was-happening-there sort of aura about them.
This book covers the entire spate of attacks, tells the human society side, and fascinatingly so, the sharks side of it. Capuzzo has done the research for sure, both on shark habits, and the history of the areas of question. He also tells of the people and their families; the victims lives come across strongly. It was an era of huge transformations, the US wasn't into WWI yet, it was dreaded by all of course. The automobile was coming into fashion, farm life was giving 'way to city life. Everything was in upheaval, changing more rapidly than the eye could follow. Capuzzo captures all of that.
His chapters tend to alternate between the human history, and the shark's wanderings. I've learned so much about the why's and wherefore's of sharks...it's an endlessly fascinating subject. Capuzzo cites many instances of shark attacks, from Australia, to the American East Coast. I could go on and on about this story, it's non fiction that reads like a fictional thriller.
Highly Recommended.