May 1, 2001
Beginning July 1, 1916, a spate of shark attacks off the Jersey shore befuddled maritime experts and terrified the public. In the first incident, an unsuspecting vacationer's thigh was bitten off; he eventually died. Over the next 12 days, three more people were killed and another seriously injured. These two books by New Jersey authors re-create differing theories as to who, and what, was responsible for the carnage, a subject that scientists still debate today. Philadelphia Inquirer journalist Capuzzo (nominated four times for a Pulitzer) unwaveringly adheres to the most popular theory (that a single, juvenile great white shark was responsible for all the carnage), but his book's strength lies in its lively reconstruction of the age and its consciousness, in which a new leisure class was emerging, with many of its members venturing into the ocean for the first time. (He also recounts the shark's movements and supposed feelings from an omniscient, third-person perspective to strained, unintentionally comical and inevitably misleading effect.) The encounters between people and sharks make for some tense and gruesome reading, and the rest of the book is equally page-turning: the zeal to find the "Jersey man-eater," the sensational "feeding frenzy" of the press and the befuddlement of a scientific community, which then devoutly believed that sharks did not bite humans. On that last front, Fernicola, a physician specializing in post-stroke and post-injury recovery, adds to his own investigation of this episode an exhaustive review of shark science today and theories of shark aggression toward humans, including possible environmental factors (heat, changes in human bathing habits, even bathing suit styles), speculations on the perpetrator's exact species, and well-reasoned arguments and conclusions. Fernicola is a recognized authority on the 1916 attacks (his work has provided the basis for Discovery Channel and History Channel documentaries on the subject), but he marshals so much data that his book fails to live up to its lurid title, giving its looming competitor the edge. (May; Capuzzo on-sale: May 8) Forecast: With bathing suit season just around the corner, these books are well timed. Fernicola's, which will be the subject of an upcoming spread in USA Today and is scheduled for coverage on Good Day New York, will provide grist to shark enthusiasts and fans of the Jaws films. Lyons Press has high hopes for its book and has committed to an unprecedented (for this house) 50,000 first printing. Capuzzo will tour six major cities on both coasts, along with stops on Cape Cod and, of course, the Jersey shore. His compulsive potboiler just may be the hot read on the beach this summer.
May 21, 2007
Narrator Mali skillfully animates this gripping tale of ocean terror, putting listeners in the bloody saltwater next to unsuspecting swimmers who are suddenly fighting for their lives. The year is 1916 and a rogue great white is killing beachgoers off the New Jersey coast. If the story sounds familiar, it's because it's the true-life inspiration for Peter Benchley's classic Jaws
. Author Capuzzo makes his adaptation for young people accessible and informative, with plenty of gruesome scenes to satisfy the gross-out quotient. Mali brings a storyteller's command to the historical material, living the words, not just reading them. When recreating the summer attacks, several of which take place in a creek miles inland, he displays an impeccable sense of timing and suspense. And he artfully mixes heartbreak into the grave descriptions of each grisly aftermath. Mali shuttles easily between accents—city-dweller, Australian scientist, small-town teenager—giving the production a rich feel. Mali also applies white-knuckle tension to the descriptions of big-game hunting parties intent on destroying the predator. At times, Capuzzo's rendering of the shark's psyche strains credibility, briefly undermining Mali's authority. But ultimately, the inherently compelling material, fluid prose and accomplished narration combine for a riveting listen. Ages 12-up.
April 1, 2003
Michael Capuzzo presents Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916, an adaptation of his 2001 book for adults, Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in the Age of Innocence. In chronicling the first documented shark attacks on swimmers, which occurred along the Jersey shore in 1916, the work also provides a look at early-20th-century life, with special attention paid to leisure pursuits. Photos, maps and period newspaper clippings illustrate the text.