Rating: 
Summary: Oh boy...I'm staying out of the water....
Review: Reality is often more compelling then fiction. Especially in this case, does this maxim turn out to be true. The book and movie, Jaws, did not hold the fascination that it seem to hold for the rest of America. Even as a teenager, I thought the whole thing was too fake, too contrived and I did not understand what the uproar was about. Over the years, the mental influence of being a mother and the knowledge coming out of research by NOVA, National Geographic, and other scientific groups made me wary of the beach. This book is definitely NOT going to help!I don't understand why all of the sudden we are experiencing a spate of great non-fiction writers: I am just grateful for its occurrence. Mike Capuzzo definitely belongs in this category. Again, this topic would have been very easy to sensationalize (obviously the yellow journalism of 1916 had a field day with this topic), but Capuzzo practices great restraint and even greater writing skills in this account of a natural catastrophe which impacted the psyche of the nation. The reality of the rogue shark and its venture into populated areas is so chilling, it is almost beyond belief that this shark made its way up a creek along the Jersey beach line that should have been a safe haven for the young men and boys who frequented its cool water. What I found even more compelling is the probable science behind the shark's behavior. For once, we humans were completely unresponsible for this tragedy. Our pollution from human sewage may have attracted this monster, but the change in climate and patterns of the currents were under no one's control. Capuzzo does an excellent job tying in current knowledge and beliefs concerning shark behavior (and the behavior of other animals which change into 'man-eaters') without damaging the classic story-telling ability of this book. The science merely adds to the compelling history. Capuzzo is very capable in not anthromorphizing the shark's behavior, but does offer explanations as to why it altered its usual feeding habits and started stalking humans. The frenzy of the populations of the small towns along the creek which experienced the worse of the carnage is understandable. The courage of those who sought to protect the children, and the men who finally captured this creature makes for good reading almost a century after the fact. A terrific story by a wonderful writer. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of PIttsburgh
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Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: A "good" friend gave me this book when she found out that I'll be staying at the Engleside Inn......this July..... and thought I'd enjoy reading about the first shark attack in this country. Enjoy? Nice friend. But really, it's just a great read and pulls you right in (ahem) to the story, so much so that your skin just crawls when Mr. Capuzzo describes the first shark attack and the tug of war that followed. I highly recommend this book but, maybe, not one to take to the beach unless you leave your waterwings at home. I am.
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Summary: Just when you thought it was safe . . .
Review: Capuzzo's volume is an engrossing narrative of the inevitable collision between two species. Vacationing masses, lured to the New Jersey shoreline for the first time among the sweltering days of July 1916, with the promise of cool breezes to keep away mosquitos and with opportunity to indulge in the popular new recreation of ocean swimming, and Charcharidon carcharius, Nature's most efficient preditor. Escaping the disease ravaged cities of the east coast, Americans would soon be swept up in growing (media inspired) hysteria, following a group of five fatal shark attacks, including three occuring nearly five miles inland. 'Close to Shore' is as lavish in it's portrayal of the contemporary social history, as it is in it's natural history of the great white shark. The events of those fateful July days are masterfully recreated by the author, against the backdrop of a war in Europe that was claiming many thousands of lives a day, and would soon destroy the innocence of twentieth century americans. Thought provoking in the extreme, I found myself unable to put it down after the first page. A magnificent, terrifying read, and probably best not brought to the beach this summer.
Rating:
Summary: A terrific tale, beautifully told
Review: 'Close to Shore' is a wonderful book, a riveting account of the shark attack on the Jersey coast in 1916 that inspired 'Jaws.' Capuzzo is a great writer. The book is fabulously researched, his portrait of America in 1916 wonderfully detailed and evocative. He informs and entertains. His portraits of the ill-fated victims and, of course, of the killer shark are masterful. I started the book at the dinner hour and read into the night, transfixed. 300 pages of terror and fascination and history: I devoured it in one sitting.
Rating:
Summary: An outstanding read
Review: I read this book in one day! It was unbelievable in its history of the times and the fear the shark instills. Having spent many summers in Beach Haven, the site of the first attack, I was very interested in the historical background of the Jersey shore. I really felt as though I were there during the summer of 1916. The author helped you understand the characters and what little scientists of the day knew about the great white shark. This is a great beach read but watch out when you go in the water!
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Summary: One Baaaaad Shark
Review: This book will change (maybe warp?) your view of the Jersey Shore forever more. Capuzzo juxtaposes a backdrop of fabulous hotels and the leisured wealthy with a canny look inside the brain of one of nature's ultimate carnivores. As the shark closes in on its prey, we're there underwater with it--and we're also paddling on the surface with the innocent swimmers who never hear or see it coming. Think you're safe inland, in some nice swimming hole? Think again. This monster has very little sense of direction. Its only constant craving is for meat. Yes, this is a good, suspenseful read, with a multitude of detail about American swimming habits at the turn of the 20th century. I especially liked the way Capuzzo combines a tense tale of survival (shark and man) with insights into the social history of the times. I also appreciated the author's full grasp of the terrors of ocean bathing--it's not just Jaws you have to worry about. After I read this one, I was happier than ever to have booked my summer vacation in the mountains! "Close to Shore" stars one BAAAAAD (shut yo mouth) shark, I'm talkin about a Great White.
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Summary: Wanna Go Swimming??????
Review: Living so close the the Jersey shore, we grew up going to the beach in the summer.This is a book I would have LOVED to read on the beach. It really brins to live, the hysteria that happens when sharks are nearby. The Suspense is terrifying!! great read! buy ones for your friends who are going to the beach!
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Summary: A true story that is close to the edge, the REAL JAWS
Review: CLOSE TO THE EDGE is well written and a real page turner. I hated to see it end. The true story of what seems to be an unbelievable chain of events. The ignorance of the science community is mind boggling. The science community and the public learn of the first shark attacks on an United States shores together. This book has everything, great story, prominate figures our President was even in the area. An area that had no idea what to expect. If you liked JAWS you will love this.
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Summary: Fantastic Summer Read
Review: I was initially turned on to Close to Shore when I read an excerpt of it in a magazine (I think. I can't quite remember where it was.). Not usually a non-fiction fan, I was intrigued by the subject matter, and the tone of the book.
I've read a few of the previous reviews, and I would like to respond to aspects of this book that some readers found detrimental. First, a lot of people have complained about the lack of action in the beginning of the book, and the overall tone. As a reader who for the most part sticks to fiction, I found the pace and tone to be just right. I enjoyed learning some of the backgrounds of people involved in this event, as well as getting a glimpse of what the Jersey coast was like in 1916. I wasn't expecting page after page of shark attacks, and if that's what you want, Close to Shore is not the book for you.
Mr. Capuzzo does an excellent job of filling out the individuals and places touched by the shark roaming the East Coast that summer. What could have come off as a dry, text-book style tome is instead a glimpse into the lives of the famous, infamous, and unknowns of the time. I enjoyed this book as much for the social history as the terrifying experiences it revolves around.
One note, and the reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5: I was disappointed by the lack of pictures. Not gory pictures of attack victims or eviscerated sharks per se, but photos of the Engleside, or the E&S, or of those who experienced this summer in the most intimate ways. Surely there were year book pictures of young Charles Vansant, photos of the boardwalks, snapshots of the townspeople and vacationers. Mr. Capuzzo mentions all of these, but unfortunately does not include them for us to see for ourselves. Granted, I have a vivid imagination, but knowing the reality of these people and places would have made Close to Shore all the more immediate and engaging.
Other than that, I recommend Close to Shore for a little beach or poolside reading. Approach it like a good summer novel, not a case-by-case account of shark attacks and you should be fine.
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Summary: FAR MORE RIVETING THAN JAWS
Review: CLOSE TO SHORE provides a fascinating look at not only the first documented shark attacks in the history of the United States, it also provides a look at the culture of the Eastern Seaboard at the turn of the century. In a very wellwritten account, author Michael Capuzzo, recaps the beliefs of the day about open-sea swimming and sharks. He discusses the almost maniacal craze that possessed some to swim with sharks in order to prove that sharks were harmless and their own bizarre machismo. Capuzzo also adds further flavor and perspective by discussing the norms of the day regarding swimming attire, the culture of New Jersey's nouveau riche, other news stories of the period and the limitations of the physicians of the day regarding the brutality of wounds inflicted by great white sharks. Far more riveting than Benchley's JAWS, CLOSE TO SHORE brings the true account of July 1916 along the Jersey Shore where three adults and a boy were attacked and killed as helpless witnesses looked on in horror. Capuzzo masterfully tells the morbid tale from not only the human perspective, but also, by using information and facts from modern shark experts, from the perspective of the shark and its instincts. The book switches back and forth from human to shark in a way that wonderfully builds the account and the real-life suspense of the events involved. In fact, CLOSE TO SHORE is a wonderful resource regarding sharks generally. Capuzzo's research seemed so complete that at times I felt like I was reading a biology primer on sharks. CLOSE TO SHORE proves to be a compelling page turner that you just can't miss!
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