The Original Jaws
Written: Dec 11 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Well-written documentary of a tragic summer off of the Jersey Coast.
Cons: Graphic at times, sometimes TOO much history.
The Bottom Line: Cappuzzo does a good job at telling the story of the Matawan Great White shark attacks in 1916 - giving you 'the rest of the story.'
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| martytdx's Full Review: Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in an Age o... |
In 1916, the Jersey shore was in the first throes of becoming the famous beach haven that it is today. The new fad of ocean bathing was coming in vogue, people were beginning to enjoy the sunshine on the sand for the first time ... oh, and people started getting chomped by sharks. Or A shark, to be specific.
Based on the 'Matawan Man-Eater', as the Great White Shark was called, author Michael Cappuzzo gives the gruesome details - mixed with a healthy dose of conjecture - of what happened that July. The short version: for the first time in U.S. history, a shark attacked bathers at the beach. Not only were two people killed in the ocean, but the great white also managed to kill 3 others in Matawan Creek, many miles upstream.
Cappuzzo does a great job of framing the time, and setting the stage for the amazing spectacle that the attacks must have been. America wasn't ready for this, and its scientists were woefully misinformed about the possibility of such an event. You get to know both the victims, their families and those who became undesired hunters of a menace that stalked a new type of prey in the water.
The story isn't for everyone - he does get graphic about the attacks, but in my opinion it helps frame how these people who didn't have the Discovery Channel to expose them to this would have felt. His history, while beneficial, sometimes drags on a bit much, focusing on those who mattered but were perhaps a bit more tangential to the story.
Overall, this book was a good, quick read which does a great job at analyzing the evidence from almost 100 years ago and turning it into a compelling record of the attacks.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
martytdx
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Member: Marty
Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 481
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About Me:
Doing what I can to try new places, restaurants, books and beers.
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