Close to Shore

The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916

By: Michael Capuzzo

Narrated by: Len Cariou

Combining rich historical detail and a harrowing, pulse-pounding narrative, Close to Shore brilliantly re-creates the summer of 1916, when a rogue Great White shark attacked swimmers along the New Jersey shore, triggering mass hysteria and launching the most extensive shark hunt in history.

During the summer before the United States entered World War I, when ocean swimming was just becoming popular and luxurious Jersey Shore resorts were thriving as a chic playland for an opulent yet still innocent era's new leisure class, Americans were abruptly introduced to the terror of sharks. In July 1916 a lone Great White left its usual deep-ocean habitat and headed in the direction of the New Jersey shoreline. There, near the towns of Beach Haven and Spring Lake-and, incredibly, a farming community eleven miles inland - the most ferocious and unpredictable of predators began a deadly rampage: the first shark attacks on swimmers in U.S. history. For Americans celebrating an astoundingly prosperous epoch much like our own, fueled by the wizardry of revolutionary inventions, the arrival of this violent predator symbolized the limits of mankind's power against nature.

Scrupulously researched and superbly written, Close to Shore brings to life a breathtaking, pivotal moment in American history. Masterfully written and suffused with fascinating period detail and insights into the science and behavior of sharks, Close to Shore recounts a breathtaking, pivotal moment in American history with startling immediacy.

©2001 Michael Capuzzo (P)2001 Random House, Inc., Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Divison of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 2004

“A major achievement, building on the sandy shore a formidable piece of American history. The writing is controlled and vivid and the research magnificent. Remarkable, among other things, is the author’s ability to almost get into the ‘mind’ of the shark as it moved through the sea and sought to maneuver itself to its best advantage in order to survive. Close to Shore is a splendid book.” — Gay Talese

“Capuzzo’s account of the 1916 shark attacks on the Jersey shore recaptures the intense drama of the real events with a lyrical intensity rare in nonfiction writing. Along with its riveting doses of sheer terror, it recreates an era. You feel the past. Meticulously researched, beautifully written. This is strong stuff.” –Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down

“Close to Shore is a truly remarkable book. Michael Capuzzo has combined a beautifully written social history with the kind of thriller that defies being put down until the last page. But this monster story is dreadfully true. And in Capuzzo’s capable hands it becomes an elegiac story that tugs at the heart at the same time it makes it beat all the faster. Books like this one just don’t come along very often.” — Michael Connelly, author of A Darkness More Than Night

“Several decades ago, a little summer thriller named Jaws changed swimming habits forever. Now along comes Michael Capuzzo with his own take on the great white shark, a story made all the more incredible because it happened. Close to Shore is a wonderful period piece of America on the cusp of the Roaring Twenties. But at the book’s heart is that most mysterious of all sea creatures–the great white–lurking, thinking, calculating, and then acting with its fifty triangular teeth and six tons of per square inch pressure. Read Capuzzo’s account of what happened that summer on the Jersey Shore, and then, I dare you, go back in the water.” — Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights

Historical and entertaining

I’ve grown up hearing this story, but the details included are amazing! Learned so much more while reading this book.

Loved the Victorian Era history

Great storytelling of a terrifying time, but what captured my attention was the historical aspect of the story. Capuzzo captures the class distinctions and recreates the anxiety a lack of science at the time adds to the suspense. Loved the way he unravels the mystery and fear.

Incredible historical presentation.

This was an awesome book. I love history and this one was written very well and very descriptive. The narrator was excellent.

Shark!!

Very interesting! It reads like a story about a serial killer, but it's not human...

Great retelling of actual events

I enjoyed this book as it described the terrible events of the 1916 New Jersey shark attacks. It is similar to Black December experienced here in South Africa in 1957 when sharks attacked nine people in a localised area over a period of a few weeks. Six of those attacks were fatal.

I particularly enjoyed how the author described the culture and events shortly after the start of the 20th century. I realised that it is scarily similar to what we are experiencing here at the start of the 21st venture. There was major upheaval back then with great technological changes, for example, the horseless chariot (cars), aeroplanes had barely been flying a decade, and electricity started making inroads into hotels for lighting, etc. Does it sound familiar with today's technology? But wait, it gets better. We just survived a major pandemic, but the world was battling polio back then. Today there is a war between Russia and Ukraine, and rumours about China invading Taiwan are not subsiding. Back in 1916, the world was at war with itself (WW1). It is indeed scarily similar.

Back to the book. The storytelling was done well, but at times it seemed to slow down and then speed up again. The pace was all over the place. The story would also jump at times. Therefore, the four stars. I highly recommend that readers watch the movie 12 Days of Terror (2015), which dramatises these events. It is not nearly as scary as Jaws, but a very good and faithful rendition of actual events. I most certainly will recommend the book.

A great read

This story was done very well, very factual but kept you very interested from start to finish. By including historical data along with info on shark developement it was enjoyable. Of course the narrator Len Cariou just increased the story line, with his clear concise voice and inflections.

Overall: Worth it

I suppose if I had to fill a book with a story based on five shark attacks, I would be forced to include too much irrelevant background information too. I got this book for the same reason I think most people would. I want to hear about the shark. I thought there was just too much detail about the people, families and businesses of the era, and not enough about the shark and its horrific attacks on swimmers. What there was about the shark did meet my expectations, and the story kept moving, holding my interest all the way through.

Definitely not a spellbinding, on-the-edge-of-your-seat story, but well worth the listen. More so if you are curious about a sort of folk tale that Jaws was based on, but not if you are expecting any sort of scientific account of what went on.

The audio quality was great. The narration was well done, and the sound was clean.

Excellent!

A thoroughly detailed and well articulated examination of the shark attacks that came upon this unassuming town.Being a lifelong Shark-enthusiast, I personally enjoy this one many times as I drift off to sleep!😴

A great listen.

This is well researched and descriptive to the degree that it takes you to that world. The voice performance is strong and both Jaws fans and history buffs will love this.

A hair raising story

If you found JAWS scary, don't listen to this book. The shark attacks along the eastern seaboard in the summer of 1916 were terrifying and the author does an excellent job of making you feel as if you were in the water with the fish moving swiftly toward you. Sharks are actually wonderful creatures and I'm only sad that this will scare more people than it needs to.