Close To Shore The Terrifying Shark Attacks Of 1916 By: Michael Capuzzo

1. Close To ShoreThe Terrifying Shark Attacks Of 1916By: Michael Capuzzo Sarah Bowman English Pre-IB B2A Broadway Books 2001

2. The book Close To Shore a nonfiction on all of the shark attacks that occurred in 1916 based on newspaper accounts, interviews with family members, diaries, medical journals, and other historic sources. Close To Shore takes place along the coast of New Jersey. The accounts were recorded in the summer of 1916. In the beginning of the book, a man was swimming out into the ocean with his dog. After he thought he had reached a good distance, he came back to the shore, but then he notices that his dog is missing.

3. There really isn’t a central conflict, because this is a nonfiction. It is stating facts that happened during July 1916. The only central conflict, if any, would be the shark attacks themselves. I picked this book because these were the events that encouraged the movie Jaws.

4. Close To Shore is a nonfiction, so there is really no protagonist and antagonist. After reading this book, I would have to say, if there is an antagonist, it would be the shark. And the protagonists would have to be his victims. The antagonist is believed to be a Great White or a Bull shark. They still are not sure. Most people favored the Great White because there was a sighting about a week before of a big fish that moved slowly across the surface of the deep. “Its dark top matched the leaden sea; its white bottom blended with sunshine reflected from beneath”(Capuzzo 16). *Protagonist listed on next slide.

5. Charles Epting Vansant, 25: He was the first of the several attacks. He bled to death after being attacked in Beach Haven and having his thigh ripped open. This was July 1, 1916. Charles Bruder, 27: He was the second attack during the epidemic. He was attacked in Spring Lake on July 6, 1916. He was only swimming 120 meters of shore. He bled to death after having suffered many terrible bites to the abdomen and legs. Lester Stillwell, 12 and Joseph Dunn, 14: Both boys were attacked on July 12, 1916, thirty minutes separating Stillwell from Dunn. Watson Fisher, 24, went to help retrieve Stillwell, but was attacked by the same shark and bled to death at the hospital. Stillwell’s body was found two days later. Dunn managed to win a game of tug-a-war with the shark and only injured his leg. He was discharged almost two months later.`

6. Book Reviews K. Borts: “This book is primarily a period piece about the summer of 1916... This book is a very entertaining read, although some vocabulary and cultural references are just thrown out as if to show off how much research the author did.” T. S. Lord: “ I can’t remember the last book I absolutely could not put down, until Close To Shore swam by on Father’s day. http://www.amazon.com/Close-Shore-Terrifying-Shark-Attacks/dp/0767904141/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349145151&sr=8-1&keywords=close+to+shore

7. I felt this book was amazing! The details and adjectives gave the book life. You could tell the author did his research. I would definitely recommend this book, but to an older audience because the author does describe the attacks in great, and specific, detail.