Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo

Anjan | Ocean Township High School, Grade 11

Rating: ****

Close to Shore is a nonfiction book by Michael Capuzzo about the New Jersey shark attacks during the summer of 1916. Taking place at the beginning of the century, Capuzzo brilliantly describes the attacks and the social changes occurring at the time. The book centers around the different people involved, giving different perspectives and accounts of the shark’s reign of terror. The third person point of view book follows around different characters (including the shark itself!), telling their stories and relation to the setting and plot. The author nicely uses imagery and descriptive language, letting the reader easily imagine the scenes and feel like they are witnessing the events with their own eyes. I was recommended this book for my school’s summer reading program, but I had definitely enjoyed it. The formatting and writing style are quite interesting, making this short, simple-looking book very complex. Overall, this book is very interesting, eloquently telling the story of a unique historical event.