Perspective

Close to Shore is written in the third person narrative. The Pulitzer Prize nominated author, Michael Capuzzo, based his book on interviews, newspaper accounts, diaries and letters of the time, scientific accounts, and many other resources. He also read scores of books on the subject of sharks in his research and preparation for writing Close to Shore. Although the book is a historical account of the great white shark attacks along the coast of New Jersey in 1916, the author recreated the life story of the juvenile shark who perpetrated the attacks. By doing so, the reader is able to have a better understanding of the shark and "see" the attacks from his point of view. By explaining that this great white was displaying aberrant behavior that was atypical of the species, Capuzzo provides a plausible reason for the rare attacks. Capuzzo, in essence, makes the case that it...