Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo is a novel explaining the vicious shark attacks along the Jersey Shore in the summer of 1916. New Jersey had just become popular for its upscale beachfront and the availability to swim along the beach as well. This perfect beach scene was too good to be true and New Jersey then experienced the first shark attacks to ever be documented in history. Michael Capuzzo explains the five shark attacks along the Jersey Shore and the mass hysteria then ensues after it. The first documented shark attack was in July. The shark attacked Charles Vansant, the son of a well known Philadelphia physician. He was swimming with his dog close to Beach Haven when the shark pulled him under the water. Soon after, he was rescued by lifeguards who brought him ashore. The shark had almost taken off one of his legs and no one could stop the bleeding that had followed. This great white avoided “needless confrontation and expend[ed] no more energy than necessary...the great white was waiting for Vansant to bleed to death" (Capuzzo 33). Helpless, he slowly bled to death on the beach. This was the first ever shark related death to be recorded in US history.
The next recorded attack was upshore from Beach Haven. Charles Bruder was a bell captain …show more content…
This gives the reader a more interactive and imaginative experience as they read. At the beginning of the novel Capuzzo even describes the sharks behavior with one another. He also describes the feel and look of the shark saying “the denticles were like razor-sharp sandpaper. A man who brushed against them would be instantly bloodied” (Capuzzo 39-40). In third person Capuzzo explains the lives of the characters before their deaths. For instance before Charles Vansant dies just before he is about to get married, he himself is in good condition and lives in a wealthy
The next recorded attack was upshore from Beach Haven. Charles Bruder was a bell captain …show more content…
This gives the reader a more interactive and imaginative experience as they read. At the beginning of the novel Capuzzo even describes the sharks behavior with one another. He also describes the feel and look of the shark saying “the denticles were like razor-sharp sandpaper. A man who brushed against them would be instantly bloodied” (Capuzzo 39-40). In third person Capuzzo explains the lives of the characters before their deaths. For instance before Charles Vansant dies just before he is about to get married, he himself is in good condition and lives in a wealthy