Twelve Days of Terror: A Definitive Investigation of the 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks Book

I live close to the Matawan creek, where three of the five shark attacks of 1916 occurred, so this story was of keen interest to me. The author did an admirable job of weighing the pros and cons of what actually happened in 1916 and why. He strove to rely on verifiable or credible information and witnesses, combined with current research on shark behavior. It was never known for sure what kind of sharks attacked the five victims or why the attacks occurred. The author explores the potential answers to both questions thoroughly and in great detail. At the time of the attacks, shark attacks on human swimmers were unknown to both the public and scientists. It was this series of attacks on the Jersey shore that is the genesis of the current fear of sharks and which was a major inspiration for the movie Jaws.

I appreciated the fact that the author included relevant social and historical detail from the time. It helped to understand how the public reacted the way they did. The author also wrote patiently about the fanciful and sensationalist theories, opinions, rumors and reports of the incidents at the time, of German U-Boats, German conspiracies to terrorize or destabilize America, mackerels and sea turtles, dogs in the water, sizes and kinds of sharks, etc.

The author, who happens to be an medical doctor, gave extensive descriptions of the bite marks, bite patterns, other wounds, and medical conditions of the victims. Perhaps they would be easily understood by physicians, but I found the descriptions of the bite marks hard to picture. In the author's tentative opinion, all of the attacks were committed by a rogue, juvenile white shark. That is not proven, but if you connect all of the factual dots, that is the picture that wants to emerge.

I admire people like this author who get interested in a phenomena and pursue it with passion. This book serves as an update of research into previous work about the attacks. The author is hoping that future research into shark behavior will be able to give a more certain idea of what kind of shark, or sharks, were involved and why the attacks happened. The research will contribute to preventing shark attacks in the future. The book also helps to contribute to a better understanding and appreciation of the ecology of the Jersey Shore.

I learned much more about sharks than I need to know, plus a fair bit about marine life in general off the Jersey Shore. Even though I think the book could have benefited from an editors attention, the overall narrative was well constructed. Once I got into the book, I had a hard time putting it down. I look forward to anything new that the author might publish on the subject.