Synopses & Reviews
Master storyteller Peter Benchley combines high adventure with practical information in
Shark Trouble, a book that is at once a thriller and a valuable guide to being safe in, on, under, and around the sea. The bestselling author of Jaws,
The Deep, and other works draws on more than three decades of experience to share information about sharks and other marine animals.
"Shark attacks on human beings generate a tremendous amount of media coverage," Benchley writes, "partly because they occur so rarely, but mostly, I think, because people are, and always have been, simultaneously intrigued and terrified by sharks. Sharks come from a wing of the dark castle where our nightmares live deep water beyond our sight and understanding and so they stimulate our fears and fantasies and imaginations."
Benchley describes the many types of sharks (including the ones that pose a genuine threat to man), what is and isn't known about shark behavior, the odds against an attack and how to reduce them even further all reinforced with the lessons he has learned, the mistakes he has made, and the personal perils he has encountered while producing television documentaries, bestselling novels, and articles about the sea and its inhabitants. He tells how to swim safely in the ocean, how to read the tides and currents, what behavior to avoid, and how to survive when danger suddenly strikes. He discusses how to tell children about sharks and the sea and how to develop, in young and old alike, a healthy respect for the ocean.
As Benchley says, "The ocean is the only alien and potentially hostile environment on the planet into which we tend to venture without thinking about the animals that live there, how they behave, how they support themselves, and how they perceive us. I know of no one who would set off into the jungles of Malaysia armed only with a bathing suit, a tube of suntan cream, and a book, and yet that's precisely how we approach the oceans."
No longer. Not after you've read Shark Trouble.
Review
"[A]s insightful and trustworthy as anything ever uttered in Jaws....If you're looking for an antidote to being spooked by Jaws, there's information here to provide it. But there's just as much to spook you anew." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Benchley offers riveting accounts of his and his family's up close and personal encounters with sharks....It's a boon to have a writer with such tremendous name recognition speak up for nature." Booklist
Review
"Some personal shark anecdotes add excitement....Benchley's solid and informative book is recommended for public and school libraries, especially where there is an interest in the ocean and scuba diving." Library Journal
Review
"Fast, informative and entertaining reading." KLIATT
Review
"Benchley is a master." Chicago Tribune
Synopsis
Master storyteller Benchley (Jaws) combines high adventure with down-to-earth advice in a book that is at once a thriller and a valuable book about being safe in, on, under, and around the shark infested ocean.
Synopsis
Drawing on more than three decades of experience writing about sharks and other marine animals, the bestselling author of Jaws combines high adventure with practical information in a book that is at once a thriller and a valuable guide to being safe in, on, under, and around the sea. "Shark attacks on human beings generate a tremendous amount of media coverage," Benchley writes, "partly because they occur so rarely, but mostly, I think, because people are, and always have been, simultaneously intrigued and terrified by sharks. Sharks come from a wing of the dark castle where our nightmares live--deep water beyond our sight and understanding--and so they stimulate our fears and fantasies and imaginations."
Benchley describes the many types of sharks (including the ones that pose a genuine threat to man), what is and isn't known about shark behavior, the odds against an attack and how to reduce them even further--all reinforced with the lessons he has learned, the mistakes he has made, and the personal perils he has encountered while producing television documentaries, bestselling novels, and articles about the sea and its inhabitants. He tells how to swim safely in the ocean, how to read the tides and currents, what behavior to avoid, and how to survive when danger suddenly strikes. He discusses how to tell children about sharks and the sea and how to develop, in young and old alike, a healthy respect for the ocean.
As Benchley says, "The ocean is the only alien and potentially hostile environment on the planet into which we tend to venture without thinking about the animals that live there, how they behave, how they support themselves, and how they perceive us. I know of no one who would set off into the jungles of Malaysia armed only with a bathing suit, a tube of suntan cream, and a book, and yet that's precisely how we approach the oceans."
No longer. Not after you've read Shark Trouble.
About the Author
After graduating from Harvard, Peter Benchley worked as a reporter for the Washington Post, then as an editor at Newsweek and a speechwriter in the White House. His novel Jaws was published in 1974, followed by The Deep, The Island, The Girl of the Sea of Cortez, Q Clearance, Rummies, and Beast, among others. He has written screenplays for three of his novels, and his articles and essays have appeared in such publications as National Geographic and the New York Times. He has written, narrated, and appeared in dozens of television documentaries. He is a member of the national council of Environmental Defense and is a spokesman for its Oceans Program.