Review by Booklist Review
Shark expert Skomal, a frequent contributor to National Geographic and Discovery Channel, begins and ends this narrative with the same event: a lethal great white shark attack near Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 2018--a rare event that also frames Skomal's career. When he was a shark-besotted graduate student in the 1980s, great whites were elusive, rarely found in the North Atlantic, and hunted during fishing events. Most of the public was still under the spell of Jaws, and even scientists knew barely anything about these marvels of evolution, not their gestation periods or hibernation and migration patterns. Skomal spent his career finding ways to research and track these huge animals while educating people about commonsense coexistence. Now, 30 years later, sharks are protected by laws and are once more thriving off the eastern coast of the U.S. Intervening chapters describe scenarios from a shark's perspective; chapter-introducing quotes from diverse sources reflect evolving professional and public opinion. Well written and action driven, Skomal's memoir makes his passion evident and inspiring.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this illuminating outing, marine biologist Skomal (The Shark Handbook) details the physiognomy and behavior of great white sharks and reflects on his career studying them. Essentially unchanged since they evolved from mako sharks around 30 million years ago, great whites hatch inside their mother's womb and nourish themselves on unfertilized eggs until birth, when newborns are left to fend for themselves and must evade their own parents, who view them as potential prey. Skomal highlights the amazing adaptations of great whites, such as the sensitive mucus-filled chambers in their snouts capable of detecting "the tiny pulse of electricity generated by the muscle contractions" of other fish. He also discusses methods for studying these predators in the wild, describing how pilots flying overhead direct research boats to sharks for tagging, which allows scientists to track the animals' location, depth, and muscle temperature. Skomal's reverence for great whites comes through on every page (he calls them "about as close to perfection as any animal in existence"), and readers will appreciate the opportunity to get an intimate look into the sharks' lives from the safety of dry land. This is a strong complement to William McKeever's Emperors of the Deep. (July)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Marine biologist Skomal (The Shark Handbook) has been a go-to scientist for info on sharks for decades. In this book, he and journalist Talbot describe the shark for the splendid creature that it is. When the authors tell of a white shark breaching right under Skomal's boat, readers are reminded that humans are guests in the sea and owe it and its denizens the greatest respect. Skomal is a serious cartographer of the shark's journey, and readers will come to understand sharks' fragility in a natural world that's increasingly pressured by human interests and needs. VERDICT Fans of Jaws and "Shark Week" will love this book, but it's also a compelling read for anyone interested in oceans, wildlife, conservation, or scientific adventures. An excellent title for readers who've ever been at the ocean's edge and wondered what was out there.--Dorian Gossy
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An exploration of the resurgence of white sharks along the coast of New England. In this highly accessible work of narrative nonfiction, marine biologist and white shark expert Skomal, a regular on the Discovery Channel's megahit Shark Week, describes the lives of white sharks and chronicles his career tracking them over three decades. The author details his professional and educational career, including encounters he has had with this magnificent animal. From an early age, Skomal was interested in studying sharks. He recalls the effect watching the first episode of The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau had on his career choice as well as his desire to become the real-life Matt Hooper from Jaws. He also points to professionals in the field that had a profound influence on his career path. Alongside his personal story, the author provides a history of white shark research and management in the New England area, including the first successful tagging program in the U.S. As he notes, due to difficulties in studying white sharks, we still do not know much about them, and what we do know, we've only learned relatively recently. Over the last decade, due to the increased number of white sharks in the New England area, shark encounters are on the rise. While their return is a conservation success story, it is also creating debate about public safety. Following a fatal shark attack in the area in 2018, the first in more than 80 years, Skomal shared these words of caution: "We all revere these animals, but on a rare occasion they remind us that they are powerful predators that make mistakes." Skomal's enthusiasm for sharks and his desire to help others better understand their behavior are consistently apparent. "My professional goal has always been to be not only a good shark biologist," he writes, "but also a public ambassador for white sharks." A thrilling and compassionate account for shark enthusiasts. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
