Customer Reviews

Shark Trouble: True Stories About Sharks and the Sea by the author of Jaws

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Peter Benchley makes a good, light, and accomplished reading of his own book. This is easily accessible and not bogged down with science, though depending on what you want, that could be a drawback also. There are some good personal anecdotes. I liked the story of Peter's swim (flight?) on the back of a Manta Ray, and the time he nearly got his family eaten by Hammerheads.

It should be said that the book seems a little disjointed at times, and there are chapters that actually have nothing to do with sharks, but instead talk about safety in the water and other sea creatures. The author takes a strong environmental attitude throughout with regard to shark conservation, and is critical of the bad press sharks get in the media (but Peter, didn't you.. er.. have just a little to do with that?)

A good book for light reading or listening, but don't expect too much in the way of serious information.

Peter Benchley seeks to atone for his unparalleled contribution to shark hysteria in Shark Trouble, a much more factual account of the Shark than his earlier works. Having achieved shark fame through "Jaws", Mr. Benchley was subsequently invited over the next several years to come play in the sea with the fearsome critters by numerous people looking to hype their own shark agendas with an appearance by the creator of "Jaws". After many years of diving and rubbing shoulders with shark legends, actual sharks and researchers in the field of shark behavior, Peter Benchly writes this memoir to philosophically reflect on the experience of his personal shark odyssey while touching from time to time on the emerging scientific understanding of the shark. I found it to be an excellent read.

Highly recommended for the armchair adventurer: entertaining, engrossing, informative, well written. Peter Benchley describes some of his personal shark-adventures with intelligence, modesty and wit. Interwoven with the extraordinary episodes he describes are both general ecological observations and specific, practical advice for seashore swimmers.

Peter Benchley apologizes for scaring everyone out of the water with "Jaws." This book, a collection of essays about sharks and shark attacks, allows Benchley to wax poetic about how endangered sharks are and how we as humans can protect ourselves from these creatures since we occasionally share the same ocean. Not a bad book (not nearly as bad as "Beast" or "White Shark") but not a great read, either.

Yes, I know, scare sells. But the title of this book may deter an ocean enthusiast from picking it up. The book IS largely about sharks - attacks, top terrors, how to avoid encounters, etc. - but there is also useful information about swimming safely in the sea, as well as fascinating accounts of other sea life, such as orcas and mantas, that the author has been, shall we say, intimate with.

I read the book cover to cover and was most educated by and fascinated with the sections that did NOT deal with sharks. If you would like to be more informed about the real risks of sea life and swimming in the ocean, then this book is for you. You can even skip the shark stuff (so you won't get panicked) and learn practical skills for surviving rip currents, undertow, etc. I actually became less concerned about sharks after reading the book and more enlightened about the ocean in general.

Thanks to Benchley's "Jaws" I have since childhood felt spooked about going in the ocean. This book makes some amends for the paranoia "Jaws" inspired by presenting a more balanced view. Well, hey, after all, "Jaws" was fiction and this book is not. Thankfully the ocean is not as terrifying after all. But it, like any wilderness, still deserves plenty of respect. And Benchley has plenty of first-hand experience and writing talent to instill that in a reader.

Peter Benchly, author of "Jaws", atones for his contributions to shark hysteria with the book "Shark Trouble". Benchly is an active scuba diver and was frequently sought after to participate in shark dives as a publicity event during the whole run of the "Jaws" phenomenon. So he has had many opportunities to see the infamous predators up close and personal. Benchly provides some light background on what is "known" about the shark (which is still quite little) and also shares his experiences with the dread fish of the deep from the various shark dives he has made over the years between "Jaws" and today. His themes are consistent throughout: respect for the shark, respect for its environment, and the need for awareness of the human contribution to any episode of "Shark Trouble". Despite the strength of the themes Benchly never preaches to the reader and I found the book to be an excellent read. This scuba diver and shark encounter veteran gives it a very strong four stars.

Heard the taped version of SHARK TROUBLE, written and read
by Peter Benchley . . . this is a nonfiction book that tells you how to be safe in, on, under, and around the ocean . . . Benchley, author of JAWS, draws on more than three decades of
experience around sharks and other marine animals . . . there is
some useful information here, but a lot of it has seems to be
"filler" material; e.g., a short fiction piece on what would happen if every shark on the planet were to be killed . . . also, I'm not sure why he bothered to include a whole chapter on ocean swimming safety . . . overall, I came away with the felling that you have to be careful when in the ocean, in that there's a LOT of marine life that is potentially harmful to humans (though I'm not so sure that I had to keep hearing this over and over) . . . I further did come to accept Benchley's premise that we should redirect our research priorities and spend more money on looking at all the valuable resources in the water--and less on the much scarcer resources in outer space.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who swims in the ocean, parents of children who will swim in the ocean (even for those who simply wade in) and for anyone who has trouble re-entering the ocean after reading and/or watching "JAWS."

Peter Benchley takes an almost apologetic tone in the first part (of three parts) of the book to first the general public and second to ocean and marine life scientists for writing a book (JAWS, 1974), that turned into a movie, that scared so many reader's/viewer's pants off to go into any body of water other than the family pool or bathtub. He also tells the very interesting story of how he came to write "JAWS".

Peter Benchley masterfully weaves his and family's many awe-inspiring as well as heart-pounding, real-life adventures in bodies of water all over the world (as well as the adventure of others) with lots of "how-to" and "you-can-use" information about the ocean, from her shores to her depths and all the life inbetween.

His point? Know and respect the ocean and life within, and she'll welcome you in; ignore her (warning) signs and she'll bite you (sometimes literally).

Peter Benchley, author of Jaws, pens a non-fiction book setting the record straight on shark behavior. It sounds like a great idea and it is, but the execution is horrible. I would say maybe 50% of this book is actually about sharks; the rest merely lists dangers of the ocean (rips, tides, etc.) and non-shark creatures to be feared. Useful and mildly interesting, but I wanted a *shark* book. Another irritant is Benchley's "man is the real threat" stance. While valid (and true), his position is presented with an incredibly heavy hand. Peter, that horse isn't getting any more dead, so lay off! It's not a good sign when I end up tossing a book on the floor and yelling "I get it." Overall, a massive disappointment.

this book is extreamly interesting. ill recommend it to almost everyone that can read. it makes me look at sharks another way. not only sharks but other creatures at the end. AWESOME