What Were the Shark Attacks of 1916?

What was...?

by Nico Medina, Tim Foley (Illustrator), Who HQ

The panic-filled summer of 1916, when multiple deadly shark attacks shocked the nation, is chronicled in this gripping addition to the New York Times Best-Selling What Was? series.

On July 1, 1916, witnesses watched in horror as twenty-eight-year-old Charles Vansant was attacked and killed by a shark in shallow water off Beach Haven, New Jersey—the first recorded shark attack in American history. Scientists claimed a shark could not be responsible, but more deadly attacks soon followed along the Jersey Shore and up the freshwater Matawan Creek, setting off a nationwide panic that led the White House to declare a “War on Sharks.” In this illustrated book, which features 16 pages of black-and-white photographs, readers will learn about the likely culprit (or culprits) in the attacks—the great white shark and the bull shark—and how the bloody summer of 1916 would change how people viewed sharks forever.

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, History, Nature

112 pages, Paperback

Published April 9, 2024

Reviews

[Rachel Cook]

Honestly checked this out just because the title made me so curious, but it was fascinating!

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Language: G
Romance/Sex: G
Violence: PG+ (shark attacks, blood, injuries, surgery, death)
Appropriate Age: 8+
Triggers/Warnings: shark attacks, death

I've enjoyed many Who Was Series books, I was disappointed in this one. It read like a fiction, and really might have been in certain ways. While I didn't do as much research as the author (hopefully) did, I found several errors and/or suspicious tales, that I couldn't substantiate. And while some people might say that the bulk of the work was fine, the devil is in the details. I feel like it shows a lack of concern for children and for true education when "non-fiction" "educational" children's books take such liberties, if not actually making things up. Call it a historical fiction, but unless it's 100% accurate to your best knowledge then it's not non-fiction.

Here is the mess I sent to the publishers because I was bothered.

To whom it may concern,

I have read and enjoyed several Who Was Series books, I have been able
to dig deeper into many subjects because of things mentioned in these
books. I was particularly impressed with "What Do We Know About the
Nazca Lines?" So much rich information to study further.

However, I just finished "What Were the Shark Attacks of 1916?" and I
am so frustrated that I'm taking time to contact you. I'm concerned
that details of this book have not been researched thoroughly or fact
checked enough. Yes, the major events are accurate and written with
some liberty for story form. And yes, tangential subjects seem
accurate. But there are suspicious errors/lines that undermine the
credibility of the book and therefore the series.

Mind you, I was reading this book for pleasure, not to critique it,
and as of now, I've only done several hours of research myself (my
family thinks I'm nuts,) but as an avid reader, a teacher, a
homeschool teacher, and a parent I am passionate about and sensitive
to non-fiction material presented to children. And I do enjoy rabbit
holes and spontaneous research of fantastic claims.

Here are some of the items that concerned me:

Page 11- diagram of sharks with inaccurate/confusing labeling. The
female shark is supposed to be the larger one, the numbers and the
paragraph say so but the label for the larger shark is male.

P. 17 "Workers building the US naval base at Pearl Harbor discovered
the remains of a four-acre underwater pen... hosted death matches...
the sharks usually won." This event sounded interesting so I went to
learn more and couldn't find a single mention of the event anywhere.
There are related topics like the US naval base being built over
fishing pens and being told about legendary guardian sharks that
protected fishermen. There are legends of shark fighting. If anything
there seems to be a single article from the Smithsonian that has a
paragraph on "gladiator-style shark pens" but this article seems
questionable too since it doesn't have any bibliography and there is
no mention of this in any Hawaiian cultural sources. I have found
multiple sources on ancient shark fishing that included hand-to-hand
engagement.

In the book it used the term "is believed to have hosted" which I will
concede is a term that includes legend, but having the following
sentence be "The sharks usually won" implies factual knowledge.

P. 26 "One hotel restaurant ceiling was also the glass bottom of a
sunlit aquarium!" Again, I thought this was interesting enough to look
into. I simply can't find any records of any restaurant like this at
all. Maybe the author is referring to the fantasea reef buffet, some
70 years later.

P. 49 while not strictly wrong, the image paired with the wording of
the paragraph, feels easily misunderstood by kids, if not misleading.
"he punched at them- and one by one, they swam away." All historical
accounts say that he thrashed in the water and they were "scared"
away. He didn't punch any or take them on one by one in some kind of
fight, although he was a boxer himself.

P. 63 I can find no known records of a Bayonne policeman shooting an
8-ft shark in the head repeatedly in front of children, before the
shark swam away. Where is the author getting these stories?

Overall, I would love to see this book revisited by thorough editors
and fact-checkers, perhaps mentioning this book on your website with
corrections and republished it. My hope for the future is that all Who
Was Series books will be held to a high standard of accuracy in
factual education, including thorough bibliographies like some of the
Who Was Series already has. I would love to lean on this series for
educating our next generation!

Thank you,
Sarah

[Anna Cavallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

On July 1, 1916, witnesses watched in horror as twenty-eight-year-old Charles Vansant was attacked and killed by a shark in shallow water off Beach Haven, New Jersey—the first recorded shark attack in American history. Scientists claimed a shark could not be responsible, but more deadly attacks soon followed along the Jersey Shore and up the freshwater Matawan Creek, setting off a nationwide panic that led the White House to declare a “War on Sharks.” In this illustrated book, which features 16 pages of black-and-white photographs, readers will learn about the likely culprit (or culprits) in the attacks—the great white shark and the bull shark—and how the bloody summer of 1916 would change how people viewed sharks forever.

[Zan Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

On July 1, 1916, witnesses watched in horror as twenty-three-year-old Charles Vansant was attacked and killed by a shark in shallow water at Beach Haven, New Jersey--the first recorded shark attack in American history. Scientists claimed a shark could not be responsible, but more deadly attacks soon followed along the Jersey Shore and up the freshwater Matawan Creek, setting off a nationwide panic that led the White House to declare a war on sharks."

[Ashton Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book advertised in the children’s section of our library but was so interested I had to check it out. I enjoyed learning about these attacks and appreciated the historical context that was presented (polio sending folks out to the beaches, threats of uboats more worrisome than sharks, etc).

[sharkysyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love sharks

/ #audiobook

[Amy Hesterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt my heart racing a little bit when reading this. And I had no idea there were some freshwater sharks as well. These books are always so well done!

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series!

[Yz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this before bed gave me nightmares 😂

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating!

[Elexndra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library borrow

[Karthika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is something new to me. I thought the movie 'Jaws' was fictional. But it is based on this real life incident.

[David Rough · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good report of an unknown series of events to me. I thought it was a bit too graphic for young readers. The deaths of several individuals, including a few children, were chronicled.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was interesting and I’m guessing factual. If this information is so important, why is it that I never heard of it before?

[Kevin Koppelmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish it had been a bit longer with some more information about the attacks.

[Charlotte O'Leary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great previously unknown information! Boys loved it of course.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, well, apparently I need history stories in kids' book format right now.
Much better written than I had anticipated, and really neatly laid out the story.

[Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book taught me so much because before I read it, I didn’t know much about the Shark Attacks of 1916 and now, I can say I am an expert! Amazing Book!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my son and now I can't stop telling people facts about the Shark attacks of 1916. I think I liked it more than he did.

[maria aprieto · Rating 4 out of 5]

may be too scary for younger kids

My 8 year old found some parts a little graphic. She said she is definitely not going to swim
in the ocean for a long time…