Der Hai

More about the book

Combining rich historical detail with a gripping narrative, this book re-creates the summer of 1916 when a rogue Great White shark attacked swimmers along the New Jersey shore, inciting mass hysteria and launching an extensive shark hunt. During a summer before the U.S. entered World War I, as ocean swimming gained popularity and Jersey Shore resorts thrived, Americans faced the terror of sharks for the first time. In July 1916, a lone Great White ventured from its deep-ocean habitat toward the New Jersey shoreline, near Beach Haven and Spring Lake, and even an inland farming community. This predator initiated a deadly rampage, marking the first shark attacks on swimmers in U.S. history. For a prosperous nation, the arrival of this violent creature symbolized the limits of humanity's power over nature. Interweaving vivid portraits of the era with chilling accounts of the shark's five attacks and the ensuing hunt, the author creates a nonfiction historical thriller. The narrative captures the panic among citizens, press, and politicians, alongside colorful figures like millionaire Herman Oelrichs, who wagered against the shark, and ichthyologist John Treadwell Nichols, tasked with confronting a little-understood sea creature. Scrupulously researched and superbly written, this account brings to life a pivotal moment in American history with startling immediacy.