The Real Jaws

The Real Jaws by Rachel Lee Perez
8/30/25;  224 pages
Pen & Sword

The Real Jaws by Rachel Lee Perez is a highly recommended review of the 1916 shark attacks in New Jersey, a look at historical views of sharks, shark fear, ultimately, how the movie shaped how sharks are perceived, and then an opinion section. The movie Jaws was released in 1975, fifty years ago, so this is an opportune time to look back at both the history and the movie. 

While the 1916 New Jersey shark attacks, which occurred over a two week period, induced plenty of fear, part of that interest and fear was exacerbated by the newspapers at that time which ran the news on the front page. A case can easily be made that the headlines made the fear worse than the actual attacks. As Perez says, the attacks caused the deaths of nearly five people, not hundreds, over a course of two weeks. This event changed how sharks were viewed and made them into man-eating machines. Once the US entered WWI in April 1917 and the Spanish flu epidemic took hold in 1918, the shark headlines disappeared.

Once the book exits the 1916 attack and the aftermath of the movie Jaws, Perez loses the historical and cultural thread and the book becomes an opinion piece. It is pointed out later in the book that the result of the log term fear of sharks has resulted in precautions taken to keep sharks away from beaches (which can harm other species). It seems she wants to protect the sharks, but I'd have to firmly stay on the side of protecting humans. There are around 80 unprovoked attacks are reported worldwide every year. Yes, it's not a huge number, but there are many things we take precautions for that aren't killing a high number of people. I will agree with her on banning shark fin soup.

I really very much enjoyed much of the book until the last part. A look at the page count will confirm that The Real Jaws isn't meant to be a complete, in-depth look at shark attacks throughout history or deep insight into the movie. It's more some moderate shark and movie information followed by an opinion piece. The book is short and does include Notes, a list of Resources, a Bibliography, and an index, so those looking for a more scholarly book can find further books to read on the topic. Thanks to Pen & Sword for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.