Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Chasing Shadows:
The book has sharks. What more do you need?
Quick synopsis:
The story of sharks and shark expert Greg Skomal.
Fact for Non-History People:
Great White Sharks and their ancestors have survived every mass extinction event for more than 450 million years.
Fact for History Nerds:
Humpback whales are pregnant for a year and can give birth to a baby as big as fifteen feet long and 2,000 pounds.
My Take on Chasing Shadows:
See, this is why I don’t go past my ankles into the ocean. There are sharks and they are going to eat me.
For those of you without my paranoia, I can highly recommend Chasing Shadows by Greg Skomal with Ret Talbot. The book is part science, part biography, and part horror. Obviously, the horror part is why I will be barely dipping a toe in at Nauset Beach this summer. All three parts of the book fit together quite well, though. Skomal truly does love sharks, but the most fascinating part of the book for me was the myriad ways Skomal has to balance his affinity for these apex predators against politics and commerce. He seems to be caught in between many different viewpoints and has to find the best way out of a lot of bad situations. I should say Skomal’s willingness to point out the work he had to do on his social skills is also very endearing because who hasn’t been the awkward new person at work?
Shark lovers will find plenty to enjoy in this book. If you aren’t one, I think you’ll be entertained about the story of a guy following his passion and achieving his dream job.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and William Morrow.)
Verdict:
It’s the perfect summer read. Buy it here!
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