Rating: 
Summary: Benchley's Act of Contrition Works!
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Get Bitten by "Shark Trouble"
Review: Peter Benchley's "Shark Trouble" is a pretty flimsy non-fiction book. The author of "Jaws," who became a hugely successful by using a shark to scare the wits out of people, now comes down on the side of sharks by trying to convince people of their admirable traits. This is a noble gesture on Mr. Benchley's part, but it is delivered in such a half-hearted manner that he shouldn't have bothered. The book contains very little actual reporting. Instead, Benchley mostly realtes his own experiences with sharks and other dangerous sea faring critters. He provides the reader with VERY little scientific information about sharks. More surprisingly, he relates almost no third person shark stories, other than those told to him by his by mysterious "friends" (who he seldom names). Instead, there is a chapter on ocean swimming safety, several in which Benchley lists (ad nauseam) every type of Marine life that is potentially harmful to humans, some "Jaws" anecdotes and a bizarre short fiction piece about what would happen if every shark on the planet were to be killed (say what???). Given that the book is only 186 double-spaced pages to begin with, anyone with a real intrest in sharks will be sorely disappointed by the lack of real information provided. Needless to say, Benchley's lightweight effort was huge disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Just when you thought it was safe to read another shark book
Review: Peter Benchley, author of the novel JAWS must have a guilty conscious. After all, his novel and the blockbuster film it inspired have drastically affected the public's psyche about ocean swimming and sh-sh-sharks. Who hasn't scanned the water for predatory dorsal fins before stepping into the water? In response, Benchley has crafted a quick book to offer a greater understanding of the fish. His basic theme weaved throughout the book is man's own responsibility for shark attacks. After all, when swimming we are entering their territory. He also states that many shark attacks are accidental, that the fish thinks the human is something tastier but after a bite, it runs off to find something more appetizing. He is quick to challenge theoretical claims that suggest the thought process of the shark. How can we actually know what the shark is thinking if we are not a shark? (Forget the fact that the book is jam-packed full of similar shark-thought suggestions of its own.) The book is made up of three types of communication. First, it carries an animal activist voice. It doesn't plead, rather it confidently uses `facts' and `statistics', which is much more powerful. However, the use of a short story about a town affected by the death of the local sharks borders on ridiculous. Second and most interesting is Benchley's use of personal experiences to lay down the point. His recollection of swimming with Great White's, other sharks and even dolphins often reads like summer reading, a page-turner. The weakest element is Benchley's reliance on other author's work. Most often, this material is a static read and is only as revealing as an eighth-grade report on sharks. SHARK TROUBLE is not a major accomplishment, but simple reading for anyone who wants to increase a basic education of the fish. Major students of the shark will find the book unfulfilling. But, any book about one of the planets most interesting creatures is worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: Just when you thought it was safe to read another shark book
Review: Peter Benchley, author of the novel JAWS must have a guilty conscious. After all, his novel and the blockbuster film it inspired have drastically affected the public's psyche about ocean swimming and sh-sh-sharks. Who hasn't scanned the water for predatory dorsal fins before stepping into the water? In response, Benchley has crafted a quick book to offer a greater understanding of the fish. His basic theme weaved throughout the book is man's own responsibility for shark attacks. After all, when swimming we are entering their territory. He also states that many shark attacks are accidental, that the fish thinks the human is something tastier but after a bite, it runs off to find something more appetizing. He is quick to challenge theoretical claims that suggest the thought process of the shark. How can we actually know what the shark is thinking if we are not a shark? (Forget the fact that the book is jam-packed full of similar shark-thought suggestions of its own.) The book is made up of three types of communication. First, it carries an animal activist voice. It doesn't plead, rather it confidently uses 'facts' and 'statistics', which is much more powerful. However, the use of a short story about a town affected by the death of the local sharks borders on ridiculous. Second and most interesting is Benchley's use of personal experiences to lay down the point. His recollection of swimming with Great White's, other sharks and even dolphins often reads like summer reading, a page-turner. The weakest element is Benchley's reliance on other author's work. Most often, this material is a static read and is only as revealing as an eighth-grade report on sharks. SHARK TROUBLE is not a major accomplishment, but simple reading for anyone who wants to increase a basic education of the fish. Major students of the shark will find the book unfulfilling. But, any book about one of the planets most interesting creatures is worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable listening, but...
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A Tale of Frisky Sea Beasts
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: FIND ANOTHER TOPIC AND ANOTHER JOB
Review: You know, when I was a kid I had a fear of the ocean, which in some ways came about because of the movie Jaws. I hadn't even seen the movie in its initial release. I had heard of the plot from an older brother and it didn't take much for an overimaginative 1st grader to be scared of what was lurking unseen in the water's depths as i swam. I think with Shark Trouble, Peter Benchley is trying to repair the public relations disaster of the great white shark. Who knows how many sharks he caused to be destroyed senselessly with his novel. I finally did see the movie and enjoyed it so much that I sought out the novel many years later. ... I don't know why I expected Peter Benchley to be able to write non-fiction any better than fiction, but I did. I guess I picked up this book in the belief that he would have some special insight into sharks or be able to write in an entertaining way. He failed. There is trouble with Shark Trouble on many fronts. Peter has turned what could have been an educational experience into an apology for sharks. He acts like its our fault that sharks attack us. If people get bitten in half, its just a simple mistake by the poor innocent defenseless baby carriage pushing shark. He goes on and on about how great the odds are against being attacked by a shark. I guess those odds are great as long as you aren't the one person getting swallowed in blood. Another thing that brings the book down is Peter's constant assertions of anthropomorphizing, or giving human characteristics, to sharks. He over and over tries to take this godlike stance that he knows what sharks are thinking. The fact is that noone can truly predict what a shark is going to do. That's what wild animal means. He really tries hard to sentimentalize the sharks, saying that those who attack humans are merely misunderstood. I'm sure if he could set up psycho-analysis sessions with sharks he would. It's really cheesy. His stand on the environment is particularly artless and banal. He even makes up one whole chapter of an 8th grade level story about why sharks are important to our ecosystem. I mean I get the message but not the messenger. Another thing wrong with the book is that a lot of it, doesn't even have to do with sharks. It tells you how to swim and about other dangerous creatures of the sea. It would have been much better to have gone in depth with all the different kinds of sharks. Benchley writes in this book that it he wrote it in reponse to the shark hysteria that was going on a couple years back when the news media had stories plastered in every outlet. "SHARK ATTACK EPIDEMIC!!!" and other such things. I agree with him that the media exploited a few incidents and tried their best to panic people but I propose that Benchley is no better. This book is so badly put together and short that I feel it was hastily done to capitalize on the very same media coverage it was written against. This book is truly bad. It is not researched very well and offers no new information on sharks or anything for that matter.
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