Review: Demon Fish by Juliet Eilperin

Readers! Do I have a book for you!

I would like to take a moment to recommend some great reading for those of you who follow the blog and are maybe a bit more interested in learning some more about sharks.

Juliet Eilperin is an environmental journalist with the Washington Post newspaper, and has followed sharks with tenacity and great intrigue for some time. Her most recent publication, titled Demon Fish, is an absolutely fascinating account of her travels in the societies that interact sharks on a regular basis. From those who "shark call" to those that operate the increasingly controversial Hong Kong shark fin trade and the charter boat shark fishing in the United States.

The title of the book might initially evoke a similar visceral reaction as the title Jaws, but upon cracking the spine of this book you will realize that this is so much more. Eilperin does an excellent job of capturing the complete range of human-shark interactions, and how these interactions may or may not be able to continue into the future.

In my opinion, sharks are now a hot-topic environmental issue, just like whales have been for some time. Whenever culture and fishing practices collide, the resulting product is likely to attract considerable attention and dialogue. I highly recommend Demon Fish for both old and new shark lovers. There is a ton of information packaged within compelling stories and character sketches. Once I started, I couldn't put it down!

Enjoy!