The Devil's Teeth - A Review!

The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks

The Devil's Teeth is a real life story about a lady and sharks! Yes, please! Susan Casey is the author and recently made Editor-In-Chief of O Magazine. Yes, "O" as in "Oprah". Casey just lost ten million points in my book. Apparently, Susan also had something to do with the film "Blue Crush." I did not see this movie as it starred lollipop-headed Kate Bosworth, thereby rendering the film disqualified for viewing (again, according to my book). Despite these facts about the author, Devil's Teeth is a well-written, fast-paced read about the infamous Farallon Islands and its more infamous residents : Carcharodon carcharias.

Great White Sharks are the subject of Casey's obsession and literary work. But, perhaps what I may have enjoyed most was her research and account of the history of the Farallone Islands. For instance, there was once a group of "eggers" who collected murre eggs, because there were no such things as chickens in San Francisco circa 1812-1838. I don't want to give away too many surprises, but the eggers constructed special pouched shirts to hold their embryonic treasure. If special egging shirts do not entice you to read, I am not sure what will!

Another interesting aspect of this book (besides the sharks) is just how Casey was able to obtain access to the island and convince the biologists to let her tag along. She glosses over how she succeeded in securing a pass to the Farallons, but is quick to adopt a haughty attitude about the US Coast Guard, the tourism industry and her own rights to be in an otherwise restricted and protected area. While, I agree that the chumming & baiting tourism industry is detrimental to the scientists trying to observe and document the sea creatures, I feel Casey is a bit hypocritical in her views of the same. Although she is not participating in destructive behavior, her sheer presence alone violates the maxim of the island. If every curious shark enthusiast were allowed to boat around the Farallons and explore the rugged terrain, what would that mean for the sharks, birds, seals and other creatures? I realize that part of my criticism of Casey is based on my jealousy that a non-scientist/oceanographer/biologist was able to do something that I will never be able to do: encounter the largest sharks in the world. Sure, I could pay the $800 to charter the tourist cage-diving boat, but even then the chances of coming within petting (yes petting) distance of the white sharks is slim. Visibility is poor at the Farallons and conditions are beyond rough. What I need is experts at my disposal who KNOW the sharks and how to visually hunt them.

Although Casey enraged me at times with her oblivious attitude towards the double-standard line she was walking, Devil's Teeth is a great (pardon the pun) read. Even though I found myself totally infuriated with this high-adventuring lady, I'm looking forward to reading The WAVE -- Casey's other foray into the oceanic world.