50 Years After ‘Jaws’ Terrified Filmgoers, a Reporter Looks Back
The Book Review14 Jun 2025

50 Years After ‘Jaws’ Terrified Filmgoers, a Reporter Looks Back

Steven Spielberg’s movie “Jaws” hit theaters 50 years ago this month, in June 1975, and became a phenomenon almost instantly. In some ways that was no surprise: The Peter Benchley novel it was based on, also called “Jaws,” had been a huge best seller the year before, and the public was primed for a fun summer scare. Brian Raftery — the author of “Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen” — wrote about “Jaws” for the Book Review last year in honor of the novel’s 50th anniversary, and this week he visits the podcast to talk about the book, the movie adaptation and the era of blockbuster thrillers.

“If you’ve seen ‘Jaws,’ you could probably guess what the opening chapter of the book is,” he tells Gilbert Cruz (who has indeed seen “Jaws,” dozens of times). “It’s this shark attack, where this shark at night just devours this young female swimmer. The writing is really fun. It’s really gnarly, and it’s one of those amazing opening chapters where the book is moving as fast as the shark. After you read that first chapter, you are just completely pulled in.”

We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review’s podcast in general. You can send them to books@nytimes.com.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Episoder(574)

Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘Stalin’s Daughter’

Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘Stalin’s Daughter’

This week, Rosemary Sullivan talks about “Stalin’s Daughter”; Alexandra Alter has news from the publishing world; Eugenia Cheng discusses “How to Bake Pi”; Judd Apatow on his reading habits; questions from listeners; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

12 Jun 201543min

Inside The New York Times Book Review: “Reagan: The Life”

Inside The New York Times Book Review: “Reagan: The Life”

This week, Jeff Shesol discusses H. W. Brands’s new biography of Ronald Reagan; Alexandra Alter has notes from the publishing world; Charlotte DeCroes Jacobs talks about her new biography of Jonas Salk; questions from readers; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

5 Jun 201536min

Inside The New York Times Book Review: Judy Blume’s ‘In the Unlikely Event’

Inside The New York Times Book Review: Judy Blume’s ‘In the Unlikely Event’

This week, Judy Blume talks about her new novel; Liesl Schillinger rounds up new travel books; Alexandra Alter has news from the publishing world; Vanessa Grigoriadis discusses Wednesday Martin’s memoir, “Primates of Park Avenue”; feedback from readers; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

29 Mai 201545min

Inside The New York Times Book Review: Shakespeare in Love

Inside The New York Times Book Review: Shakespeare in Love

This week, Alan Riding discusses two new books about Shakespeare’s women characters and his personal life; Parul Sehgal and John Williams have news from the literary world; Michelle Orange talks about five new essay collections; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

22 Mai 201536min

Matthew Weiner On the End of ‘Mad Men’

Matthew Weiner On the End of ‘Mad Men’

In a special supplement from The Times’s culture desk, Mr. Weiner, the creator of “Mad Men,” discusses the coming conclusion of the series with Dave Itzkoff, a reporter for The Times. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

15 Mai 201534min

Inside The New York Times Book Review: The Future of Work

Inside The New York Times Book Review: The Future of Work

This week, Barbara Ehrenreich discusses “Rise of the Robots” and “Shadow Work”; Alexandra Alter has news from the publishing world; Andrew Solomon talks about Oliver Sacks’s new memoir, “On the Move”; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

15 Mai 201534min

Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘A God in Ruins’

Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘A God in Ruins’

This week, Tom Perrotta discusses Kate Atkinson’s “A God in Ruins”; Alexandra Alter has news from the publishing world; Ruth Franklin talks about Shirley Jackson; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

8 Mai 201528min

Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘The Life of Saul Bellow’

Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘The Life of Saul Bellow’

This week, Sam Tanenhaus talks about Zachary Leader’s new biography of Saul Bellow; Alexandra Alter has news from the literary world; Emily Bazelon discusses Jon Krakauer’s “Missoula”; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

1 Mai 201546min

Populært innen Fritid

rss-spartsklubben
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
interiorradet
mil-etter-mil-en-podcast-om-bil
nerdelandslaget
jakt-og-fiskepodden
jegerpodden
level-backup
rss-jegerpodden
kaffeskal-med-hollund-krogh
menn-uten-midje-kan-ogsa-lese
rss-var-forste-kaffe
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
villmarksliv
hagespiren-podcast
rss-hestenes-klan
fjellsportpodden
ullmaske
0-100-med-broom-mats-og-remi
podme-bio-3