Making a Monster

Episode one of Swimming with Shadows: A Radiolab Week of Sharks. Rodney Fox went into the ocean one summer day in 1963. He came out barely alive, his body torn apart by a great white shark. At the time, it was one of the worst shark attacks ever survived. After he recovered, he was pulled back into the shadowy world he feared most. Again and again and again. That shark attack left behind a question that still lingers, for Rodney, and for all of us: When you can’t see the thing that scares you, what kind of monster does your mind create? And how do you fight past it? Special thanks to Surekha Davies, Asa Mittman, Scott Poole, and Maria Tatar. EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Rachael Cusick with help from - Pat Walters Produced by - Rachael Cusick and Pat Walters Sound design contributed by - Jeremy Bloom with mixing help from - Jeremy Bloom Fact-checking by - Diane Kelly and Edited by - Pat Walters Signup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show.