*Behind the Dolphin Smile by Richard O’Barry with Keith Coulbourn (1988, 1999 St. Martin’s Griffin, New York, 299 pp)

Ric O’Barry’s own personal story of how he trained the dolphins in the Flipper TV program and became convinced that all dolphins should be freed from captivity. A touching and often funny account of an amazing life.

“An engaging memoir … a refreshing down-to-earth look and men (and) dolphins.” – Kirkus

*To Free a Dolphin by Richard O’Barry with Keith Coulbourn (2000 Renaissance Books, Los Angeles, 269 pp)

Ric O’Bary’s personal account of the in-fighting over the release of captive dolphins in Florida. An interesting story about the moral consequences of keeping dolphins in captivity.

(*NOTE: Both books are currently out of print. May be available in libraries or in used bookstores. Watch this space for further updates on reprinting.)

Rekindling the Waters: The Truth About Swimming with Dolphins by Leah Lemieux (2009 Troubador Publishing Ltd., UK, 354 pp)

The first two-thirds of the book chronicle the author’s years swimming and interacting with a group of captive bottlenose dolphins in Cuba, and the contrast with wild dolphins. The last third is a detailed, documented discussion of the problems with keeping dolphins in captivity.

Diagnosis Mercury: Money, Politics, & Poison by Jane M. Hightower, MD (2009 Island Press, Washington DC, 307 pp)

A doctor notes a series of strange symptoms in some of her patients, and uncovers the startling dangers of eating too much fish laced with mercury, a health hazard the fishing industry and polluting companies are working hard to cover up, with the help of government health agencies. Extensively researched and documented, this book is about the politics of pollution.

Harpoon: Into the Heart of Whaling by Andrew Darby (2008 Da Capo Press, Cambridge, 300 pp)

Australian journalist Andrew Darby’s detailed history of the efforts of the Japan Fisheries Agency and the whaling industry to tie up the International Whaling Commission in knots while pursuing a continuation of whaling in the face of international opposition.