ANIMAL RIGHTS READS Ark Online's latest literary lexicon of books bound to inspire, incite, and please. For children's book reviews click here. SEAL WARS Twenty-five years on the Front Lines with the Harp Seals By Paul Watson Foreword by Martin Sheen " . . . The extraordinary history of one man's perilous battle to save a harmless species from extinction" - Martin Sheen Modern heroism might seem as mythological as hellhounds and Minotaurs, yet Paul Watson's moving memoir of more than 25 years saving baby harp seals from slaughter is truly Herculean. A founding member of the Greenpeace Foundation, and the 1977 founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Watson captained a series of stalwart ships dedicated to fighting monsters that threaten the world's oceans and its inhabitants. Filled with the tribulation and turmoil of any quest, Watson records the tragedies, brutalities, death threats and mishaps that characterize the Canadian government's bloodthirsty obsession with the annual seal slaughter. Like any hero, Watson risks jail time, fines, and his own life for an odyssey of compassion: he calls his quest "an epic struggle-a classic clash between right and wrong, between good and evil." FOR THE LOVE OF A DOG A Memoir By Elizabeth Rose An animal activist in support of dog breeding? Elizabeth Rose's poignant pages in remembrance of dogs past are no joke. Beginning as an ode to Patches, the dog with whom Rose first fell in love, For the Love of A Dog traces the author's life-and loves-with dogs culminating as an impassioned ode to the Border Collies she "rescued" from backyard breeders. Sage, spiritual, and sometimes silly, reading Rose can be a lucid luxury for those who love dogs-and literature. SPEAKING OUT FOR ANIMALS True Stories about Real People Who Rescue Animals Edited by Kim W. Stallwood With a foreword by Jane Goodall, Animals Agenda Editor Kim Stallwood has compiled a book that heralds a credible crux: Are all animal rights activists nonsensical kooks as the media oft portrays, or is the movement rife with savvy intellectual leaders and everyday heroes of the most ethical kind? Featuring interviews with Maneka Gandhi, Paul McCartney, Peter Singer, Alex Pacheco, and more, the true stories told in this book are no tall tales and either is the heroic nature of the folks found within these pages. Although some of the stories of animal cruelty are sickening and hard-to-believe, this book is a heartwarming read for those who have devoted their lives to rescue. BEST FRIENDS The True Story of the World's Most Beloved Animal Sanctuary By Samantha Glen What happens when a group of animal lovers get together? They create a no-kill animal shelter the size of Manhattan. At Best Friends in Kanab, Utah, every animal -- from goats to geese, dogs to donkeys -- is lavished with love, never fearing a depressing destiny as someone's dinner or any other untimely demise. At Best Friends, all stories have happy endings; this easy-to-read story features an introduction by Mary Tyler Moore. Read more about Best Friends' founder Michael Mountain here: Michael Mountain Interview RED DOG By Louis DeBernieres If Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn were a dog, he'd be Red Dog, the quirky, independent hero of Louis De Bernires novella. Based on a true story-and a real dog-this book evokes both tears and laughter as the reader follows the exploits of one opportunist of a dog and the people who love him. THE ANIMAL RIGHTS DEBATE By Carl Cohen and Tom Regan Do animals have rights? What does the word "rights" mean? Is using rats and cats in research wrong? What about using cows and pigs for food? The animal rights movement began when philosopher Peter Singer began asking - and answering-these types of questions in the early 70s followed by the publication of his book Animal Liberation. As philosophical inquiry is integral to the animal rights debate, Cohen and Regan take differing stances on this philosophical and highly political discussion. Both are professors of philosophy, and this philosophical text represents both sides of the animal rights debate, presented in a format the authors' believe supports reasoned discourse. Although the authors admit to overwhelming differences, both professors agree on the importance of the animal rights debate: an argument that affects not just food and fashion, but science. GHOST DOGS OF THE SOUTH By Randy Russell and Janet Barnett Created by an award-winning team of husband and wife folklorists focused on researching and collecting ghost stories, this short collection of American folklore and storytelling has its roots in the Old South and the deep relationships between dogs and their humans. With primary sources in oral tradition, discovered in previously published collections, journals, letters, diaries, songs and libraries - and complete with postcard photographs from the 1890s to approximately 1915 - the writers revel in a complex canine bond where dogs' devotion doesn't end when life traditionally does. Read more reviews in the student section.