Books that Inspire and Inform


Waves of God's Embrace: Sacred Perspectives on the Oceans by Anglican Bishop Winston Halapua (Canterbury Press, 2008)

This incredible short book offers the spiritual perspectives and guiding community principles of the Polynesian or Moana (ocean) peoples for living in the context of the Christian faith, but appropriate for all for spiritual and communal growth for facing life's difficult challenges, and those of the oceans as well. Beautiful. Thought provoking in an inspiring and practical way.
Bishop Halapua shares his story and those of the people of the Pacific islands and the wisdom there is leaven for all.

Citizens of the Sea: Wondrous Creatures from the Census of Marine Life by Dr. Nancy Knowlton, Sant Chair of Marine Science at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (National Geographic, 2010)

As the cover and title says, be prepared for wonder at the awe-inspiring creatures Gods has evolved in the seas -- our brother and sister species waiting for you to meet them. To get a sense of the seascapes they live in, also read Planet Ocean.

Planet Ocean: Voyage to the Heart of the Marine Realm by Ocean Photographer Lauren Ballesta and Marine Biologist Pierre Descamp, with foreword by Jean-Michel Cousteau (National Geographic, 2007)


Seasick: Ocean Change and the Extinction of Life on Earth by Alanna Mitchell, (2012)
http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo5472297.html

Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them by Ted Danson, Michael D'Orso (2011)
http://oceanabook.net/ 

Plastic Ocean: How a Sea Captain's Chance Discovery Launched a Determined Quest to Save the Oceans by Charles Moore with Cassandra Phillips (2012)
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11829420-plastic-ocean

Plastiki hc by David de Rothchild (2011)

50 Ways to Save the Ocean by David Helvarg (2006)
http://www.bluefront.org/files/books.php

The World is Blue: How Our Fate and the Oceans are One by National Geographic Explorer-Residence Sylvia Earle, foreword by Bill McKibben (2010)

Defying Ocean's End: An Agenda For Action by Linda Glover, Sylvia Earle (2004)
http://www.conservation.org/publications/Pages/defying_ocean_end.aspx

Eye of the Albatross: Visions of Hope and Survival by Carl Safina (2003)

 
Blue Mind: The Surprising Science that Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected and Better at What You Do by Wallace J. Nichols with foreword by Celine Cousteau  (Little Brown, 2014)

If you have ever wondered why you feel differently at the ocean or around streams, this book answers the question with the new neuroscience that shows our intimate relationship and natural responses to water. Amazing! And it shows why we can grow spiritually if we acknowledge these deep connections in the context of faith in a Creator that imbued us all with this interconnectivity of life and energy flow. Nichols does not prescribe or describe a spiritual or religious path, but opens the doors to new thinking, more possibilities, more connections. And more responsibility to care for ocean systems, species, and peoples.
DEEP: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves, by James Nestor (Eamon Dolan, 2014)

This fascinating book explores our connections to marine life and our own undeveloped senses through the venue of finding out what happens to us when we as humans do deep diving without gear. As it is so dangerous, it's a good thing we have Nestor to take us along so we can learn without having to risk our lives.