An American Trilogy
Death, Slavery, and Dominion on the Banks of the Cape Fear River
(paperback: Da Capo Press, 2010)
(hardcover: Da Capo Press 1st ed., 2009)

The Cape Fear River runs through Bladen County, North Carolina, population 33,000. On its western bank, in the town of Tar Heel, sits the largest slaughterhouse in the world. Deep below the slaughterhouse, one may find the arrowheads of Siouan-speaking peoples who roamed there for a millennium. Nearer the surface is evidence of slaves who labored there for a century. And now, the slaughterhouse kills the population of Bladen County, in hogs, every day.

In this remarkable account, Wise traces the history of today’s deadly harvest. From the colonies to the slave trade, from the artificial conception and unrecorded death of one single pig to the surreal science of the pork industry -- whose workers continue the centuries of oppression -- he unveils a portrait of this nation through the lives of its most vulnerable. His explorations ultimately lead to hope from a most unlikely source: the Baptist clergy, a voice in this wilderness proclaiming a new view of creation.

Though the Heavens May Fall
The Landmark Trial that Led to the End of Human Slavery
(paperback 2006)
(hardcover Da Capo Press, Dec 2005)

"Perhaps no trial changed the course of history as much as one that took place in London in 1772: the case of James Somerset, a black man rescued from a ship bound for the West Indies slave markets. At this landmark trial, two encompassing worldviews clashed in an event of passionate drama and far-reaching significance."

Now noted legal historian Steven M. Wise recreates each moment of the case that slave owners contended would do nothing less than bring the economy of the British Empire to a crashing halt. In a narrative of Somerset's trial -- and the slave trials that led up to it -- Wise sets the stage for the extraordinary decision by the notoriously conservative judge, Lord Mansfield. That decision would set in motion the abolition of slavery in both England and the United States.

Drawing the Line
Science and the Case for Animal Rights
(paperback Basic Boos 2003)
(Perseus Publishing, 2002/3)

"In this investigation, Wise explores the intelligence and abilities of animals across the evolutionary spectrum -- from his own son and other intelligent primates to dolphins, elephants, parrots, dogs -- even honeybees. The law has criteria for personhood, and by studying and often witnessing the latest research by leading experts in animal intelligence, Wise shows how at least some creatures clearly meet those criteria."

Wise's investigations are far-reaching in their implications for the legal rights of animals. Beneath Mount Kilimanjaro, Cynthia Moss shows him the affectionate antics of elephant families. He tracks chimpanzees with Richard Wrangham near Uganda's Mountains of the Moon, converses with Irene Pepperburg and Alex, the African Grey parrot who is learning to spell at MIT, and signs with Penny Patterson and Koko the gorilla in their California sanctuary. Atop the headlands of Monterey Bay, he watches Rocky the sea lion demonstrate her understanding of abstract concepts, while back at home he observes one of the least understood of fellow creatures, Marbury his dog.

Rattling the Cage
Toward Legal Rights for Animals
(Perseus Books, 2000)

From "the country's best-known animal lawyer" (USA Today), a brilliant argument for extending basic legal rights to animals, beginning with chimpanzees and bonobos.

While the popular animal rights movement gains ever-increasing momentum, in the courts the dark ages prevail. The evolution of law that has brought fundamental rights to the most defenseless humans has yet to begin for other species. A human lost in a permanent vegetative state enjoys a large array of legal rights. But a chimpanzee-a creature who can communicate with language, count, understand the minds of others, feel a variety of emotions, live in a complex culture, and make and use tools-has no rights at all.

Steven Wise, who has worked and communicated with the world's most prominent primatologists, demonstrates that, based on the latest scientific findings, the cognitive, emotional, and social capacities of at least chimps and bonobos entitle them to freedom from imprisonment and abuse. His path-breaking, witty, and impeccably researched book has everything needed to convince judges, scientists, lawyers, and the millions of others who simply care about animals of the injustice of denying them basic legal rights.