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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
fast-paced
informative
fast-paced
Something about this bird, this story touches me deeply. I'm not really a bird person but Alex and Irene's relationship is so moving.
3.5 stars
It's astonishing to me that, as recently as 25 years ago, people questioned whether animals had comprehension skills and emotions similar to that of humans. Irene Pepperberg's work with Alex is insightful and scientific and fascinating. One of my favorite anecdotes (and there were many) occurs when Alex contracts an infection and has to be left at the vet's for an extended period of time. Pepperberg goes to say goodbye to him, and there, hunkered in his little cage, Alex says quietly, "I'm sorry. Come here. Wanna go back."
I think I tend to anthropomorphize animals, and it's especially difficult to refrain from doing so while reading this book, even as Pepperberg cautions the reader not to. I wish Alex were still with us, providing insight and bossing around graduate assistants, and in his absence, I'm happy this book exists.
It's astonishing to me that, as recently as 25 years ago, people questioned whether animals had comprehension skills and emotions similar to that of humans. Irene Pepperberg's work with Alex is insightful and scientific and fascinating. One of my favorite anecdotes (and there were many) occurs when Alex contracts an infection and has to be left at the vet's for an extended period of time. Pepperberg goes to say goodbye to him, and there, hunkered in his little cage, Alex says quietly, "I'm sorry. Come here. Wanna go back."
I think I tend to anthropomorphize animals, and it's especially difficult to refrain from doing so while reading this book, even as Pepperberg cautions the reader not to. I wish Alex were still with us, providing insight and bossing around graduate assistants, and in his absence, I'm happy this book exists.
Really enjoyed reading about Alex's behaviors and wit, especially during times he became bored with experiments and took matters into his own talons. My biggest criticism is that some of the writing is repetitive of previous points to the point of near verbatim and the book begins with an excessive number of letters written by strangers about Alex at the time of his death. But Alex and his cohorts are so fascinating and funny that I didn't mind the extra text so much.
All about Alex and Dr Pepperberg. A light read, but entertaining. Alex was amazing and Dr Pepperberg has to be admired for her perseverance.
This book had some funny stories, but was not a page turner. However, I was very interested in the approach used to document the cognitive abilities of birds (but I didn't want the heavy scientific research).
Fun, but I could have done with a little more Alex and a little less "me".
A very folksy (non-scientific) retelling of the story of the "smartest bird in the world". It was a very sweet read and I am giving it to my kids to read. Amazing story