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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
As someone who was unfamiliar with this bird, it was a nice overview to Alex's documented achievements & why they're important. Anything that can--no matter how slowly--bring humans closer to a more holistic understanding of nature & further away from their default ego & anthropocentric view of our species' place amongst other living beings (on a planet way out in deep space, even though we call it "here") is absolutely worth the time & effort in the long run. If you look at it objectively, assuming other species are intelligent in their own ways is really the only intelligent assumption to make.
Being a memoir, it's a fairly casual & somewhat personal take as opposed to a rigorous scientific study. The author has written plenty of those, for anybody looking for that type of detail on the subject. Naturally it's focused on her own experiences & feelings while pursuing her work. Some people are apparently too distracted by that aspect to enjoy the book, but it's not overpowering at all in my opinion. I guess there's always something to criticize when someone exposes their personal feelings, although I feel like that's not really the point of reading a memoir about someone who's had different life experiences than us.
In any case there's no denying the value of the outcome. There's a lot of possibility & complexity within those walnut-sized bird brains.
Being a memoir, it's a fairly casual & somewhat personal take as opposed to a rigorous scientific study. The author has written plenty of those, for anybody looking for that type of detail on the subject. Naturally it's focused on her own experiences & feelings while pursuing her work. Some people are apparently too distracted by that aspect to enjoy the book, but it's not overpowering at all in my opinion. I guess there's always something to criticize when someone exposes their personal feelings, although I feel like that's not really the point of reading a memoir about someone who's had different life experiences than us.
In any case there's no denying the value of the outcome. There's a lot of possibility & complexity within those walnut-sized bird brains.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
This book is not only a heart-warming tale of the personality of Alex and his bond with his researcher, but it is a prime example of how humanity continually underestimates the capabilities of other species on this planet. Alex's accomplishments were extraordinary and not only will he be missed for his personality but also for what else he could have contributed to our knowledge of something other than ourselves.
True story with a bird who can talk?? What's not to like. Now I might be researching owning an African Grey Parrot.....
informative
slow-paced
Would that I remembered where I first heard about this book and added it to my list of things to read in Libby…but I am so glad that I did! It is a fast read, but also informative and emotionally connected. Ms. Pepperberg was able, in this book, to detail her strong connection to Alex, an African Grey parrot, and let their relationship shine instead of having to sterilize it to be scientifically acceptable. Some connections, some experiences, are better viewed and related to through the lens of emotion, friendship, and day-to-day activities instead of the rigid structures of scientific inquiry. And there is still a sufficient amount of the science, in how Irene notes Alex’s major landmarks in knowledge and understanding, the path of learning that she directed (or he pulled her towards!), and that scientific structure to show growth over time. Having both, though, between this and The Alex Studies (which I haven’t yet read), offers readers a more rounded experience and understanding that is unattainable with only one or the other. Alex, or “Mr. A” was quite the personality, and his personality really comes through in Irene’s words. It was so much fun seeing him learn and grow, and surprise Irene and her students; to see him come into his own self and personality, just as watching a child grow into their own unique self. The highs felt high, and the lows felt low, and through it all, you felt for Alex and Irene.
On the academic experience side of Irene and Alex’s story, it is interesting to see how when they started, they were all but ostracized from being considered serious science, and to see how now, nearly fifty years after they set out to go against the flow, how much science has started to explore and consider serious and valuable the study of language and understanding in animals. It must be so validating and vindicating for Irene to know that now, not only are her theories mainstream and considered serious, but they are also being pursued in one way or another for various other animals. Given where I was at academically as this expansion of understanding came around, I consider it normal that we think whales and dolphins and elephants and corvids, to name a few, have a higher level of intelligence and communication that we just don’t understand (yet!) (even though it probably found root in the seed of the Animorphs series from the late 90s/early 2000s…). I think I’m about to go on a kick of reading about animal intelligence in my non-fiction reads now…
Quotes:
The most profound lesson that Alex taught us concerns the place of Homo Sapiens in nature. The revolution in animal cognition of which Alex was an important part teaches us that humans are not unique, as we long believed. We are not superior to all other beings in nature. The idea of humans’ separateness from the rest of nature is no longer tenable. Alex taught us that we are a a part of nature, not apart from nature.
[…]
Reductionism has had many triumphs in understanding the nature of the parts and how some parts fit together. It enabled us to build computers and devise powerful medicines, for example. But some scientists admit that reductionism falls short of its ultimate goal: understanding how the world works. It falls short because it fails to recognize the connectedness, the unity, that is the deep essence of nature in all realms. Not in the sense of physicists seeking the ultimate fundamental particle or the theory of everything. There is a oneness in nature in the sense of interdependence. – Chapter 9, page 155-156 out of 182
On the academic experience side of Irene and Alex’s story, it is interesting to see how when they started, they were all but ostracized from being considered serious science, and to see how now, nearly fifty years after they set out to go against the flow, how much science has started to explore and consider serious and valuable the study of language and understanding in animals. It must be so validating and vindicating for Irene to know that now, not only are her theories mainstream and considered serious, but they are also being pursued in one way or another for various other animals. Given where I was at academically as this expansion of understanding came around, I consider it normal that we think whales and dolphins and elephants and corvids, to name a few, have a higher level of intelligence and communication that we just don’t understand (yet!) (even though it probably found root in the seed of the Animorphs series from the late 90s/early 2000s…). I think I’m about to go on a kick of reading about animal intelligence in my non-fiction reads now…
Quotes:
The most profound lesson that Alex taught us concerns the place of Homo Sapiens in nature. The revolution in animal cognition of which Alex was an important part teaches us that humans are not unique, as we long believed. We are not superior to all other beings in nature. The idea of humans’ separateness from the rest of nature is no longer tenable. Alex taught us that we are a a part of nature, not apart from nature.
[…]
Reductionism has had many triumphs in understanding the nature of the parts and how some parts fit together. It enabled us to build computers and devise powerful medicines, for example. But some scientists admit that reductionism falls short of its ultimate goal: understanding how the world works. It falls short because it fails to recognize the connectedness, the unity, that is the deep essence of nature in all realms. Not in the sense of physicists seeking the ultimate fundamental particle or the theory of everything. There is a oneness in nature in the sense of interdependence. – Chapter 9, page 155-156 out of 182
emotional
informative
medium-paced
I actually read this book in one day a couple weekends ago.
I loved it. I only superficially knew about Alex and Irene Pepperberg, and this memoir of their time and work together was really interesting.
Be prepared to cry, though. The entire first chapter consists of Ms. Pepperberg's recounting of the aftermath of Alex's early death.
I was disappointed not to find out what Alex had died of. Ms. Pepperberg alludes to having an autopsy done on Alex, but she doesn't tell us what was his COD.
If you're interested in animal behavior, the science of psychology, or birds, you need to read this book. It is an eye-opening read into what it takes to be on the cutting edge of animal and human behavior.
I loved it. I only superficially knew about Alex and Irene Pepperberg, and this memoir of their time and work together was really interesting.
Be prepared to cry, though. The entire first chapter consists of Ms. Pepperberg's recounting of the aftermath of Alex's early death.
I was disappointed not to find out what Alex had died of. Ms. Pepperberg alludes to having an autopsy done on Alex, but she doesn't tell us what was his COD.
If you're interested in animal behavior, the science of psychology, or birds, you need to read this book. It is an eye-opening read into what it takes to be on the cutting edge of animal and human behavior.
This is a book for everyone who loves animals and has the hunch there is more going on in their heads than we currently understand. This is a great look into the intellectual silliness as well as the frustrations of working with birds. This was a great book and I will recommend it to all of my friends. Godspeed Alex.