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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
Okay so I finished this book abnormally fast due to a combination of sleeplessness and the intense interest in the connection between bird and human. I am ashamed to admit that I emotionally impulse bought a green cheek conure back in December and boy oh boy, do I wish I would have been a responsible pet owner about it and done research prior to this purchase. But with striking similarities to 'Marley & Me', I have whole wholeheartedly fallen in love with my feathered friend. And this book just makes me want to run home from wherever I am to squeeze the bejeezus out of him. The information, the story, the heartwarming detail... Pepperberg does an absolutely splendid job telling her and Alex's love story. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ANY BIRD OWNER.
Alex and Me is the interesting story of Dr. Irene Pepperberg and the life of Alex that parrot, a remarkable bird that proved that birds could do much much more than previously postulated in the scientific community. I found this particularly interesting as it was a relatively current event, as Alex passed away in 2007.
This was a fast and easy read, and learning about Alex that parrot and his capabilities was interesting; however, I can't give the book a strong recommendation. Pepperberg came across as very preachy and for my taste spent too much time explaining about her own life, and not enough time talking about Alex. It is clear from the writing that she is rather scientifically minded as the book doesn't flow well and ends a bit abruptly and is structured oddly. It also seems to lack a heartfelt poignancy you might expect from a memoir about an animal. In addition, it was helpful to understand the skepticism of the scientific community but felt like this book was more about Pepperberg's struggles in the scientific community than Alex. I might not have minded the imbalance except her reflections came across as stilted and heavy handed.
Despite these failings, I still encourage giving it a look, as it is an easy read and thought provoke regarding the treatment of animals, and how we evaluate them in our society.
This was a fast and easy read, and learning about Alex that parrot and his capabilities was interesting; however, I can't give the book a strong recommendation. Pepperberg came across as very preachy and for my taste spent too much time explaining about her own life, and not enough time talking about Alex. It is clear from the writing that she is rather scientifically minded as the book doesn't flow well and ends a bit abruptly and is structured oddly. It also seems to lack a heartfelt poignancy you might expect from a memoir about an animal. In addition, it was helpful to understand the skepticism of the scientific community but felt like this book was more about Pepperberg's struggles in the scientific community than Alex. I might not have minded the imbalance except her reflections came across as stilted and heavy handed.
Despite these failings, I still encourage giving it a look, as it is an easy read and thought provoke regarding the treatment of animals, and how we evaluate them in our society.
spent way to much time at the beginning talking about Alex's death and fan mail
Writing is good but not great, but well worth the read for the fantastic story.
emotional
informative
fast-paced
Excellent! I really enjoyed this book. Animal cognition and behavior has always fascinated me, I’m a huge animal lover. This book appeals to me as an animal lover and as a scientist. Dr. Pepperburg is an inspiration to me, and I think more people should read her book!
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
i’ve been very interested in birds, especially parrots, lately and was excited to read this. it was very interesting and very emotional. i wish there had been more detail about the actual science of working with alex, but i understand that’s what pepperberg’s published research is for, and this was intended to be more personal and reflective.
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This book inspired me to rethink animal intelligence and change my diet. So amazing what Alex could do.
Wow, I am amazed by Alex. What he did really impressed me and made an impression. I cannot say the same for Pepperberg, who I found to be hard to relate to and a bit full of herself. I'm not partial to memoirs for that reason, and the tendency for the author to whine. I enjoyed when Alex was the focus of the story. In my opinion, it should have ended a chapter sooner, as the last one was tough to get through and I felt the ideas were jumbled.