Alex & Me LP: How A Scientist And A Parrot Discovered A Hidden World Of Animal Intelligence--and Formed A Deep Bond In The Process (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
On October 25 2002, within two weeks of his possible re-election, Senator Paul Wellstone and his wife, Sheila, were killed in an airplane crash. Stunned, a public service was put together honoring him. Speakers from many walks of life spoke in his honor. Unsurprisingly (and Paul would likely have enjoyed it) the speeches became political. The media and opposite party villified this aspect of an overwhelmingly emotional event that spilled out into the streets. Disrturbingly, the scapegoat of all of this was his son. His son! Can you imagine? BOTH your parents have been suddenly been ripped away forever from your life. They were hugely influential in public life. Paul, gregarious, with an ear always open to anyone who would talk to him, and Sheila, mostly known for her dedication to the causes of battered women. Can you imagine? You are overwhelmed by sudden grief, as is the public and likely 99% of the people you are in daily contact with. You say things that under almost any other circumstance would have been uttered only to that one person who is there to give you an ear in the lowest point of your life, and then the opposing party (if you don't know which one it was, please do some gooogling) manipulators go whining to the media "Unfair, unfair!" and the media just eats it up. Your words are their toys. Grief! We are talking about grief here. One of the most powerful and unpredictable emotions that exist. It's been over eleven years since this happened and the shameful politically motivated actions of his opponent's party (If you don't know his opponent, gooogle smarmy, he just might pop up) still bring a surge of negative emotions to my surface. Why am I bringing this up? Because I do not want anyone to think I am being insensitive to the grief Irene Pepperberg expresses for the first chapter of this book. I can only say that I have grieved over the loss of pets in my life, and can verify that such grief is as real and overwhelming as grief over the loss of a human companion. I cannot say whether the publisher/editor or the author decided to begin the book with Pepperberg's and the public's grief over the loss of Alex, an African Gray parrot, but I found it unfortunate way to begin what was an otherwise fascinating book. I believe it was grief that directed this book. Otherwise, why start with an obituary from the the NY Times rather than an amusing and engaging anecdote, of which there are many? I was led to believe this book would be about Alex and his remarkable intellectual abilities. So when it started by focusing on the author's loss and childhood, I would likely have stopped reading if not for this being a book group choice. All in all the book could have been better. But Pepperberg is not a writer, she is a researcher who so happened to spend her entire life in the company of an animal who displayed human thought and speech beyond what anyone ever thought possible. This was published within a year of Alex's death. She was still in grief. And that's okay. Any animal lover will appreciate Alex and Irene's story. So, don't hesitate to read it. The substance is fascinating and it reads quickly. I'm just a discerning reader. Authors often revisit and rewrite topics that they know well. I would love to see Pepperberg do this now that time has passed. On September 6, 2007, an African Grey parrot named Alex died prematurely at age thirty-one. His last words to his owner, Irene Pepperberg, were "You be good. I love you."What would normally be a quiet, very private event was, in Alex's case, headline news. Over the thirty years they had worked together, Alex and Irene had become famous—two pioneers who opened an unprecedented window into the hidden yet vast world of animal minds. Alex's brain was the size of a shelled walnut, and when Irene and Alex first met, birds were not believed to possess any potential for language, consciousness, or anything remotely comparable to human intelligence. Yet, over the years, Alex proved many things. He could add. He could sound out words. He understood concepts like bigger, smaller, more, fewer, and none. He was capable of thought and intention. Together, Alex and Irene uncovered a startling reality: We live in a world populated by thinking, conscious creatures.The fame that resulted was extraordinary. Yet there was a side to their relationship that never made the papers. They were emotionally connected to one another. They shared a deep bond far beyond science. Alex missed Irene when she was away. He was jealous when she paid attention to other parrots, or even people. He liked to show her who was boss. He loved to dance. He sometimes became bored by the repetition of his tests, and played jokes on her. Sometimes they sniped at each other. Yet nearly every day, they each said, "I love you."Alex and Irene stayed together through thick and thin—despite sneers from experts, extraordinary financial sacrifices, and a nomadic existence from one university to another. The story of their thirty-year adventure is equally a landmark of scientific achievement and of an unforgettable human-animal bond
What do You think about Alex & Me LP: How A Scientist And A Parrot Discovered A Hidden World Of Animal Intelligence--and Formed A Deep Bond In The Process (2008)?
Breaks the boundaries of what I knew as "animal intelligence." Astonishing.
—Don
I really liked this book, and it gave me some insight into my own parrot.
—juanzola
Very interesting true story about a parrot trained to talk and think.
—heathermcgrail24
alex's last words: "you be good, i love you."brb crying forever
—lax
