Written by: Irene M. Pepperberg
First line: How much impact could a one-pound ball of
feathers have on the world?
Why you should read this book: When Pepperberg set out to
test her own hypotheses on the intelligence of birds, specifically in relation
to the new field of human-animal communication, she determined to keep her
study scientific, and allowed a pet store employee to randomly select the
African gray parrot whose quirky personality and obvious ability to reason and
communicate would one day captivate the world. Alex, an intelligent and bossy
bird, soon demonstrated his ability to identify colors, numbers, and objects;
to understand concepts such as more, less, and same; to express his desires,
insecurities, and emotions to the world; and to surprise his keepers by
exhibiting talents they hadn’t taught him, such as the ability to sound out
words or understand the concept of zero. After thirty years of revelation,
Alex’s premature death inspired Pepperberg to set aside her scientific
detachment and write the story of her relationship with a very clever bird and
the way in which Alex’s talents shaped the course of her life’s work and
touched her emotional core.
Why you shouldn’t read this book: This is a fast and
personal narrative; readers searching for more in-depth knowledge of Alex’s
training and its relevance to animals studies will want to consult some of
Pepperberg’s scholarly work.
