Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process

Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process
by Irene M. Pepperberg

Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process
List Price: $23.95
Category: Book
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Book Summary Information

Author: Irene M. Pepperberg
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-11-01
ISBN: 0061672475
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Harper
Product features:

Book Reviews of Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process

Book Review: Yes they can think
Summary: 5 Stars

It is a family joke that an aunt who had a dog would sometimes observe that "It can almost think". Irene Pepperberg has demonstrated with her beloved Alex, an african grey parrot, that not only can the bird with a brain the size of a shelled walnut communicate in human language but that it can understand what it is saying and can construct its own interpretations. Alex can certainly think. The example of Alex's description of an almond as a 'cork nut', combining the elements of the outer shell texture with the known edible content, demonstrates just how intelligent this bird is. As Irene says in several places throughout the book Alex demonstrates many traits that previous animal intelligence wisdom (read dogma) had said should be impossible. This book is a real treat from beginning to end. For those who don't want to believe that animal intelligence is a necessary precursor to the the evolution of human intelligence then this book is not for you.

Summary of Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process

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 univer?sity to another. The story of their thirty-year adventure is equally a landmark of scientific achievement and of an unforgettable human-animal bond.

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