Great parrot great human great book
I want to recommend people buy and read the book Irene Pepperberg has written about the thirty year relationship she had with the African grey parrot Alex. The book is titled Alex and Me, by Irene Pepperberg. Alex proved to be very intelligent, and have his own opinions. It is wonderful what Irene and Alex did together and how much they affected how humans view birds.
This book isn't research oriented, although Irene must discuss some of the research to put her stories about Alex into context. It is an emotional book and Irene was only free to write it because she no longer had to keep that nonsense "objective scientist" attitude in order to be taken seriously as a scientist.
While the book will help you understand the awesome abilities Alex displayed, he is not unique. Anyone who has parrots in their family can attest to the fact that they are conscious, thinking, learning, language-using people. Not instinctive robots or mindless mimics.
It would be a great gift for anyone who enjoys birds - or anyone who wants to know more about how Irene approached the concept of working with a parrot to prove scientifically that other animals than primates can and do use language, even human language. It also relates the "climate" in the scientific world of the early 1970's regarding women scientists and the knee-jerk assumptions regarding non-human animal intelligence. It is almost too hard to believe what the "climate" was like then, given how much science, scientists, and general public has grown in awareness and appreciation.
Easy to read, not technical, not cute. But engaging and charming and wise.
This book isn't research oriented, although Irene must discuss some of the research to put her stories about Alex into context. It is an emotional book and Irene was only free to write it because she no longer had to keep that nonsense "objective scientist" attitude in order to be taken seriously as a scientist.
While the book will help you understand the awesome abilities Alex displayed, he is not unique. Anyone who has parrots in their family can attest to the fact that they are conscious, thinking, learning, language-using people. Not instinctive robots or mindless mimics.
It would be a great gift for anyone who enjoys birds - or anyone who wants to know more about how Irene approached the concept of working with a parrot to prove scientifically that other animals than primates can and do use language, even human language. It also relates the "climate" in the scientific world of the early 1970's regarding women scientists and the knee-jerk assumptions regarding non-human animal intelligence. It is almost too hard to believe what the "climate" was like then, given how much science, scientists, and general public has grown in awareness and appreciation.
Easy to read, not technical, not cute. But engaging and charming and wise.
