Recommended Books

Alex & Me by Irene Pepperberg is a touching memoir and or personal narrative documenting her experiences working with Alex an African Grey parrot and her struggle to keep her research activities afloat. Irean Pepperberg is a research professor and a teacher of animal cognition. The book movingly combines scientific detail and statistical research to prove that some animals have cognitive ability. To demonstrate that birds are able to obtain language, communicate and problem-solve. That animals know more than we think.
In 1977 Irene asked a sales person at a pet store to choose her an African Grey parrot out of the ones they were selling. She was choosing an African Grey because of the clarity of their speech. It was fate and their relationship began. Over a 30 year period Alex and Irene changed the way science regarded avian intelligence. Irene Pepperberg included just enough scientific research in her book to give readers an idea of what was involved, to prove her experiments, yet it was not boring. Alex could count to six, identify colors, size, such as bigger and smaller, or same and different, identify materials and had a vocabulary of 150 words.
The night before he died his last words to Irene were “You be good. I love you.” Every time I read this or write it I end up with tears in my eyes. Alex is a celebrity, I found this book educational, touching and entertaining.