Alex & Me Audiobook By Irene Pepperberg cover art

Alex & Me

How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process

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Alex & Me

By: Irene Pepperberg
Narrated by: Julia Gibson
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New York Times Bestseller

The remarkable true story of an extraordinary relationship between psychologist Irene M. Pepperberg and Alex, an African Grey parrot who proved scientists and accepted wisdom wrong by demonstrating an astonishing ability to communicate and understand complex ideas.

""You be good. I love you,"" were Alex's final words to his owner, research scientist Irene Pepperberg, before his premature death at age thirty-one on September 6, 2007. An African Grey parrot, Alex had a brain the size of a shelled walnut, yet he could add, sound out words, understand concepts like bigger, smaller, more, fewer, and none, and he disproved the widely accepted idea that birds possess no potential for language or anything remotely comparable to human intelligence.

Alex & Me is the incredible story of an amazing, irascible parrot and his best friend who stayed together through thick and thin for thirty years—the astonishing, moving, and unforgettable story of a landmark scientific achievement and a beautiful relationship.

©2008 Irene M. Pepperberg; (P)2008 HarperCollins Publishers Animals Biological Sciences Outdoors & Nature Pets & Animal Care Science Human Brain Funny Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Consciousness
Groundbreaking Research • Fascinating Bird Intelligence • Terrific Narration • Intelligent Parrot • Emotional Connection

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The story of Alex the Parrot is jaw-dropping by any standards, but Pepperberg also does a great job of telling it in this book. It's not only a story about the amazing conceptual achievements of this bird, but also about Pepperberg's struggle to keep funding the lab on a shoestring, and the struggle to be taken seriously with a scientific project that was genuinely original, and therefore originally dismissed by many as nonsense.

Animal cognition and scientific careers.

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my husband and I loved listening to this tale of an emotional and intellectual bond between a parrot and a scientist. good for the mind, sweet to the ears.

wonderful book, emotionally and intellectually.

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So well done and easy to understand. Fun comparing primate language learner and avian learning.

Wow!

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Don't expect warm and mushy from "Alex & Me" as Pepperberg goes to great lengths to state that she made it her duty to keep distance from Alex. There are relatively few precious scenes about their relationship; most the book is the chronicling of the many studies which prove that gray parrots, Alex in particular, are sentient beings with an astounding ability to learn and relate/commune with another species, our own.
There is indeed, however, a good deal of genuine caring, of true respect between the two and it is clear that there was a strong bond between them. Pepperberg would go as far as bringing Alex to her home during down time, that is until he spotted two predatory owls outside the window. Despite Irene closing the curtains, Alex could not be comforted, proving that, despite the prevailing scientific thought at the time, even though he couldn't see them anymore, to him the owls still existed.
It's a fascinating book, pretty funny at times, and ultimately heartbreaking at the end. The studies may still go on, but with this book, at least the memory of Alex goes on too.

The Cognitive Studies Of A Remarkable Bird

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What Irene and Alex Pepperberg did for Animal language understanding and comprehension is incredible. This book is a tale from the beginning of that change of mindset. The road to changing the minds of scientists of both allowing females doing serious research and changing the idea that animals do more than just react to stimuli, isn't an easy thing to travel. After listening to this book with all the things that Alex was able to do and teach, I would think that being called a bird brain wouldn't be an insult. We all have heard parrots say they want a cracker, but Alex showed us that they can understand what it means to actually want one.

Very Good Book about a Very Controversial Subject

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