Alex & Me

By: Irene Pepperberg

Narrated by: Julia Gibson

Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

On September 6, 2007, an African Grey parrot named Alex died prematurely at age 31. 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 30 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 university to another. The story of their 30-year adventure is equally a landmark of scientific achievement and of an unforgettable human-animal bond.

©2008 Irene M. Pepperberg (P)2008 HarperCollins Publishers

OMG. So worth your time.

If you own animals you will feel validated.
Alex and Irene are treasures. You won't regret listening.

Worth the Listen

Well duh! Parrot lovers could have told you what this book puts in more scientific terms, but the science needed doing. Dr. Pepperberg’s work was invaluable to our cultural acceptance of the intellect and consciousness of other creatures. Her very personal account here speaks to the heart as The Alex Studies speaks to the intellect.

Amazing

Must read for anyone interested in non human intelligence. Absolutely fascinating! Humans have to face the challenge that we don’t give the Animal Kingdom enough credit & many have skills that far surpass humanity.

Interesting subject

I had no idea how far cognition can go in the brain of a bird, and that really kept me interested in the book throughout the read. Julia Gibson as reader was first a bit annoying, but I got used to it and think that her voice actually reflects what the author is like. A lot of personal history of Ms. Pepperberg is also covered in the book. While some reviewers disliked that fact, I did find it interesting as well. It does show how difficult it can be to drive into new scientific directions without having the support of the community initially. It also shows that perseverance can get you there non-the-less. The subject of bird intelligence, in brains that are only distantly related to mammal brains, has kept me thinking for weeks after I listened to the book. Maybe the intelligence attested to the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park is not impossible after all?

Great story of interplay of man and birds

Being very fascinated by birds, parrots especially, and being a teacher, the scientific, yet very caring way of interacting with Alex just swept me away.

NB! Spoiler Alert!
I cried so hard when the bird died, sitting on a long-distance bus journey, looking like total loonie, but I found the story very moving.

Excellent!

This is a book is recommend to everyone. Just wow!!! The audio was well done too.

Alex & Me

This is a wonderful story and audiobook for animal lovers and for people interested in our place in the world. Thank you Alex, Dr. Pepperberg and Ms. Gibson.

A passionant scientific love story

Would you consider the audio edition of Alex & Me to be better than the print version?

Having been aware of and with knowledge about the authors farsighted grasp of cognition, hearing of the even more dramatic backstory was an unexpected experience of emotional impact. Hearing her narrative, delivered with exceptional skill, creates an unusually powerful listening as her words filled my head.

What did you like best about this story?

Listening to her struggles to stay afloat professionally, economically, & emotionally, while being a world acclaimed MIT-Harvard neuroscientist, vividly demonstrated the appalling fiscal conditions under which daily survival becomes a crises, explained an essential fact head about but never clearly articulated with such such saliency. Listening to Pepperberg’s backstory, had my meta-reflecting of the lost capital, lost by our societies neglect of finally educated, trained & honed minds, condemned to simply meeting there vital, every day demands, rather then apply the skill-sets produced with an expectation that support naturally exists.

What about Julia Gibson’s performance did you like?

She read with a attitude & prosody quite akin to Irene’s own persona, when presenting publicly, as has heard when listening to her lecture.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Circumstances forced me to divid my listening into two parts, which meant much aptisipation after realizing the time span was reqiring a halt in the stories discursive flow state.

Any additional comments?

The sharpest of our societies academic scholarship, become transmuted into hustling for capital, resulting in the loss critical resources. I rant against the pervasive absence of interdisciplinary communication, as within a single institution (overlapping locations), are ill-informed & unaware of identical research focuses. When dialoging with researcher's falling pray to tracking the funds rather then accessing existing, off-the-shelve conceptual assets familiar to an allied domain, the response always concludes a search for funding over drawing from their collective intellectual crucible.

Inspiring. Every Human Should Read this Book

I didn’t want to read this book for fear of having my heart broken… it is a true story and knowing Alex has passed from this world. What I experienced instead was awe inspiration. Pepperburg is a modern day explorer who demonstrates the power of persistence, the power of listening and learning, the power of women in science. Science has yet to unlock the magic of the universe, but reading “Alex and Me” allows a peek through the keyhole revealing beauty, love, and friendship. Rather than a broken heart, I now have a larger one. Thank you Alex for opening my heart the way you have opened so many minds.

What a Bird!

I'm a bird lover and I am constantly amazed by what birds are capable of doing. I think I went into the book knowing quite a bit about the story up front. I watched the TV programs about Alex, saw a variety of Utube videos and had read several articles about this subject. So maybe that's why the book felt a bit repetitive. When I finished listening I had the feeling that I wanted to know more about Alex the bird and the other birds the author had worked with. The story was amazing--but in some ways incomplete. All in all, concerns aside, a fascinating book for bird lovers.