Alfie and Me

What Owls Know, What Humans Believe

De: Carl Safina

Narrado por: Carl Safina

When ecologist Carl Safina and his wife, Patricia, took in a near-death baby owl, they expected that, like other wild orphans they'd rescued, she'd be a temporary presence. But Alfie's feathers were not growing correctly, requiring prolonged care. As Alfie grew and gained strength, she became a part of the family, joining a menagerie of dogs and chickens and making a home for herself in the backyard.

Alfie & Me is the story of the remarkable impact this little owl would have on their lives. The continuing bond of trust following her freedom—and her raising of her own wild brood—coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a year in which Carl and Patricia were forced to spend time at home without the normal obligations of work and travel. Witnessing all the fine details of their feathered friend's life offered Carl and Patricia a view of existence from Alfie's perspective.

One can travel the world and go nowhere; one can be stuck keeping the faith at home and discover a new world. Safina's relationship with an owl made him want to better understand how people have viewed humanity's relationship with nature across cultures and throughout history. Interwoven with Safina's keen observations, insight, and reflections, Alfie & Me is a work of profound beauties and magical timing harbored within one upended year.

©2023 Carl Safina (P)2024 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Our need to recognize our interconnectedness with all of nature

The author's story of the owls and our need to see differently our relationship with all of nature was compelling.

What was author's main focusing?

Dislike--- too much time explaining history and referencing other authors and their theories. Owl was minor character.

gentle and poetic

Carl Safina is such an outstanding author. I highly recommend this book, and all of his books!

One of the very best

I have always enjoyed writings by Carl Safina, who I think is one of the very best nature writers of all time, and to me this was one of the best of his works.

Not What I Thought

The story of the owlet, Alfie, that the author and his wife rescued is enchanting, informative, and amazing. I thank the author for sharing his experience with the owl rescue and rehabilitation and eventual release. What I did not feel comfortable listening to was the seemingly negative comments about religion, particularly Christianity. I’m not sure what the point was in bringing in the author’s distaste for religion. The focus was on Alfie, Alfie’s life and relationship with the author. As a bird rescuer, a person who is concerned about and working on making the environment better (reducing plastic use, planting native plants, only using pasture raised eggs in my baking/cooking, and eating a vegetarian diet), I identify with a lot of the author’s points about our environment but as a Christian, I felt attacked. I would have preferred the personal views on religion be left out of the story of Alfie and her recovery, release, and raising a new generation of owls.