232 pages
English language
Published July 30, 2008 by Collins.
This story of Alex, a famous African Grey parrot, documents his thirty-year relationship with his trainer and the ways in which his life has changed scientific understanding about language and thought.
Interesting book that I hope will make people re-think the relationships between humans and animals. As the author puts it, animals are not mindless "automatons" put on earth for human exploitation.
Alex's personality traits were very entertaining, especially when he would get frustrated with what the researchers were trying to teach him and he would go "off script"!
This book started out reading like a memoir, but then ultimately seemed to be going for a popular science vibe. It never quite achieved either, so I was left wanting two books: One about Alex and the science he helped uncover, and one about Pepperberg and her life. These two things could be encompassed in one book, but it would have to be twice as long.
The three stars (rather than two) are likely a result of it being a quick read; I didn't waste too much time on it, so the shortcomings don't feel as substantial.
