Alex and Me

My favorite neighbors lent me a book called Alex and Me- How a Scientist and a Bird Uncovered a World of Animal Intelligence-And Formed a Deep Bond In the Process written by Irene Pepperberg.  They thought I would like this book because they know I like reading and they know like birds (possibly because I ask them to birdsit for me).  They brought the book over and within a week I had consumed the entire story..Irene writes how she first became interested in birds - getting a parakeet for her 5th birthday.  Irene is one of those people who enters the enclosed world of college and never leaves. As a graduate student, she starts working with Alex and they become inseparable.  Although Alex has a bird brain, he learns how to talk, how to count, how to distinguish colors and shapes, and the concept of more and less,  He came up with unique answers that showed thought and intention.  He was on television news (although I don't remember seeing him).  Irene had to be careful that she didn't influence Alex.  She tried to keep their interactions methodical and scientific. She would ask Alex the same question repeatedly to see if the got the same results. Alex, tired of being asked the same question, did what any student might eventually do, which was to give her the wrong answer on purpose. Irene and Alex challenged the assumptions we have made about animals.  Irene faced cold shoulders from many people in the scientific community who resisted her research.  Alex died in 2007.  Irene writes a very readable and endearing story about her methods and about how Alex learned.