Would it surprise anyone reading this to know that Irene Pepperberg, the author of Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence—and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process, was on You're the Expert would it? I was very interested in her work, so I grabbed her autobiography from the library.
Irene Pepperberg received a doctorate in chemistry before she decided she was really interested in animal intelligence and communication after seeing a documentary on television. She started doing research with an African Grey parrot named Alex.
Okay. Where do I start?
First, the organization was...not great. It starts with a chapter about how Alex died and how The New York Times posted his obituary. It was all about how sad Pepperberg was. And you know what? I get it. I don't even want to think about what my reaction is going to be when my girls die (*if* they die - heaven knows Zelda might be immortal). BUT. WHY START THERE? The whole book was just a downer. Instead of starting with a funny bit about Alex bossing around the other parrots in the lab or something, she just starts with "I'm going to tell you about a dead parrot" and the whole book was framed around that.
Also? She's sort of mad that no one would take her seriously at first because she has a PhD in chemistry instead of biology? I mean, can you blame them? Then she gets a job in a biology department and doesn't think she's qualified to teach the introductory classes and gets mad at the department because they don't support her. CAN YOU BLAME THEM? (I think I would probably not be friends with Pepperberg.)
But. It's also a great story about perseverance. When she's bouncing around from fellowship to adjunctship to visiting professorship to whatever, she's applying for grants, she's fundraising, she's doing all the things. I think this would be a great book to give a student who is studying animal biology and wants to do research-oriented work. There are a lot of lessons about how academia sucks balls in there.
It's also a story about a parrot who learns a lot and teaches the humans around him a lot. If you don't think I'm here for a story about a stubborn animal who *can* do things, but sometimes refuses to, let me reintroduce you to my own personal stubborn menace.
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| "Hannah, look at me!" "No." |
I have very mixed feelings on this book, but I was generally invested and kept wanting to read more to find out what impish things Alex was going to do next. 4/5 stars
What I looked up:
Pei's Toilet - MIT's Media Lab is housed at 20 Ames St. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Designed by the famous architect I.M. Pei, it is colloquially known as Pei's Toilet to the locals.
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Are you a bird person? What's your preference of animal friends? I'm not sure what my preference is, but I think birds are pretty far down on the list.
I like birds from a distance. Since I've never met a pet bird, I can't say if I'd be open to having a special feathered friend in my life. Hey, I never thought I would be a dog person so who knows what the future holds?
ReplyDeleteYou know my preference for animal friends! Cats and dogs!!! I refuse to pick a favorite - obviously if you're judging by who I currently share a bed with, then it's dogs, but they don't purr so for that alone cats stay on the list.
Birds are so loud. And messy. Give me a dog over that any day!
DeleteOkay. I think my ranking is: Dogs and cats (honestly, who can decide?), fish, lizards (I had a gecko once), hamsters and other small mammals, and birds in last place. What other household pets are there?
Also now that I have seen Pei's Toilet I cannot unsee it. I will not rest until I go to Cambridge in person and take a picture of it.
ReplyDeleteThe name surprised me. I guess I can kind of see it, but I think it's actually a neat looking building.
DeleteI like birds, but as I found out from my trip, I am NOT cut out to be a birder. I like them! I like seeing them! But wow, birders are a whole different group. I encountered a few and it is like an entire lifestyle. I mean, we all deserve to enjoy what makes us happy. But I guess I'm just a "yay birds" kind of person rather than a "adjust binoculars, sit for several minutes, identify bird in birding list, look up Merlin app, discover particular bird call, check bird off bird list" person.
ReplyDeleteOh whoops, didn't answer the question. Dogs.
DeleteMy favorite cousin has a macaw and that damn thing has made it nearly impossible for her to make a phone call because it's always screeching in the background "Kiwi hates you! Kiwi is here! Play with Kiwi!" and I want to strangle it even though it's hundreds of miles away. I like the birds in my yard, but I don't have a bird list or anything. But never will there be a bird in my house.
DeleteI am charmed by birds in the wild. Except when they poop indiscriminately on things I need to clean, but I understand they can't really help it. Not very charmed by pet birds. When I was a teen/college kid I worked at a now (obviously) defunct Woolworth's, and for some insane reason we had a "pet department" and we sold parakeets. Those poor birds. Their wings were obviously clipped, but we also had this middle of the main aisle display where they were, and it was OPEN at the top, so random idiot customers could put their hands in there and pester the birds. One day I was working near that area, and these IDIOT teens were pestering the birds, and I cautioned them that the birds might bite them. They sneered at me, and I moved off, but not before I heard a very satisfying yelp of "OW! It BIT me!"
ReplyDeleteAll this to day I think birds should not be pets. It's stressful for them, cages are no fun, and if you let them free roam in the house they will poop over everything. Give me a cat any day of the week.
They sell baby chicks in the HARDWARE STORE here in my town during Easter. They're just in a container on the floor in the HARDWARE STORE. I feel so badly for those birds because they are constantly harassed. Poor things. But I will not save them because I don't want to have to care for them.
DeleteWe had a parrot when I was growing up in Alaska. It must have been given to us, we would never have bought one. His name was Grandma, and he was green with a red head. We had a couple of kittens and he would copy the sounds they made playing and tearing around the house. I liked him OK, but would never have a pet bird on purpose.
ReplyDeleteMy in-laws have birds. At one point they had a little love bird or something, and we were taking care of it while they were on vacation. I was all, ‘blah, birds, too noisy, throwing their seeds on the floor, pooping outside of their cage, chewing on things with their beak, boo!’ And then it flew over and climbed in the breast pocket of my robe and snuggled there, and I was smitten. Still, just that specific bird. Their other birds are meh to me. Oh, they used to have a bird that was in love with their dog, Nietzsche*. It would whistle at her to try to get her to come, and when it was out of its cage it would follow her around. (*Ted named Nietzsche. He was a political theory student at the time and was doing his Master’s thesis on Nietzsche.) My daughter loves birds because they are modern dinosaurs. I think she would like to have one.
Me? I’m a dog person. If Ted weren’t allergic and I could figure out where to put a litter box, maybe I would have a cat. I love the purring and they are very sweet. But all my heart eyes are for dogs.
Cats and dogs are so great, but for different things. I can't imagine a world without my Zelda. But I do like that dogs can do MORE things than cats. Don't make me choose! (I will not choose a bird.)
DeleteYeah, birds are pretty far down on my list as well. I like animals with fur, but I'm all for a story about a bird communicating with humans. That part sounds really good- the other things that annoyed you about this book would annoy me too.
ReplyDeleteI mean, I just find myself frustrated with her as an academic. Some of it is that she's a researcher first and teaching is way down her priority list, but it's so far down the list it hardly gets a mention! That is not how I do academia. LOL. Maybe it wouldn't bother you at all.
DeleteI love outdoor birds, but I wouldn't want one in my house as a pet. I had chickens growing up and I liked them well enough, but I don't have (or want) chickens now. I knew someone with a pet parakeet. It escaped from its cage one day and flew in a direct line to a sticky mouse trap on the floor. Suicide mission. I'm a dog and cat person. I can't choose!
ReplyDeleteI do feel like there are a lot more responsibilities with birds than other domesticated pets. How do you keep them safe? Who would have anticipated the bird heading for the mouse trap?!
DeleteI study animal behavior. I haven't met her but she has a reputation of being difficult. I visited u of az after she left and they had stories!
ReplyDeleteEgads. I can only imagine the stories. I don't want to get into any beefs with her (I would lose), but I think her expectations to only do research were kind of crazy.
DeleteI got a good chuckle at 'academia sucks balls,' so thanks for that. Zelda being immortal. We can all hope so. What an interesting career/angle for a book. I don't think I'd be friends with the author either.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite animal friend would be a dog. Mini just said last night that she thinks that since we never had a dog, she will probably never have a dog. This apparently makes Mini sad, and as a person with allergies will not take the guilt on that one. Also, I was like 'you can still have a dog - not growing up with a dog doesn't mean you can't have one.'
Yeah, my husband's family never had a dog and he has one! You can definitely change things as an adult.
DeleteI am very much a bird person...in the yard, not a cage! I never understood the appeal of a dirty, squawking animal in the living room. Especially one that can talk back to you. That's downright freaky!
ReplyDeleteWe had birds when I was growing up and all I remember is constant cleaning. The cage was always dirty and we had to vacuum around the cage like eight times a day. LOL. Give me cats and dogs any day - so much cleaner.
DeleteI love animals. I have a male pet zebra finch. I have had cats most of my life. I am a retired lady living in Montreal, Canada.
ReplyDeleteA bird person! Does you finch have a name? Does he cuddle? I want to understand the appeal!
Delete