About the Author

Irene M. Pepperberg is an associate research professor at Brandeis University in Massachusetts and teaches animal cognition at Harvard University. She is head of the Alex Foundation and author of The Alex Studies: Cognitive and Communicative Abilities of Grey Parrots.

Reviews

"[Pepperberg's] book movingly combines the scientific detail of a researcher. . . with the affectionate understanding that children instinctively possess." -- Michiko Kakutani, New York Times"To anyone who's dreamed of talking with the animals, Dr. Doolittle style, Alex was a revelation...This ornery reviewer tried to resist Alex's charms on principle. But his achievements got the better of me...Alex was a celebrity, and this book will surely please his legions of fans." -- New York Times Book Review"A moving tribute that beautifully evokes 'the struggles, the initial triumphs, the setbacks, the unexpected and often stunning achievements' during a groundbreaking scientific endeavor." -- Publishers Weekly"A fascinating look at animal intelligence, Pepperberg's tale is also a love story between beings who sometimes 'squabble like an old married couple' but whose bond broke only with Alex's death at 31. Irresistible." -- People

Alex is the African gray parrot whose ability to master a vocabulary of more than 100 words and answer questions about the color, shape and number of objects--garnered wide notice during his life as well as obituaries in worldwide media after his death in September 2007. Pepperberg, who teaches animal cognition, has previously documented the results of her 30-year relationship with Alex in The Alex Studies. While this book inevitably covers some of the same ground, it is a moving tribute that beautifully evokes "the struggles, the initial triumphs, the setbacks, the unexpected and often stunning achievements" during a groundbreaking scientific endeavor spent "uncovering cognitive abilities in Alex that no one believed were possible, and challenging science's deepest assumptions about the origin of human cognitive abilities." Pepperberg deftly interweaves her own personal narrative--including her struggles to gain recognition for her research--with more intimate scenes of life with Alex than she was able to present in her earlier work, creating a story that scientists and laypeople can equally enjoy, if they can all keep from crying over Alex's untimely death. (Nov.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

"[Pepperberg's] book movingly combines the scientific detail of a researcher. . . with the affectionate understanding that children instinctively possess." -- Michiko Kakutani, New York Times"To anyone who's dreamed of talking with the animals, Dr. Doolittle style, Alex was a revelation...This ornery reviewer tried to resist Alex's charms on principle. But his achievements got the better of me...Alex was a celebrity, and this book will surely please his legions of fans." -- New York Times Book Review"A moving tribute that beautifully evokes 'the struggles, the initial triumphs, the setbacks, the unexpected and often stunning achievements' during a groundbreaking scientific endeavor." -- Publishers Weekly"A fascinating look at animal intelligence, Pepperberg's tale is also a love story between beings who sometimes 'squabble like an old married couple' but whose bond broke only with Alex's death at 31. Irresistible." -- People