This is a brave book. By insisting on treating Alex as her friend--a friend with whom she laughs and must ultimately grieve over--Dr. Pepperberg takes a stand defying those who insist on confining the issue of consciousness to cold reductionism. I was fascinated to read the anecdotes about the intellectual capacity of parrots, but the best part of Alex & Me is the story of their friendship.

"You be good. I love you," were Alex's final words to his owner, research scientist Irene Pepperberg, before his premature death at age thirty-one on September 6, 2007. An African Grey parrot, Alex had a brain the size of a shelled walnut, yet he could add, sound out words, understand concepts like bigger, smaller, more, fewer, and none, and he disproved the widely accepted idea that birds possess no potential for language or anything remotely comparable to human intelligence. Alex & Me is the remarkable true account of an amazing, irascible parrot and his best friend who stayed together through thick and thin for thirty years—the astonishing, moving, and unforgettable story of a landmark scientific achievement and a beautiful relationship.

Chapter 1: My Wonderful Life Moment

Chapter 2: Beginnings

Chapter 3: Alex's First Labels

Chapter 4: Alex and Me, the Vagabonds

Chapter 5: What's a Banerry?

Chapter 6: Alex and Friends

Chapter 7: Alex Goes Hi-Tech

Chapter 8: The Next Horizon

Chapter 9: What Alex Taught Me

Acknowledgments

Index