THE PARROT WHO OWNS ME: The Story of a Relationship
Joanna Burger, THE PARROT WHO OWNS ME: The Story of a RelationshipA woman and her parrot. It may not sound like much, but Burger manages to make the story of her relationship with her pet, Tiko, into one of the warmest, funniest and weirdest memoirs of the year. Burger (Twenty-Five Nature Spectacles in New Jersey,
with Michael Gochfeld), a renowned ornithologist and professor of biology at Rutgers University, has lived for 15 years with Tiko, who now dominates almost every aspect of her life. He eats dinner off her plate. He takes showers with her. He wakes her every morning and trims her nails. The two have grown so close that they've even become (in Tiko's mind, at least) committed lovers. Every spring, Tiko shamelessly begins his courtship ritual: shredding newspaper for a nest, hoarding food and obsessively preening and kissing Burger. During these periods, Tiko is jealous in the extreme; if Burger shows her husband, Mike, any affection, Tiko will fly at him in a rage, nipping at his ears, even drawing blood. (By way of apology, Tiko will later join Mike in a whistling duet, often of baroque harpsichord music.) Burger anthropomorphizes Tiko: he can be happy, sad, angry, disappointed, bored. But this isn't mere pet-owner whimsy; Burger backs up every such characterization with hard science and decades of bird study in jungles, marshes and forests all over the world. Smart, precocious, fun-loving (he slides down the stair banister for kicks), Tiko provides ample evidence why parrots are the third most popular pets in the country (after cats and dogs). This book is a must-have for bird-lovers and a fun read for everyone else. (May)
Forecast: This lively, intelligent book seems destined for longevity. Advertising in
Bird Talk magazine should help introduce it to bird lovers, while a national publicity campaign should garner broader exposure.
closeDetailsReviewed on: 04/02/2001
Genre: Nonfiction
Paperback - 272 pages - 978-0-375-76025-9
A woman and her parrot. It may not sound like much, but Burger manages to make the story of her relationship with her pet, Tiko, into one of the warmest, funniest and weirdest memoirs of the year. Burger (
Reviewed on: 04/02/2001
Genre: Nonfiction
Paperback - 272 pages - 978-0-375-76025-9
