CONVERSATIONS WITH COSMO: AT HOME WITH AN AFRICAN GREY PARROT

by Betty Jean Craige, Irene M. Pepperberg

In Conversations with Cosmo: At Home with an African Grey Parrot, Dr. Betty Jean Craige tells the story of her parrot's education in the language and culture of her human friends. Cosmo is a seven-year-old female Congo African Grey Parrot who by the age of six had learned more than a hundred words and had uttered more than two hundred different phrases. Craige recounts how Cosmo learned to talk, developed social skills and a sense of humor, and became an adorable feathery little person, a real party animal. Cosmo is funny-her first joke was "Telephone for bird!"-and so is Craige. Craige's purpose in writing this very entertaining book is not only to report and explain her parrot's acquisition of language and cognitive abilities, but also-through Cosmo's story-to awaken readers to the mental activities of all the animals with whom we humans share space on our planet. The book has a preface by Irene Pepperberg, author of Alex and Me, and two appendices: a list of "Cosmo's utterances" and a list of "Forty-Four Tips for Living with an African Grey." Preface by Irene M. Pepperberg, author of The Alex Studies and Alex and Me

Genres: Nonfiction, Birds, Audiobook, Animals

114 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Dr. Betty Jean Craige is Professor Emerita of Comparative Literature and Director Emerita of the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts at the University of Georgia. She has lived in Athens, Georgia, for almost forty-five years, and published books in the fields of literature, history of ideas, politics, ecology, and art. Her most recent non-academic books are Conversations with Cosmo: At Home with an African Grey Parrot (2010) published by Sherman Asher Publishing, and three Witherston Murder Mysteries, Downstream (2014), Fairfield's Auction (2016), and Dam Witherston (2017), published by Black Opal Books.

Her latest work – Aldo, a very different kind of novel, a suspense thriller – is set for release in March 2018 with Black Opal Books.

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just about the strangest book I've ever read. I was expecting something along the lines of Dr. Irene Pepperberg's books about her cognitive studies with her beloved parrot, Alex. That is, scientific and given that the author is a Professor Emerita of Comparative Literature, well written. I got neither.

The author makes it clear that her parrot is a pet and not the subject of a study, it's just anecdotes, but that's ok. A serious academic should be able to convey the depth of the parrot's understanding through it's use of language. She didn't though, not really.

One anecdote from the book that stuck in my mind was that the author had recorded the endless repetitious prattle of the bird for something like an hour and then sat her dinner party guests down to listen to it whilst she went into the kitchen. When she returned, she found they'd changed the tape.

Every year, the author sent out Christmas cards with lists of all the words her bird knew. She reproduced these meaningless lists in the book. She also, when having made a point, scientific or not, citing various informative studies would then repeat the point several times in different ways. She also goes on and on about her personal philosophy about animals and the planet. In other words, the book was written in a very amateurish way and all I can think of is that the author, who has published a lot of books, is so high up in the food chain of English professors no one dared tell her 'get an editor!'

Nonetheless, the parrot was utterly charming and given the knowledge of the intelligence of parrots that I had from reading Dr. Pepperberg's The Alex Studies: Cognitive and Communicative Abilities of Grey Parrots and the more personal Alex and Me I was fascinated by many of the anecdotes that may or may not have been an exaggeration of interpretation by the author. Betty Jean Craige was inclined to favour the parrot much in the way parents of a first (and only child) do when bragging about how advanced their child is.

Rating:
1 star - Writing, Luckily the book is very short
5 stars - Writing some of the time.
3 stars - Author (who is loopy about animals in general but especially dogs and parrots and actually talks about tongue-kissing Cosmo, which actually sounds disgusting to me.)
5 stars - Cosmo the parrot

4 stars overall then. Recommended to people interested in the cognitive and manipulative abilities of jealous parrots.

Notes on reading have all been removed as I've just repeated myself, parrot-like :-)

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having a non-talking 35 year old female African Grey at home, I was beyond entertained by all of Cosmo's ressponses. Just because mine does not talk, beyond a strangled sounding hello, does not mean that I do not know what she wants. Thank you, Betty Jean, for writing your book. Lucky and Tim and I loved listening to you and Cosmo.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the audiobook version you can hear recordings of Cosmo speaking. It really makes all the difference...

[The Lady Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read and had a lot of good information about the pros and cons of getting a parrot. It was NOT, however, a scientific study about language, it's just one woman's experience in working with a language trained parrot. She seems a pleasant and caring woman, but I had a few issues with this book.

The author's presentation really makes her seem more obsessed with this parrot than a simple, yet strong, pet-human bond. A few points I arched my my eyebrow and thought, "is that really what you meant to say?" She talks about tongue kissing her parrot and how the "children really like when I kiss her." Yeah, a few awkward moments in this book. I thought this was the parrot that could name colors and shapes and had a much larger vocabulary. The bird in this book learned an impressive amount of phrases and words, but not through any deliberate experimentation. The author simply gives her account of what the bird learned and how. That's great for them, but it's really just a memoir, albeit an interesting one.

[Aidan K · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author's main idea is that humans do not respect nonhuman animals enough, and that this is causing the population of many animals to decrease. The story is told by Betty Jean. Betty Jean is also the protagonist. Cosmo is another character. Dr. Betty Jean Craige and her African Grey Parrot, Cosmo, have created a language almost like English to communicate with each other. This book tells of the stories of Betty Jean and Cosmo's conversations. Betty Jean also gives her opinions about animal treatment and the intelligence of nonhuman animals.

I liked this book because it gave me more insight into the intelligence of nonhuman animals, and I enjoyed learning about Cosmo's life. I felt that this book made the subject of animal treatment more real because there was an animal's life also being told with the message that animals' populations are declining. I would recommend this book to almost any animal lover because of its humor and its great style of writing.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really sweet memoir, but was rambly, repetitive, and lacked cohesion. I loved that she implored people to care well for their avian pets.

[Frankie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book after reading about the parrot Alex and Dr. Irene Pepperberg. I loved the anecdotes, and the fact that the author related to her bird as to another fellow being, unlike Dr Pepperberg who concentrated so strictly upon scientific methods.

This book shows me that parrots, like humans, can think, feel, and communicate logically. But, humans must make an effort to enter the bird’s world to grasp to understand their abilities.

After reading a number of books about intensive relationships between birds and humans, I begin to understand basic differences in their personalities and ours.

[Annie Carrott Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, educational look into the life of an African Grey Parrot. (little known fact - one of my relatives name was “Parrotte”! probably not related...🤔) Anyway, the author shared what it’s like to live and be loved by this intelligent bird. Cosmo is a hoot! Although the book itself can be a bit repetitive.

[Kylie Abecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this had interesting information, it felt extremely repetitive and lacked any real ‘story’, which is sad, because there really was/is so much potential for it.

[Leah Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

On god, this is probably the best book I have ever read! Hands down🙌

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing what these birds can do!

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

UGA's Comparative Literature program kicks ass.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although parrots are often credited with astounding gifts of mimicry, these misunderstood birds are largely believed to be incapable of more. In recent years, however, scholars have attempted to quantify the emotional and intellectual capacity of parrots, both domestically bred and in the wild. Before she stopped keeping track, Craige (comparative literature, Univ. of Georgia) documented that Cosmo, her beloved six-year-old African gray, had learned to speak over 100 words and more than 200 phrases and had mastered several contextual inflections. Craige's success in socializing her bird will most assuredly contribute to the growing body of knowledge, as her results suggest that Cosmo not only can talk but also knows what she is talking about. VERDICT Craige presents an academic yet highly entertaining narrative on parrot rearing by citing numerous informative studies while also providing a thoroughly enjoyable firsthand account of life with an African gray. Readers who want an additional scientific perspective can turn to Irene Pepperberg's classic The Alex Studies; more personal accounts include Pepperberg's Alex & Me and Jenny Gardiner's Winging It: A Memoir of Caring for a Vengeful Parrot Who's Determined To Kill Me.—Judy Brink-Drescher, Molloy Coll. Lib., Rockville Centre, NY LIBRARY JOURNAL

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've read about Alex the Parrot you may like reading about Cosmo. It was neat to get the perspective of an African Gray in a home setting. These birds are pretty awesome with their language use! Cosmo and Betty Jean have a sweet relationship. I liked how Cosmo made jokes about the phone, reported when she'd seen a squirrel, and interacted with her owner's doggies. The book is a tad repetitive and slows down a bit when Betty Jean is philosophizing about human and animal relationships. Hearing about Cosmo's actions and words is neat though. Overall an enjoyable read for bird lovers.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read about a topic I find fascinating -- animal intelligence. A few years ago I read "Alex and Me" about an African Grey parrot who was essentially learning to decode sounds (aka reading words). He was using language not just to "parrot" comments made in his presence but to make requests, answer questions and it would seem express himself. Unlike that author, this author is not a scientist. This This is more of a personal account about a woman's experience with an African Grey. Easy read and fun.

[Jenna Krichbaum · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading Alex and Me I thought it would be fun to read more books about African Greys. I had heard about Cosmo from online websites and thought this would be a fun book. We did enjoy it for the most part, but it was a bit repetitive in parts, which led to my rating to go down from 3 stars to 2. I think it's a good first book from Betty Jean Craige and if she does write more about Cosmo, I would most likely read it.

[Madteapartier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful & educational. Loved learning more about African Grey Parrots, as I've always dreamed of having one myself. Cosmo's antics & accomplishments certainly make one think (about language, animal & human behaviour, plus a number of other issues), as well as surprising & entertaining us. Recommended.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Nothing new or insightful if you are familiar with 'Alex and Me' by Irene Pepperberg or other avian studies (or if you are a bird owner). The stories of her interactions with Cosmo, however, are fun and worth reading. It won't be enlightening, but at times you will laugh out loud and overall it is a decent one-afternoon-read kind of book.

[Callie R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though I have ever been a fan of Craige's amusing columns in the Athens paper, I found her book to be a little meandering and monotonous. Her talent for column writing does not translate into the extended commitment and draw required of a book. However, I highly recommend her columns for they are lively, amusing, and quite extraordinary.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very proud mama telling delightful stories about her baby. It doesn't get far as a scientific document, and gets a little repetitive as a narrative. But it's a treat to get to know Cosmo in this quick read.

[Jacquie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on relationships with pets.

Very amusing at times.

[Margy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute and interesting chronicle of Cosmo the parrot and her developing language skills over the years. I mainly focused on the conversations and glossed over the scientific stuff inbetween.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was hoping for more depth

[Joann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conversations with is entertaining and informative. Cosmo is a smart and funny bird.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very fun and quick read. I loved Alex and Me so picked this book about Cosmo. I found myself laughing out loud more then once.

[Teri Temme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and learning about Cosmo! Entertaining read.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had read this before I got my
African Grey so I could have used her method.

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from the tips at the end being kinda off, the book itself was great.