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There are currently 26 member reviews
for Alfie and Me
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Anke V. (Portland, OR)
ALFIE AND ME, Carl Safina
This is a moving story about the rescue of an injured baby Eastern Screech Owl named Alfie. It recounts a heart-warming story of dedication, perseverance, and ultimate success by both Safina and Alfie. It provides details about Alfie's progress and final release back into the wild, Safina's struggles helping Alfie, as well as the timing of her release to increase her chances of surviving in the wild, and how they create a strong bond that makes them integral parts of each other's lives. Amazingly, we watch how Alfie's instincts take over after being orphaned, learning how to hunt, fend off predators, find a mate, select appropriate nesting and living quarters, and raise her owlets - all while letting Carl Safina peek into her life. Interspersed with Alfie's story, Safina includes snippets of thoughts about philosophy, world religions and indigenous beliefs, and around the relationship between humanity and nature. This can sometimes be a little bit distracting from Alfie's story, but interesting as food for thought nonetheless.
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Mary S. (Edmonds, WA)
Alfie-A connection to nature and a better humanity
This was the first book I have read by this author and it made me so much more aware of the magic of every day life. It left me wanting to spend more time outdoors and immerse myself in nature. The author details the relationship he develops with an owl he rescues and then the family she creates. There is also a story of how we as humans lost our way and became disconnected from nature, as well as viewed our environment as a possession rather than a gift to be valued and protected. I found it fascinating the history he provided through science, religion and philosophy that have resulted us arriving where we are today. I recommend this book as a way to open your eyes and see more clearly the responsibility we have to our world.
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Mary H. (Latham, NY)
This Book is a Gem
I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful story about nature in general and specifically the rescue of an eastern screech owl named Alfie.
To follow Alfie's journey is to be privy to a part of nature few see up close. She blossoms from a near death bunch of ragged feathers to a magnificent representation of her species. Most incredible, without parents to teach her, we watch her instincts take over and she learns how to hunt, fend off predators, find a mate, select appropriate living quarters and raise beautiful babies.
Interspersed with Alfie's story, the author shares what he has learned over the years from interviewing members of indigenous tribes throughout the globe. Although these tribes have no contact, they all expressed the same beliefs. At their core they believe nature is to be respected and nurtured since every living thing is part of the great web of life. If you harm any part of nature, the damage will be felt around the globe. We would be well advised to listen to their message as the damage we have done to the planet becomes more apparent each day.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves beautiful nature stories. Alfie's journey is well worth a read.
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Ann B. (Kernville, CA)
An appealing conversation about the interconnection of man and nature
Carl Safina blends ecology and natural science with philosophy to show the inextricable connections between nature and human existence. Over the course of their homebound Covid-19 year, the author and his wife rescue a fledgling owl who had been left for dead. Through interactions with and observations of Alfie the owl and her eventual mate and three owlets, Safina muses about humanity's belief systems (philosophy, theology, technology) through history and how we've arrived at the separation of man and nature and our planet's crisis conditions.
"If one has not been raised to inquire about relationships, one might see a living thing as nothing but a product model. One would miss that living is a correspondence with the surroundings, a matter of taking in and putting forth ... Each species is in continual conversation with other individuals, various species, and the land- and waterscapes of their time and place."
Safina weaves owl behavior with philosophy, using transitions that are often fluid but occasionally jarring. Overall a reflective and gorgeously lyrical book with an appeal that makes so much sense.
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Emily C. (Naples, FL)
A Pleasant Surprise
I requested to review an ARC copy of Alfie and Me by Carl Safina, thinking that it was just another tale of the relationship between an eastern screech owl and the author. And, it is that to be sure.
But, it turned out to be much more. Safina and his wife Patricia rescued a baby screech owl that was near death, dirt-matted and full of fly eggs. Safina, an ecologist, had permits for wildlife rehab, falconry, and bird banding.
Not only did the bird grow and thrive under their care, it found a mate "Plus One" and had three owlets. This is an excellent chronicle of rehabilitating an orphaned screech owl and eventually the entire owl family.
Safina's ongoing relationship with this owl family was so powerful that it led him to research the history of human thought around the relationship between humanity and nature. His extensive footnotes and bibliography indicate that he not only examined the philosophy of indigenous people around the world, but the thinking of various world religions.
His research and experiences with the owl family led him to the conclude that "the world is sacred and that a web of relationship between nature and humans is fundamental". His lesson for the reader is that humans have a special role in caring for the world. "A good relationship with the world is fundamental to good spiritual life and health".
While he says that he doesn't want to oversimplify or idealize the beliefs of "indigenous" people and religious thought, he does. In claiming that "Platonist dualism-preference for mind as opposed to matter, and devaluation of the material world-has been the bedrock of Western thought ever since", I would argue that he has oversimplified the matter by repeating over and over again that "Plato's cancellation of attention and reverence for the seen world became a matter of faith".
That criticism aside, this book is not only delightful in its description of the owl-human relationship. but it is full of wisdom for living. The world would be a better place if we would follow his advice: "To snip some of the barbed wire that keeps us in the pens we erect for ourselves to "feel something in common" is to donate a piece of our isolation to a wider identity". IF ONLY,,,,
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Valerie C. (Chico, CA)
A bit dry for me
This is a good book, but I would have liked more Alfie and less of the indigenous history.
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Janet S. (Terrace Park, OH)
A Magical Story
Alfie and Me is a moving story of an orphaned little screech owl and the effect it has on the author's life. After the author and his wife took in this little bird, they expected it would only last for a short period of time. Alfie becomes an integral part of their daily lives and they learn so much from this little bird. What a true bond is shared among all. When Alfie eventually finds a mate and raises a brood, she is still drawn to the author.
It was a magical book and I learned a lot too!
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