Wesley the Owl

Girl adopts owl. Lives are transformed - including the reader's.

This was so beautiful. Vastly more than a “my pet and me” memoir: it was informative, educational, inspiring, and with a strong scientific bent to boot. (Except for near the end, when she gets a little woo, but hey I'm not judging this time, I haven't walked in her shoes). O'Brien is a great writer, observant and self-aware and deeply compassionate; she exquisitely describes Wesley's behavior, his eyes, utterances, and especially the development of their relationship - each one's learning to communicate with the other over time. The bond they formed was unique, and the way O'Brien writes about it feeds both the heart and the mind.