Lorin, the author had rescued a parrot by the name of Sammy, who had been abandoned, and later she received another parrot named mango. Wanting to give them a better life than they had known, she thought to start a sanctuary, and rescue more birds, as there were many out there whose owners realize that they didn't know what they had gotten into when purchasing a bird, and one that could also outlive them. The noise, the time, the mess was overwhelming to many.
This was a great memoir, about the authors idea to start a bird sanctuary, Serenity Park on the grounds of the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Association Healthcare Center where she had been working, as a clinical psychologist .
Lorin had always, been an advocate for former service members, who were often suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress disorder, and who were in need of whatever help she could offer.
She began to see how the veterans she had treated and the parrots she had rescued seemed to form a bond, and both man and bird were able to become more vulnerable and opened with the help of each other.
This is a story of the wonders of recovery, I loved reading the stories of both the veterans and the parrots, and what they had each endured before finding each other.
Well written this was a very interesting story to read.
I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book.

A beautiful book - at once heartbreaking and uplifting. PTSD is such a problem now and these stories are relevant and inspiring. A definite recommend. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an E-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a wonderful book. I was entranced by the stories from the beginning. As a military family I have the utmost respect for our vets and was pleased to receive this for review from the publisher and Net Galley. Thank you for the opportunity which does not influence my review.
Birds of a Feather by Lorin Lindner is a compilation of true stories about the power of healing for veterans with PTSD by learning to care for rescued parrots. The author worked on a outstanding project to provide a place called Serenity Park for the veterans and the birds to co-exist together . It is amazing heartfelt stories how the caring for these birds made differences in the lives of the vets. It has proven to have positive effects for these veterans. I enjoyed the heartwarming stories which are shared by the vets who allow the healing of nature and animal therapy to help them.
This is a wonderful program . I look forward to hearing more about this successful groundbreaking program in the future. I highly recommend this book.

The book is about helping veterans heal but also about helping the birds who are often abandoned by the humans who had no idea what they were getting into when they got these birds in the first place. Many have been traumatized by neglect and mishandling and have as much trouble trusting and accepting as the veterans. The story of how the VA program in LA to help homeless vets got started is mixed in with Dr. Lindner’s efforts on behalf of her initial birds who then begin to take a role in easing these withdrawn people back into society and giving them a safe way to decompress to a nonjudgmental audience.

Realizing that a formal program could help both the veterans and more needy birds, she then worked on setting up a sanctuary which gives the men and women job skills, work to help them feel useful and time to heal along with the birds. It’s not all rays of sunshine as many of the vets have addiction, prison time and broken families in their pasts. Reading about the conditions some of the birds were taken from and how little their people have understood their basic needs is heartbreaking.

Brief mention is made that not everyone who started the programs has a happy ending but the stories we learn in detail focus on those who do manage to stay on the road to recovery. And lots of the birds finally find a place where they can live out their lives with companionship and understanding.

Though difficult to be reminded how many wounded veterans and parrots there are, an inspiring read about a program to make a difference.