Lovely, introspective look at the act of raising a wild creature without destroying her wildness, which branched into a meditation on what it means to live in harmony with nature. This was both adorable and thought provoking, with poignant and pertinent entries from folk wisdom and history. Highly recommend.

Owls are so interesting and I enjoyed the story of the author and Alfie's relationship. The book was too long for what it was, but I was never bored. Really recommended for nature/bird/animal fans.

This book lacked Owl. I read book for Owl and there was hardly any Owl. More Owl, less rambling about various other subject, please. Additionally, I made the "mistake" of reading some strong criticism from an actual wild bird expert of the way Alfie was handled/treated, and found out that basically everything that Carl Safina did was wrong. kind of hard to take the book seriously after that.

I really enjoyed this book. I love birds, owls especially, so this was a wonderful treat to read. I liked that this wasn’t just a scientific discussion of owls, but really about the relationships humans have with animals and the earth. This felt very much like a philosophical exploration of Alfie and her relationship to the author. I wasn’t expecting this necessarily, but it was a pleasant surprise and a welcome one. I think if you were strictly looking for a book on owls, this wouldn’t be for you, but since the title is ‘Alfie & Me’ I think the content was totally appropriate. I would definitely recommend this to nature lovers.

The narrator did an excellent job! I really enjoyed the audio and thought the pacing was perfect.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this AudioARC!

DNF, 31%.

This is as 15 minute story about rehabbing an owl and a 12-hour crash course in philosophy. If it had been heavily scientific about biology and ornithology, I could've kept going. If it had been about all the other rehabbing the author has done, I could've kept going. If it had been more about the author's actual life experiences, like the part about his Uncle Tony, I would've gladly kept going. But this book is marketed poorly, and manipulates unlikely readers into the pages under false pretenses. I wanted owls! I wanted human-owl relationships. I wanted to know how each impacted the other's life and knowledge. I wanted Alfie, and I wanted to see the world through his eyes. And I got the tiniest possible morsel of that, until it wasn't enough to keep me going. So I googled the author and Alfie and learned the story of the owl, as I had yearned for.

I’m embarrassed to admit that I was previously unaware of the work of Carl Safina, who is an award-winning behavioral ecologist and writer. I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover and a brief excerpt about a bedraggled baby owlet rescued from the brink of death. I needed to know Alfie’s story, and I looked forward to learning more about owls. Safina did not disappoint in his exciting story of how this owl and her family became interconnected with the author and his family.

Safina alternates between Alfie’s story and contemplations of how human beliefs about and attitudes toward nature have changed over time and across cultures. Although there were times when I just wanted to get back to the owls and dogs and chickens, I did appreciate many of the author’s points.

Carl Safina narrates the audiobook himself and does a great job. The audiobook production was good, and Safina has a pleasant voice, good pacing, and clear enunciation. His imitation of the owl calls definitely added to my enjoyment of the story.

I recommend this story to nature lovers and those with an interest in ecology and philosophy.

I received a free advanced listening copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for an audio arc of Alfie and Me: What Owls Know and Humans Believe by Carl Safina. This book is quirky, very interesting and heartwarming. Carl and his wife Patricia found a close to death baby owl in their yard and took her in and cared for her. When they release the owl in to the wild, she still comes back to them and even found a mate and had baby owls. Carl and Patricia built a bond over the course of covid and the story is pretty amazing.

As soon as I saw the cover of this book I was interested! The cover features Alfie all grown up perched on a tree.

I love books about our relationships with animals especially wild ones. Carl Safina does a great job of caring for wild animals while also being respectful of them and educating others.

The story of Alfie's rescue and rehab back into nature is entertaining enough but the author also uses his knowledge to educate and share information on the impact nature has on our lives. The narrator, which is also the author, does a great job telling his story. His voice is nice to listen to and a great job of impersonating the owls.

One of my favorite lines in the book is when Carl mentions why pets become family so quickly and it is because they are inherently better than us. If you have pets, you know the connection and joy animals bring into your life is incomparable. I have had so many little cherished moments with wild animals that lasted seconds. I am jealous of Carl and Patricia for seeing Alfie from a baby to a proud mama!

I loved how Carl and Patricia took in so many different animals throughout the years. Their story reminds me of one of my favorite social media accounts, Juniper the Fox. So if you loved this and want more, give them a follow!


If you go to the author's website you can see pictures of Alfie as a rough looking chick and as she ages into a full adult screech owl. If you enjoy memoirs with a heavy focus on wildlife and nature, you'll love Alfie and Me. Thank you to NetGalley, Carl Safina, and HighBridge Audio for the opportunity to read Alfie and Me. Special thank you goes to Alfie for letting us know her! I have written this review voluntarily.

📖: Alfie & Me
✍️: Carl Safina
🎙: Carl Safina
⭐️: 2 of 5
🎧: 4 of 5

My Thoughts:

Although this did talk about the authors experience with avian rehabilitation, there was a lot of unnecessary talk about philosophy, native culture/beliefs, religions, "universe" mentions that didn't have anything to do with owls. This was extremely hard to enjoy for me as I was not interested in anything but Alfie. This ultimately lead to my non completion during chapter 6. The overall writing and narration were fine but all the extra just wasn't for me. I would still recommend this to others who enjoy nature and a bit of philosophy.

Thank you NetGalley, and HighBridge Audio for the opportunity to listen and review this advanced copy.

I got more than half-way through this book. It was not what I expected, and I honestly, would not give more time to finish it. I like rescue stories, and that is part of the book. However, it was a much smaller part than the actual theme, which focused more on ecology, politics, religions, and more. Part of the title indicated that human beliefs would be discussed, but it was a biased, judgmental approach. The tone of the book was harsh towards most religions, and the author conveyed feelings of hostility towards those who believe in any of the three major world religions. I was disappointed that with a publishing date of Jan 2024, the author stated that Covid-19 was started by the terrible ways humans kill and eat their food (referring to the meat markets in China). Even main stream scientists admit Covid-19 was started in a lab. I'm sure there are many people who will whole-heartedly agree with this author's beliefs. I just wanted to read a true story about a rescued owl, not listen to hours of politics.