Mark Bittner

Mark Bittner was a homeless vagabond, failed musician and a self styled dharma bum. After wandering the streets of San Francisco staying wherever he could find shelter, someone told him about an ad for a caretaker of sorts for an elderly woman in exchange for a studio apartment. It was here that he discovered the parrots and began feeding them. Not finding much information about their history or habits, he determined to learn as much as possible and in the process befriended many of them. I normally love these kinds of books, but the writing style here was a bit dry and I was left often times wanting more. I was also disappointed in the photos that were included at the beginning of each chapter. All black and white. For a book about very colorful parrots, the inclusion of black and white photos of the subjects seemed strange. You can not see the subtle color variations he tells about in these photos. It was frustrating. The chapter "Consciousness Explained" seemed a bit self indulgent. I will also say that I found it very hard to like this man. His plan for just sitting around and letting life happen to him as part of his spiritual journey (which even that- he just sort of fell into), was all just irritating. I found myself struggling to finish it.… (mehr)