Life with Ben: A Story of Friendship and Feathers

I loved the book and could really relate to it. I too own an Orange Winged Amazon Charlie Girl, plus a Severe Macaw JOJO and a cockateil Hurley. All are re homed. These three little guys add so much love and happiness to my life . Yes they are and can be extremely noisy, messy and temperamental but they are precious to me. Keep writing Jessica I look forward to more books and you insight.,

A very nice story and I am very happy for Jessica. a better friend she could never have as with Ben. Thank you for adopting the cockatoo as well. Wish the book would have been a little more Ben.

PRECIOUS STORY FOR BIRD LOVERS!

Just started reading this book and I love it. I have suffered from depression and anxiety attacks and having my parrot has helped me so much in dealing with my problems. Jessica reminds me so much of me, years ago.

Found information about this book on my Facebook page and it sounded interesting. I love all birds and had to read about Ben. I am happy I bought this book. It was so good. Thank you!

This book is a little treasure. The author's bond and conviction is strenghtened by a very detailed, yet very readable account of her "aquisition" of Ben. I found this an unusually relaxing book, possibly because of the heartfelt conviction.

This was a gift but they loved it.I got a second one for me and I love it.

Anyone who has suffered from anxiety knows the disabling effects the illness can have. As a person gives in to the comfort of hiding from the stressors in his or her environment, it becomes more difficult to step outside of the "comfort zone." In "Life With Ben," Jessica Hagedorn bravely puts a young face on her anxiety disorder and shares with the reader how an unexpected friendship helped her get through college and its many challenges.The story of Hagedorn and Ben the Amazon noticing each other in the pet store where Hagedorn would go for calming sessions is endearing. The saga of the two growing to trust one another while Hagedorn worked to convince her mother to let her purchase Ben is also touching, but both stories seemed a long time in the telling. I found myself unable to remain in the book even though both "main characters" are likeable.I believe the story is worth reading and Ben's antics are familiar enough to parrot owners that we can easily appreciate the challenges Hagedorn and her family went through while living with Ben. Hagedorn teaches through her experiences that researching a pet parrot before bringing it home is important. She also teaches through her experiences and through direct statements that Ben could sense her emotions and could help her assess when she was allowing her anxiety to overwhelm her.While the book has no remarkable technical issues, this reviewer feels it could have been half its length with a sharp editing eye. A non-bird enthusiast or person with no interest in psychology may grow bored with the pace of the narrative. The companion parrot fans among us should have no trouble reading through the extra details to hear all the nuggets of life with Ben.

Lovely story, but so sad. Many should possibly be able to relate to this wonderfully written easy to read story . A story of love and romance not only to another human but to her animals also.

As an owner of an Amazon, I could very much relate to the stories told of their relationship. It could have been better if there were more tales told about the parrot and less about her, always a danger when writing books about animals.