As someone who has worked for the education department of a zoo and has had the opportunity to work closely with owls myself, I could not wait to read this book. While I did get to spend some time with these animals up close, the in depth every day experiences over the course of nineteen years described in this book really enhanced my appreciation of them even more. An amazing story. Read it!!

This story about a baby barn owl that gets raised by a loving human is so cute!!! I couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days. It is a super cute quick read.
For those that have a queasy stomach you may want to think twice as there is some stories that involve some, well, not so pleasant stories of feeding the bird.
Funny, sweet and very cute!!!!

This is a great book. I have it on my Kindle, but had to buy a hardback copy to give to my daughter for Christmas. It makes you stop and think. If this one owl could have such a personality then every black bird you see in those flocks of thousands also has just as rich a personality. Every deer in the forest, every rabbit in your yard. Every mouse in your attic. Thought provoking. A true love story.

I love this book. You can't help but love Wesley. He is completely amazing. I couldn't put it down. There are also amazing life lessons about animals and how to relate to them which makes you rethink how to relate to animals... and people. This is one of the most amazing relationships I've heard of between two souls.

Wonderful, wonderful book! I highly recommend this book for any animal lover. I found it very useful also since I have a pair of barn owls living in my palm tree out back. I learned quite a lot about them in a highly entertaining (and very enjoyable) manner. The author tells a remarkable story about the owl she raises and the great things that occur when a wild animal has no recourse than to be kept in captivity(for it's own survival). I laughed & I cried. Wesley is a joy for anybody of any age to read. Oh yes, it is factual but told in "lay-mans" terms for all us non-scientific types.

Easily the best book I've read this year, probably the best book on living with an animal since Gladys Taber's "Conversations with Amber." Charming, funny, and it'll leave you with a lot of thinking to do about how smart owls are and the ways in which their intelligence may be like and unlike our own.

If you are any kind of naturalist or biologist, or if you just like owls or animal stories, this one is one of the best. Wesley's life is lovingly revealed in a lively, engaging way, and along the way I learned all sorts of fascinating owl facts. The author never overwhelms with sentimentality, and I found myself laughing out loud at all the wild predicaments she and her owl found themselves getting into. I blazed through it and I wish I could award more than five stars.

This book was a wonderful and fun book. I loved the relationship between Stacey and Wesley. I laughed and had a good time with it. Also learning so much about Barn Owls, now I want to learn more about Owls, since they are such facinating creatures. I have Parrots so it was interesting to look at the difference between the two species. The one thing that I so appreciated was the fact that reading animal books that I hate is the end when they die. Stacey was aware of this fact and warned us when it was coming, so I had an option as to whether to continue or not. So to save a ton of tears, I stoped at that part. I was so sad when the book ended because I enjoyed it. I think just about any age that could understand the fact that the owls have to eat and could handle the mice being killed would enjoy it. I just wish it could have been a much longer story.

Not only is this story touching, funny (hysterical at times!), and heartwarming, it is also extremely informative. I learned more about owls in this one piece of literature than I had from years of bird watching and lectures. The behavioral discoveries Stacey learns from Wesley are profound. He is a student, teacher, mate, protector, hunter, friend, and entertainer neatly packaged in beautiful feathers.

Stacey's writing style is smooth and flows nicely. Because of this, I found myself reading for hours, not realizing so much time had gone by. She does a wonderful job of illustrating the challenges and victories in raising Wesley. Her selfless devotion and commitment to his well being are translated brilliantly in every chapter. Through her written experiences with Wesley, one cannot help but fall hopelessly in love with him. His antics keep you glued to the pages. You won't want to put this book down. For in it you will not only discover Wesley and his capacity to touch the lives of his people; it also compels you to take a look at yourself and your role in protecting and fostering the habitats of our animal friends.

I read this book and fell in love with an owl. This is a remarkable story of a woman's nurturing an infant owl throughout his life. You won't be able to put this book down once you get started. And the tears will flow but there are laughs along the way. Wesley is a real character and this story is just fantastic! I bought extra copies for friends because I think anyone will love this book.

Others have said it succinctly, eloquently, etc., but I just have to concur--in the top five books of the year, from an avid reader. I can't wait to pass it on to others.

This is a great book for the animal lover in all of us. What an amazing, intelligent little creature Wesley is. This story reaffirms the ability man has to connect with animals on a deeper level. Make sure you have tissue near by as you reach the end.

i read over 250 books a year and this book is in my top one percent favorite! It is not only entertaining and a page turner but so beautifully told and incredibly informative! would make a great gift for any reader on your list!

For the past two years, I have had the honor of sharing space and enjoying the presence of a pair of Great Horned Owls. The male sometimes barks, and hoo-hoo-hoo...hoo's and then I hear the female's more rapid response hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo... hoo. I have seen them on occasion flying over the apple orchard behind my house. And once, on a walk, saw one launch from a pine tree branch without making a sound. Lovely. So... I wanted to read a story about owls. This was a fast and enjoyable read, though I am saddened by the turn of events: illness for the author and, unknowingly, Wesley... during the same timeframe. I was sad that she could no longer sleep with him during his last year or so. Sad for both of them. But it is a delightful story and she did a remarkable job. What a commitment.

This was one of the best books I've read in a while. It was both informative, and also pulled at your heart strings. I never new that owls were such amazing animals. I recommend this book to anyone, young and old, especially animal lovers.

This was a great book. The insights into the Owls mind and daily life was so cool.
How he bonded with her, loved her and thought Stacy was his life mate was so neat and touching.
I loved how he brought her food, and made nests for her.
Some of the men she dated, did not deserve her or her owl.
There were some great and funny parts in this book, and some sad and touching parts.
I can understand her guilt over getting sick, and not having the time for Wesley. Hopefully she has let herself off the hook.
This was a good and easy book to read, fun and really insightful. I loved the photos. Wesley was so magestic, and what a gift to live with a beautiful creature such as he.

The story of Wesley the Owl is a fantastic read for any animal lover, and especially avian lovers. The human/animal connection Stacey shares with Wesley, and the stories she tells of that connection are entertaining, enlightening and simply wonderful. A lot can be learned from this book about the human/animal connections that we all share with our animal friends. A must read!

Wesley the Owl is an awesome book that is full of adventure, humor, love, and detail between Stacy Obrien and her owl Wesley. I never knew that an owls life was so complex! Stacy throws so much detail into her book, that you actually feel like you are a part of their lives, and experience all the emotion that goes on between them. Stacy also provides excellent pictures of her life with Wesley, and shares every moment of it with the reader. The story of Stacy and her life with Wesley was so fascinating, and I fully enjoyed every minute of it! From start to finish I found it hard to put the book down! I lent it to my mother in law and she read it in 4 days! She truly felt that this was the best book she has ever read... and she is a regular book worm! The ending of this book brought tears to my eyes. I felt sort of sad when I was done reading this book. It felt as if I had lost contact with a wonderful relationship. I have never found a book that had so much offer! It was educational, emotional, humorous, fascinating, adventurous in a sense, and feeling like you were physically there and a part of their lives. Well done Stacy Obrien! I will truly treasure this book.

I absolutely loved this book. Read it straight through in one night and can't get it out of my head. It's a beautiful story, beautifully written. And Stacey O'Brien is such an extraordinary person. It was a privilege to read about her and Wesley's life together. I think that anyone who loves animals will love this book, and hopefully it will convert some non-animal-lovers 'to the bright side' as well. It truly had me laughing and crying and in awe, all in one book.

You will not find a better book on the love of animals this year, than Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl.

One of the fascinating things about "Wesley" is the transformation you see the author, Stacey O'Brien, going through -- from a very scientific, analytical mind to an awakening and acceptance of telepathy as a form of communication between humans and animals.

It's not that the book focuses on that, it's really a life story about her and wild owl, whom she named "Wesley." She adopted him at 4 days old when she was working at CalTech, and this is a story that she wrote as a way to release her grief after he died. He was 19 years old.

No matter how bizarre the circumstance of having a wild animal as a companion, and no matter that every once in a while in the book she uses verbiage that is far above my level of intelligence, (and I consider myself to be of moderately high intelligence) there is a commonality in her story that every parent of an animal can easily understand. The little proclivities our animals have, the snuggling, the cuddling, the getting angry when we leave for too long of a time, these are all things we can understand and relate to from our own experience with our pets. (I do agree with another reviewer that parents should read it first to screen out any material that might be upsetting to young children.)

But this really is a work of art. I am not a big reader of stories, but I could not put this book down. The side stories are fascinating. For instance, her father was good friends with a man she mentions -- the man who figured out it was the o-rings that blew up the Challenger. These are the people she associates with on a regular basis. The stories of some of the people she talks about at CalTech are fascinating, creepy, intriguing and more.

As an animal communicator, this is not a book I would recommend to teach people to become animal communicators, its a story that in a very unique way, from a very unique person, addresses animal communication as part of our relationship with our animal kids.

Easy to read, it's funny, it's fascinating, repelling at times, making you cringe and say "Eeeeewwwwww" out loud and by the end, will be hard to read through your tears.

I - can't - recommend - this - book - enough. Wesley the Owl. If you enjoy it even a fraction as much as I did, you will enjoy it, very much, indeed.

I know I'm going to get blasted for writing a negative review, but I just couldn't like this book. As an animal lover, as are most of the people who will read this book, I expected to like it, I wanted to like it. The story of the owl itself is ok, and the book is a quick, easy read.

The problem arose for me when, in the first few pages, the author remembers crying all day as a child when her mother flushed a spider down a toilet, using that to portray what an animal lover she is. But a few pages later, the adult biologist writes "there is a cultural pressure among biologists to withstand the extremely gross without reacting" and goes on to describe cleaning up rotten, maggot infested rats parts that the owls have dropped. Later on, she works desperately to save a hamster but is blase about microwaving mice. She jokes about rats that "must have been doing genetic experiments" because they were so large before she sliced them into "rat pucks".

Now of course I know that in the wild, mice, rats, and other such creatures are always in danger of being eaten. But I also know they also have the chance to get away. It is the author's seeming total lack of concern for the animals that are killed to keep her owl alive that concerns me. I could not read this story without feeling for the animals that have been compartmentalized in her mind as "food" and therefore not worth any compassion. This story just made me sad.

This book taught me so much about the barn owl and owls in general in the most caring, touching, funny and ultimatley heartbreaking true story. I have so much respect and admiration for Stacey O'Brien and all that she did for Wesley during his entertaining, funny, and quizzical 19 years on this earth. They taught each other and me so much about nature, animal intelligence, and human, animal bonds that no one thought possible. Wesley is now flying gloriously solo with the angels above us and I know he watches over Stacey from above. Thank you Stacey for a marvelous book and I am grateful to you for sharing Wesley the Owl with us.

This is an absolutely incredible book about a young woman who literally spent her life with her little owl from birth to death. I am also saddened to read that she herself was ill. I wish you the best Stacy and hope you are well. You did a wonderful job on this book!!!

"Couldn't put it down".
Seriously. I picked up this book at my local library on a whim.. basically being I like birds, especially birds of prey. So, this cute little owl covered book caught me and I took it home and did noththing but read from start to finish.
The author intrigued me by simple education of the biology of barn owls while wrapping it all up in a mothering love nest of emotion.
I cried and laughed and I felt I was there through the 20 years. Wonderful.
I bought this book (Amazon) and sent it to my dad across the country. I have never done that before. I just wanted him to share this great story with me.

I had an owl once. I had a cat before I had an owl but the owl changed that. I wish I still had a cat instead of still having an owl that wants to kill me and my family. Owls make horrible pets and this book is ridiculous and wrong. 5 stars.

This book is truly inspirational! I thought it would just be about the life of an owl, but it was really about so much more. It touched me deeply and I don't think I will ever forget this book.

Enlightening insight into the life and emotions of an owl. I've always admired owls and wonder how it would be to have an owl. It's a magnificent book on Wesley's behavior and a really credit to the patience and love of Stacy O'Brien. Wonderful.
gloria

I just finished reading Wesley The Owl and was extremely moved by this book. A remarkable love story indeed. You were both so lucky to have found eachother. Thank you Stacey for sharing Wesley with us.

I felt this book was more about the history of owls than anything else. I was expecting something more along the lines of Marley and Me. It isnt even close to being as good.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I laughed and I cried and I learned so much about owls. I never knew they were so fasinating. I would not mind having one as a pet, but I think the eating mice thing is not my cup of tea. It truly is a love story.

This is my new favorite book when it comes to human and non-human animal relationships. It is the Marley & Me of the avian variety. Each page delighted me or made my cry with shared grief. Stacey is a wonderful writer, and an even more amazing person, to commit so much of her life to the care and nurturing of this extraordinay being with whom she was so blessed to be friends. It goes to show you that if human beings can step outside of their own realm of being and look into the eyes of other creatures, they will see someone there looking back - not just a bundle of flesh, feathers, fins or fur, but a real spirit worthy of respect and, if we are lucky enough, they will allow us into their worlds, worlds from which we as a species have much to learn. Thank you for sharing your story, Stacey!

If you have ever loved an animal, you will love this book. If you've lived with an intelligent animal and studied its ways (and had it study yours!) you'll be fascinated by this story of a young Caltech biologist and the injured bar owl she adopts. Very interesting and humorous mix of insight into Wesley the owl's behaviour and the impact he has on the author's life.

Stacey O'Brien was a biologist at Cal Tech when she adopted a 3 day old Barn Owl with a permanently damaged wing whom she named Wesley. This is the story of their relationship during their 19 years together. It's a charming moving (but not overly sentimental) funny and informative tale. You will learn more than even most scientists know about Barn Owls as the story unfolds and you'll gain insight as well into the endearing personality of a particular Barn Owl named Wesley. Owls are playful, curious and intelligent yet interact with the world quite differently than we do. The descriptions of Wesley's embarrassing moments when he's learning to fly (yes he did learn to fly) and the fun he has splashing in the bathtub are priceless. You will also meet Stacey's human family, friends and co-workers, some quite unusual. I enjoyed this book about "The Way of the Owl" enormously, and if you like Konrad Lorenz's books, animals in general, or just a good read that's hard to put down, you will too.

When student researcher Stacey O'Brien was introduced to an injured four-day-old barn owl at Caltech she could not have possibly imagined that the little bird would change her life forever. O'Brien is an animal lover of the first degree and it was easy to convince her to take on the task of caring for Wesley, as she soon named the little guy, even though she knew that he could never be released into the wild. He would instead spend his extra-long nineteen-year lifespan living in her bedroom and become her closest companion during all of those years.

The unbreakable bond that developed between Stacey and Wesley makes for an astounding story. It is not overly surprising that Wesley, taken in at such a young age, would "imprint" on Stacey to the degree that he came to see her as some kind of mother/mate combination. What might be even more remarkable is how maternal Stacey felt toward Wesley for the entire nineteen years of their relationship, even referring to herself as "mommy" when she spoke to the little owl. In fact, and in every sense of the word, Stacey and Wesley created a two-member family for themselves to such a degree that few would consider Wesley to have been held in captivity. Rather, the two lived side-by-side as equals.

Wesley the Owl is O'Brien's fascinating account of what living so intimately with a wild creature requires from the human in the relationship. Imagine having to come up with the four or five dead mice a day required to keep a barn owl healthy (a number that O'Brien estimates to have reached 28,000 over Wesley's lifetime). Imagine having a nocturnal animal just a few feet from the bed in which you hope to get your own night's sleep. Think about the sheer clean-up involved and the constant vigilance required to ensure that the animal does not mistake any visitor as a threat requiring physical attack. Consider the degree to which personal freedom has to be sacrificed in this kind of relationship, even to limiting other relationships to people who accept your "pet."

But for Stacey O'Brien it was all worth it. She and Wesley each learned to communicate in the language of the other, verbally and physically, to the degree that they developed a relationship of equals. They cuddled, they talked, they "groomed" each other, they brought treats to one another (although Stacey only faked her enjoyment of dead mice), and they grew together into two adults enjoying a closer relationship than some married couples might experience (including Wesley's idea of a mating ritual).

For Stacey and Wesley it was all about unconditional love. After all, as Stacey came to learn, that is the Way of the Owl, a code of conduct that more of us than do should strive to emulate.

Stacey the human and Wesley the owl were lucky to find and keep each other for a lifetime. We should all be so lucky.

As both an animal lover in general and as someone who's worked closely with raptors, including owls, I found Wesley and Stacey's 'love story' to be both charming and, at the same time, a pretty realistic account of the time, effort and devotion it takes to hand raise and live with an essentially wild animal. It also serves as a cautionary tale for those who would try doing something like this with no training or education in dealing with the needs of these extraordinary creatures. Reading about Wesley brought back wonderful memories for me of owls I've known and loved but it's a great book for anyone who loves animals be they furred, feathered or scaled.

Biologist Stacey O'Brien who worked at the lab at CalTech did an incredible job of writing this book. She is such a compassionate person and caregiver to Wesley and was totally dedicated to this little guy for 19 years even through some major ongoing challenges in her personal life. She writes about feelings we all experience in caring for our fur and feathered children, the hopes, the joy, the fears and at the end of their lives, the total helplessness, fear and guilt we feel at not having the power to make them live longer lives than they were meant to live. But this is mostly a happy book, an incredible look into the life of an animal that most of us never have the opportunity to get close to. I think Our Maker has a special place in heaven for people like Stacy.

There are a lot of animal stories out there, and being a bird owner myself and having always seen owls as mysterious animals, I was drawn to this book. This is unlike any book I've read thus far. It is simply written, and felt much like sitting in comfy chairs, across from Stacy sharing a cup of coffee and hearing her story. It was like having a conversation with her. I learned so much about Barn Owls and their personalities, habits and emotions. It made me laugh and it made me cry. It was so interesting that I read most of it in one sitting. It was a fascinating read from start to finish and I hope she will write more in the future.

I've already sent this book to two friends and it will definitely be on my Christmas list to send to others this year. Two thumbs up for this one.

Very interesting, love to enter worlds I would never visit myself. She is a great writer and enjoyed the book very much. A good read on the beach or on a plane ride. The book also gives you insights on the life and thought process of scientists. When the book ends you want to know the sequel of the author's life. She endears herself to you. I wish her well.

I knew I would love this book when I first saw it advertised and it didn't let me down. I especially enjoyed the part about Wesley learning to fly and how "embarrassed" he was!!!!!!!! So adorable!!!!!!!!!!!! To the author: I am soooo sorry about your illness. No one can understand pain until they have experienced it. I wish I could help you in some way!!!!!!!!

This book is full of information about owls as well as having an excellent story line about real life living with an owl.

Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl Thoroughly enjoyable reading. The theme was eductional, entertaining and sensitive. I went out and bought an owl paperweight for my desk and an owl broach for my blouse to remind me of this very sensitive owl.

This is one of the sweetest, most heart-wrenchingly delicious books I've ever read. Neither a scholarly study of animal behavior nor an overly-sentimental story about a young woman and her unusual pet, this book leads the reader down a delightful middle-way, The Way Of The Owl.

It is a lovely story of a love story, the elucidation of a nineteen year friendship between two very beautiful souls.

You will cry, but your tears will bring healing and hope and mystery back into your life for a long time after you've finished the book. You will never forget Wesley or his girl, Stacey.

I absolutely adored this book! A very touching story that goes to the heart of how love is felt between animals and people. I would recommend this book to anyone who has felt that connection. I plan on buying several copies to give as gifts to friends.

This was a great book. Your heart will go out to Stacey and Wesley. An animal lover will easily relate to the joys and heartbreaks of this relationship. It is an interesting and educational read.

I read the reviews and said "Why not?" This book is a fast, enjoyable read not only because the story was so intriguing but also because the characters (both human and owl) are ones you care about. Many times I found myself reading passages aloud to my husband, with both of us remarking "I didn't know that!" As a cat and dog person, I certainly could visualize Wesley's antics and appreciate his personality. Usually, my favorite 'literature' genre is 'beach trash' but reading about Wesley made me smile, cry and laugh out loud; but most of all, it made me want more. I've passed the book on to others and they have had the same reaction. Buy it, enjoy it and share it!

I'm a fan of the man-animal bond genre in general, but this is about the best I've ever read. Stacy is an amazing observer and memoirist, just a wonderful voice in writing. Almost everything she has to say about this owl is interesting / amazing / hilarious. My only slight regret is that the author may have given too much to her relationship with Wesley--he does seem to have come at the expense of some other relationships, but she probably would have it no other way.

I have a thing for owls, so when I saw this book among my recommendations, it captured my imagination. Fascinating story - I loved every minute of it, and I didn't have to kill any mice!
I would highly recommend it - not just to owl lovers, but to animal lovers everywhere.

I just finished reading "Wesley the Owl". Such a sweet, sweet, heartwarming story. Stacey has shown us how humans can bond with other species. Of course, those of us who have pets know how great the bond is, especially when we lose them. Do yourself a favor and buy a copy of this book for yourself or a friend who is an animal lover. I loved this book. Thank you Stacey for letting us share your time with Wesley, and I wish you only the best also with your health.

This book had me laughing and crying. I was facinated by the way the author made the factual circumstances of raising an owl interesting (it was hard to believe how many mice they eat, and how hard owl parents have it with their broods). You will not be able to put this one down if you love animal stories.

This was such a wonderful book!!! Sad at the end, but still....a really good read. Loved it. Buy it!!!

I purchase, Wesley the Owl, initially for my 12 year old who has a tremendous interest in becoming a zoologist or biologist. He was finishing up one of his other books so I read, Wesley the Owl, first. It is a fascinating account of the life of a barn owl. The behaviors, love and loyalty toward his young caretaker are remarkable and I couldn't put
the book down! I had no idea how intelligent these beautiful creatures are. Incredible story................Dana B., Mauston, WI