Best Seller Book Review: Wesley the Owl: A Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey O'Brien

As I said in an earlier best seller book review about Dewey the cat, I am a sucker for animal stories. So, with a photo of the heart-shaped face of an owl on the cover, I read this best seller book too. I ended up in love with Wesley the Owl (a surprise to me) and the eccentric biologist who took care of him. It is no wonder this book was a New York Times Best Seller Book.

Non-fiction Best Seller Book Review

The author, Stacey O'Brien, is a true biologist. She purchased 28,000 rodents over the life-time of the owl for his diet. Stacey performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Wesley and by-passed suitors who couldn't understand her commitment to him. Their relationship lasted the entire life of Wesley. Not only did I learn about owls but also the devotion of scientists to their chosen field of study. Her best seller book is a heart-warming peek into both worlds.

I had no idea owls bond so deeply that they mate for life. Often, when their mate dies, they also die soon after of a broken heart. Stacey chronicled all 19 years they were together with photos and anecdotes that bring the story alive. And at Cal Tech where Stacey is a researcher, they actually have a room where biologists gather and their pet owls fly through it just the same as in Harry Potter books. It was great learning about Stacey's biologist friends who are just as eccentric and committed.

Stacey was born to be a scientist. As a child, she cried all day after her mother flushed a spider down the toilet. Even as a child, she hatched so many silkworm moths in her room, no one entered it. So it was up to her to keep her room clean and her mother insisted she use disinfectant. The stories just about a biologist's life from Stacey's perspective is good enough for a best seller book.

Non-fiction Best Seller Book Review

Learning about biologists and the relationship between Wesley and Stacey made this book a fascinating read. The author never got off track onto some topic only she might be interested in but kept us engrossed with her life and her owl. I can't find anything I didn't like about this best seller book. For this reason, out of a score of ten points, I give Wesley the Owl ten points for this book review.

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