Author: Margaret T. Wright

ISBN: 978-0-9821198-0-8

Publisher: Tewillager Publishing (A Division of Equatorial Group, Ltd)

Margaret (Maggie) Wright, author of Bringing Back the Magic: A Transformational Memoir can be described as a rare bird who is particularly well-informed on the African Grey parrot, however, as she points out, she prefers to be called eccentric because her heart opens so much to animals in general.

After reading this fascinating book, I now can understand why the African Grey parrot is considered to be one of the cleverest birds in the animal kingdom. Moreover, I was quite astonished to discover how a bird can act as a companion to humans in helping them understand themselves as well as aiding them in working through their many personal issues.           

The early part of the book is taken up with Wright’s deep personal journey connecting the reader to how and why Wright became interested in the African Gray parrot as well as her love of all animals. We are informed that at the tender age of six she lost her thirty-four year old mother to colon cancer. A few weeks later she suffered another painful blow when her pet rabbits that comforted her during the aftermath of the death of her mother were found dead in their pen. However, as Wright states, “although I was emotionally flattened by my mother’s death, there was an inner strength that made me go on.”  As Wright further mentions and as she experienced, the loss of a parent often leads to far-reaching psychological ramifications such as withdrawal, shyness, and panic attacks.   Nonetheless, being the plucky trooper Wright is, she was able to ultimately transform from being a frightened little girl into a potent triumphant child advocate, businesswoman, writer, and a nurturing mother to her pet birds. As she states: “When one focuses on an important cause ‘bigger’ than oneself, it is easier to reach out and stand up for the cause, in spite of shyness.”

Wright’s introduction into the world of African Grey parrots came about when she voyaged to Cornwall, England where the Arthurian legend of Merlin the Magician of Camelot had reputedly taken place. It was here where she descended into Merlin’s cave that was located in a little cove, just off of a beach and under the cliffs that held the remains of King Arthur’s birthplace, Tintagel Castle. According to Wright, everywhere she went on this trip, the idea of parrots kept arising and she reminded herself that when she was a child she had predicted that she would get a talking bird in her adult life. Following her trip, Wright decided to learn all she could about parrots which in turn led to the African Grey parrot because of its intelligence and great talking abilities.

It didn’t take too long when Wright purchased her first African Grey parrot from Marc Marrone’s New York Parrots of the World store that she named Merlin (after the great druid Merlin) Tewillager (after her magical pet rabbit of her childhood) Wright. And as we discover, from that day onwards Wright’s life took on a different dimension that had an immense and profound influence on her diverse careers, social activities, personality and foremost the appreciation and sympathy for animal life.

While sections of the tale are extremely compelling as well as being an eye-opener requiring some thoughtful reading, I did feel, however, that in certain instances there was a tendency to stray with an overload of information pertaining to Wright’s various vocations. Still, Wright demonstrates incredible insight into the beauty and magic that surrounds us and as she notes, all we have to do is to look and become aware of the beautiful nuances of life. In truth, upon finishing the book I felt as if I was on a field trip where I was given the chance to appreciate and understand not only the African Grey parrot but also animals in general that are capable of bringing about profound changes in our attitudes and way of life, as it did for Wright. What is more, a calm satisfaction prevailed with the knowledge that I had not wasted my time in reading this book but rather had consumed something that was not only entertaining but also very educational.

Click Here To Purchase or To Find Out More About Bringing Back the Magic: A Transformational Memoir

Click Here To Read Norm's Interview With Margaret (Maggie) Wright