Book
Birds of a Feather: A True Story of Hope and the Healing Power of Animals
Lorin Lindner
TL;DR
The true story of Serenity Park, a sanctuary where veterans with PTSD care for rescued parrots and both begin to heal, told by Lorin Lindner, the psychologist who built it.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Lorin Lindner (with Elizabeth Butler-Witter)
- Published
- May 15, 2018
- Publisher
- St. Martin's Press
- Pages
- 320 (hardcover)
Lorin Lindner is a clinical psychologist who spent years counseling homeless veterans in Los Angeles while also taking in parrots whose owners could no longer care for them. Birds of a Feather is her account of how those two parts of her life became one thing, Serenity Park, a sanctuary on the grounds of the West Los Angeles VA where veterans living with PTSD care for abused and neglected parrots, and where the caring runs in both directions.
The story starts in the late 1980s with two rescued cockatoos, Sammy and Mango, and grows from there, through Lindner's work as clinical director of New Directions for Veterans, the founding of the Earth Angel Parrot Sanctuary near Ojai, and the opening of Serenity Park in 2005.
Written with Elizabeth Butler-Witter and published by St. Martin's Press in 2018, the book makes a plain, practical case that parrots don't belong in living rooms. They are loud and long-lived, and far more complicated than a living room can handle, and the kindest way to love them is to support a sanctuary. A portion of the book's profits goes to Serenity Park.
Why OGSP Recommends It
Lorin Lindner founded the Lockwood Animal Rescue Center and its Warriors and Wolves program, the sanctuary in our film "Can Wolfdogs Help Veterans Heal?". Birds of a Feather is her own account of how that work began. Veterans and rescued animals, learning to heal alongside each other. If you liked the film, this book tells how the story started.
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Key Takeaways
- Serenity Park pairs veterans living with PTSD with abused and neglected parrots on the West Los Angeles VA campus, and caring for the birds becomes part of the veterans' own recovery.
- Parrots are complex, long-lived animals that rarely do well as pets. Lindner's advice is to support sanctuaries instead of buying birds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Birds of a Feather?
Lorin Lindner, the clinical psychologist who built the Serenity Park sanctuary. She also co-runs the Lockwood Animal Rescue Center in Frazier Park, California.
What is Serenity Park?
The sanctuary at the center of the book, where veterans recovering from PTSD care for rescued parrots. The healing runs in both directions.
Is Birds of a Feather a true story?
Yes. Lindner tells the real story of the sanctuary and of the veterans and birds who healed there together.
Where can I get Birds of a Feather?
Use the Get the Book link on this page, or Lorin Lindner’s own website, which has more about the book.