The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The heartfelt, unforgettable story of how one man found his life’s work—and true love—among a gang of wild parrots roosting in San Francisco. The basis for the award-winning documentary! “A healthy dose of inspiration . . . the perfect read for anybody who believes that success means more than a corner office.”—Elle Mark Bittner was down on his luck. He’d gone to San Francisco at the age of twenty-one to take a stab at a music career, but he hadn’t had much success. After many years as an odd-jobber in the area, he accepted work as a housekeeper for an elderly woman. The gig came with a rent-free studio apartment on the city’s famed Telegraph Hill, where he made a magical discovery: a flock of brilliantly colored wild parrots. In The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, Bittner recounts how he became fascinated by the birds and patiently developed friendships with them that would last more than six years. When a documentary filmmaker comes along to capture the phenomenon on film, the story takes a surprising turn, and Bittner’s life truly takes flight.