Friday, June 3, 2011

Song of the Gorilla Nation

"Songs of the Gorilla Nation-My Journey through Autism" by Dawn Prince-Hughes, Ph.D.
This book is about a women who doesn't get diagnosed with Autism till her 30's. It is about how she functions in the world around her by learning from the gorillas that she watches and later takes care of at the zoo. What I don't like is that the author believes in and talks a lot about evolution. But it was fascinating to learn more about the gorillas and all that they can do. I too have gone to the zoo when I was younger and just sat for hours watching these creatures (whom I know were created by God). "The gorillas don't speak human language, look the way humans look, move the way humans move. They are stupid. This is why gorillas are captive. This is why crazy people are captive. We are the animals who don't speak the language, look the looks, move in the right ways. It is easy for those who are not captive to forget that those who are remain individuals. And individual with a name, a family who needs them, a past that they stand on, and a future that they dream about." When someone is different than us we tend to isolate them and like the author said, forget that they are individuals. This book is insightful into the life of an autistic person and the daily struggles they have to adapt to the world.

No comments:

Post a Comment