kids encyclopedia robot

Dawn Prince-Hughes facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Dawn Prince-Hughes (born in 1964) is an American anthropologist, primatologist, and ethologist. These are scientists who study humans, primates (like monkeys and apes), and animal behavior. She has written several books, including Gorillas Among Us and her own story, Songs of the Gorilla Nation. She also edited a collection of essays called Aquamarine Blue 5, which shares stories from college students with autism.

About Dawn Prince-Hughes

Dawn Prince-Hughes grew up in Carbondale, Illinois. Her mother was a homemaker, and her father worked with heating and air-conditioning. In her book Songs of the Gorilla Nation, she talks about her childhood. She had symptoms of autism but wasn't diagnosed at the time. She left high school and for a while, she didn't have a stable home.

When she was 20, she visited the gorillas at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. She spent a lot of time watching them. The zoo's research director noticed how carefully she studied the gorillas. She then got a job at the zoo. Dawn spent 12 years learning about the gorillas there.

When she was 36, she was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. This is a type of autism.

In 1987, she started working on her college degree. She later earned her PhD in interdisciplinary anthropology. She did this through a distance education program in Switzerland. In 2000, the same year she learned she had Asperger's, she became a professor at Western Washington University.

Her Books and Writings

Dawn Prince-Hughes has written many books. Gorillas Among Us: A Primate Ethnographer's Book of Days came out in 2001. Her personal story, Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism, was published in 2004. She also edited Aquamarine Blue 5: Personal Stories of College Students with Autism in 2002. She wrote a part of that book too.

Gorillas Among Us

Gorillas Among Us is based on a year Dawn spent watching a family of gorillas at a zoo. Reviewers said it was a unique way to look at primates. It showed how she connected with the gorillas. The book shares both sad and joyful moments. It helps readers understand a species that is very close to humans.

Aquamarine Blue 5

In Aquamarine Blue 5, Dawn Prince-Hughes gathered real stories from college students with autism. They wrote about their experiences. Dawn wrote an introduction for each author and her own essay. She also added a conclusion with advice for universities. She did not change the students' essays. Reviewers noted that these stories offer important insights. They are especially helpful for places like libraries and universities.

Songs of the Gorilla Nation

Dawn's personal essay from Aquamarine Blue 5 grew into her full memoir, Songs of the Gorilla Nation. In this book, she talks about her journey with autism. She also shares her deep connection with gorillas. She found a sense of belonging and understanding by watching the gorillas at the Woodland Park Zoo.

Reviewers said the book shows how she learned about emotions like love and anger from the gorillas. These were feelings she found hard to understand in the human world. She felt a strong connection with these "gorilla people." She saw them as models of kindness, protection, acceptance, and love.

Selected Works

  • The Archetype of the Ape-man: The Phenomenological Archaeology of a Relic Hominid Ancestor, 2000, ISBN: 978-1-58112-119-3
  • Adam, 2001, ISBN: 978-1-890711-10-8
  • Gorillas Among Us: A Primate Ethnographer's Book of Days, 2001, ISBN: 978-0-8165-2151-7
  • Aquamarine Blue 5: Personal Stories of College Students with Autism (editor), 2002, ISBN: 978-1-4000-8092-2
  • Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism, 2004, ISBN: 1-4000-5058-8
  • Expecting Teryk: An Exceptional Path to Parenthood, 2005, ISBN: 978-0-8040-1079-5 (hbk), ISBN: 978-0-8040-1080-1 (pbk)
  • Passing as Human / Freak Nation: How I Discovered That No One Is Normal, 2009, ISBN: 9780307345530
  • Circus of Souls: How I Discovered We are All Freaks Passing as Normal , 2013, ISBN: 978-0-307-34553-0

Personal Life

Dawn Prince-Hughes has a son with her partner, Tara Hughes, who is an English professor.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Dawn Prince-Hughes para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Dawn Prince-Hughes Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.