Rating: 
Summary: A Beautifully Written Book.
Review: Dawn Prince Hughes has written a her story in such a beautiful style. I love the memoir format and couldn't put this one down. I only wish it had been longer. This is a must read for anyone dealing with Autism, anyone who loves animals and anyone who has a soul in general. Don't listen to the couple of ignorant homophobes(Dawn Prince Hughes is a lesbian) who gave a negative review. This is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: heartwarming and enlightening
Review: 'Songs of the Gorilla Nation' is an autobiography by Dawn Prince Hughes, an interdisciplinary anthropologist who has lived with the hardships of Asperger's Syndrome which is a unique version of autism. This is a very humane book and should hopefully open up the minds of many to be more empathetic to the plight of those experiencing autism & of diffierent species. Dawn always knew that she was different, unfortunately for her she never knew why she was different. She reveals her path to self-discovery. Dawn gives the impression that what are normally instinctive social norms, such as smiling at appropriate times, or knowing when to disagree or agree, are entirely learned behaviors on her behalf. What is obvious for the normal person, she has to intellectually grasp, and learn to correctly apply that knowledge. This fortunately offers her a unique way of looking at the world. Unlike others when she spends time and studies gorillas, Dawn sees not only the basics such as a silverback and a playful child, she can sense the individualities of each gorilla. She understands why a gorilla behaves a certain manner. She knows if the individual gorilla is being silly, threatening or displaying grief at the sickness of a family member. With this understanding of Gorillas, Dawn is then capable of applying that knowledge to human behavior, and her own behavior in general. With this application she learns to better handle herself in public and to expand her understanding of the human condition. Some of the other unique characteristics of this book involve how she views the world. One of the better explanations is that autism provides an overload of the senses. Most people have filters that block out unnecessary information. Our senses are better capable of focusing or disregarding some irrelevant sense, touch, sight, or smell. With autism we get the impression that Dawn cannot prevent all these senses from overloading her brain. Since we dont actively think about all of the filters that we do have it's difficult for most people to understand how she feels. This book should be mandatory reading for psychologists or anyone teaching. A lot of the problems Dawn encountered as a child could have been avoided if only some simple humanity and understanding had been applied. This is especially true when we read about how one of her teachers treated her. Hopefully this book will enlighten people on what autism is, and about the fact that apes and animals in general each have their own unique personalities.
Rating:
Summary: Author interview on WAER Syracuse 88.3 FM 7/29 at 8 p.m.
Review: Dawn Prince-Hughes will be interviewed on "Women's Voices Radio," on WAER Syracuse 88.3 FM on 7/29 at 8 p.m., along with novelist Kates Niles (THE BASKET MAKER) & essayist Nan Levinson (OUTSPOKEN). WAER does not archive its programming but this show is accessible by web-streaming during the broadcast at www.WAER.org.
Rating:
Summary: Author interview on WAER Syracuse 88.3 FM 7/29 at 8 p.m.
Review: Dawn Prince-Hughes will be interviewed on "Women's Voices Radio," on WAER Syracuse 88.3 FM on 7/29 at 8 p.m., along with novelist Kates Niles (THE BASKET MAKER) & essayist Nan Levinson (OUTSPOKEN). WAER does not archive its programming but this show is accessible by web-streaming during the broadcast at www.WAER.org.
Rating: 
Summary: some poignant passages in an uneven and disappointing work
Review: Drawn to the book by an interview with the author on Jane Pauly, and bolstered by favorable reviews I saw here, I purchased the book. I am interested in the plight of those who live and think outside the box, and who overcome special challenges. The beginning was very strong, and contained some poignant and poetic prose passages (it does also contain some poetry, which struck me as less than memorable).
But once the book shifted over to the author's sexual proclivities and activities, it was almost like another author had taken over. The tone became whiney and self-absorbed.
From that point on, the book remained wildly inconsistent, with some great passages, in the midst of mundane musings worthy of an adolescent's diary. The author's non-mainstream sexual preferences are given thorough coverage, and I wasn't quite sure of the reason.
In the end, I have to say it was a noble effort for an autistic person to have written such a book, and I suspect that fact may have wow'ed reviewers into giving it higher marks than it merits. Any book must be judged on its own merit, and the quality of writing is too inconsistent to rate much more than 3 stars.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic book
Review: Frankly, I didn't expect to be as touched by this book as I was. For some reason it simply blew me away. Let me start out by saying that I don't have, nor do I know anyone who is autistic or has Asperber Syndrome (I realize that the definitions are sketchy). That said, I still found this book riveting and above all, moving. Another reviewer recommended another book--a work of fiction really--dealing with a child who is autistic/Asperger/DID in some manner and I found that one equally riveting: "Bark of the Dogwood." It too was a great read, though very disturbing--not for the faint-hearted. But "Songs of the Gorilla Nation" just left me breathless. Thank God Dawn Prince-Hughes had the courage she did, not only to live her life, but to tell us about it in this highly unusual read.
Rating: 
Summary: Honest, but boring and piecemealed.
Review: I did enjoy several pages of this very short book, and I learned a bit about gorillas (a bit). The story is about how much she suffered growing up with Asperger syndrome and how she was misunderstood and how she has come to deal with it...Nothing really orgininal here, but there were some very insightful and emotional passages. I didn't enjoy the "I'm justified in my lifestyle choice" tone and the arbitrary content assembled in no particular order. What bothered me most was the atrocious editing/proofreading. She repeats herself several times, even using the exact same words! Come on editor, pick that up! Also, her poetry interspersed here and there is, um--not good at all. I was really disappointed after reading the other reviews.
When I finished the book, I got the distinct impression that she, encouraged by a publisher seeking to fulfill a niche, decided to write her life story. When it turned out that the story wasn't much of anything, she went back and included all this irrelevant meandering to fill out the pages. I would skip this one.
If you're looking for a good book about autism, check out "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time"
Rating:
Summary: gripping moving tale
Review: I loved this book. It is well written, gripping, moving and inspiring. It helps me understand a friend who has this and increases my admiration for others who struggle with it. I also recommend Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin and Women from Another Planet edited by Jean Miller
Rating:
Summary: Searching for my son I find myself.
Review: I would like to thank the author for this book. My son has SID and is high functioning autistic. In searcing for answers my friend sent me this book for Christmas. It was looking into a mirror. Her childhood so closely followed my own it scared me. Fortunatly after high school my life took a differnt turn and I found help earlier.
But after I put the book down I called to make an appointment with
an autism specialist. I need to be diagnosed. To have an answer to why I am the way I am will be such a relief and enable me to get the help I have needed for 51 years.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully crafted story with authentic voice
Review: If you want to read a piece of fiction by someone who doesn't have Asperger's Syndrome, by all means, read "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time." But if you want to learn how a person travels from earliest memories of being different to the coping skills gleaned from a lifetime of educating yourself, you must read Prince-Hughes' book. Dawn's journey is at once painful and joyous, with vignettes that even people who are not on the autism spectrum can relate to. The fact that Dawn's best teacher was a gorilla man named Congo goes to show that if you don't make judgments about other beings, your eyes will witness a world beyond your limited human prejudices. Through the lessons from Congo and his gorilla family, Dawn has created and nurtured her own human family. Not an easy feat for any of us, but even more impressive for a woman who was "socialized" by gorillas. If I could rate this higher than 5 stars, I would. An absolute gem!
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