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4.59 AVERAGE
4.59 AVERAGE
Is the use of language unique to humankind? How and when did our hominid ancestors acquire language? Do chimpanzees - who are genetically closer to humans than they are to other apes - have language abilities? Is sign language useful where other communication channels fail, for example in children with autism? Next of Kin addresses these and other questions through the story of a young female chimpanzee who was taught American Sign Language in the 1960s. Roger Fouts was assigned to Project Washoe, an initiative of Dr. Allen Gardner to raise a chimpanzee as a human child and communicate only through sign language (everyone who worked with Washoe had to take a vow of silence) and his observations are recorded in this book.
Fouts argues that it is a mistake to equate language with speech, that speech and the communication through gestures require the same cognitive basis for language in the brain, and that primates have had language capabilities for millions of years.
His experiences with Washoe - carefully recorded and scientifically tested - proved Chomsky and Descartes wrong and Darwin right: the use of language is not unique to humankind. Chimpanzees really are our next of kin.
An excellent, excellent work.
Fouts argues that it is a mistake to equate language with speech, that speech and the communication through gestures require the same cognitive basis for language in the brain, and that primates have had language capabilities for millions of years.
His experiences with Washoe - carefully recorded and scientifically tested - proved Chomsky and Descartes wrong and Darwin right: the use of language is not unique to humankind. Chimpanzees really are our next of kin.
An excellent, excellent work.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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sad
slow-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Passionate and powerful, this account of a man's life and the chimpanzees who impacted and inspired him gave me a newfound appreciation and understanding of great apes.
I was encouraged to read the book by my Goodreads friend and colleague Liz, after I had told her of my fear of chimpanzees. I'm glad that I gave this book a shot.
While I'm still respectful (and yes, still slightly fearful) of chimpanzees, I have a better understanding of their depth, complexity, cognitive ability and prowess, and overall, an appreciation for them that I did not have before. I feel better educated about chimpanzees, and continue to understand the increasing need for expansion upon human thought/knowledge regarding the other organisms with which we share the planet.
I was encouraged to read the book by my Goodreads friend and colleague Liz, after I had told her of my fear of chimpanzees. I'm glad that I gave this book a shot.
While I'm still respectful (and yes, still slightly fearful) of chimpanzees, I have a better understanding of their depth, complexity, cognitive ability and prowess, and overall, an appreciation for them that I did not have before. I feel better educated about chimpanzees, and continue to understand the increasing need for expansion upon human thought/knowledge regarding the other organisms with which we share the planet.
Remians one of the best books I've read and I read it over a decade ago. Amazing, awe-inspiring, emotional, incredible. A must-read for every human.
Loved this book! Makes you cry, makes you laugh, makes you think, learn, and want to learn more. Roger Fouts seems like an incredible man, but there is little else I could find on him. Also, when googling the National Chimpanzee Sanctuary System, another organization comes up and Roger Fouts isn't mentioned at all. Wonder what went on there...
Truly excellent. A look at how far we’ve come in the care and understanding of captive chimpanzees but also an indictment of the current treatment of our nearest cousins. Surprisingly (ha), I have nothing to complain about with this book. Parts of it are upsetting and extremely sad, but it’s handled well and is education, not wallowing. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in human/non-human relations, wildlife protection, or in biomedical research. I listened to the audiobook read by the author, and his performance is stellar, as well.
Five stars for the nonfiction book about chimpanzee captivity and communication.
This was incredible, hilarious, and oh so heartbreaking. Especially if you listen to it read by the author and when his voice gets thick with emotion when talking about the death of baby Sequoia and evil, EVIL Dr. William Lemmon, aka chimpanzee torturer. Man, you don’t have to go to fiction to have a true villain.
After showing us the horrific ways in which chimps are treated in labs and experimentation, the end of the book was a stirring call to the scientific community and people everywhere to view chimpanzees as our family, which cannot be denied after reading the book. It chronicles the author’s decades of living alongside chimps, and we see how the chimp he taught ASL goes on to teach her little community and babies and they talk all day, every day, in sign. Not mimicking but sharing ideas. They are sentient beings who love and grieve and remember just like we do. And the title itself comes from the fact that we humans, not gorillas or other apes, are the “next of kin” for chimpanzees, as we share over 98% DNA.
This was written in the late ‘90s so tomorrow I am going to find out if that legislation was ever passed for the ethical treatment of chimps and what else Roger Fouts (and Washoe!) went on to do!
This was incredible, hilarious, and oh so heartbreaking. Especially if you listen to it read by the author and when his voice gets thick with emotion when talking about the death of baby Sequoia and evil, EVIL Dr. William Lemmon, aka chimpanzee torturer. Man, you don’t have to go to fiction to have a true villain.
After showing us the horrific ways in which chimps are treated in labs and experimentation, the end of the book was a stirring call to the scientific community and people everywhere to view chimpanzees as our family, which cannot be denied after reading the book. It chronicles the author’s decades of living alongside chimps, and we see how the chimp he taught ASL goes on to teach her little community and babies and they talk all day, every day, in sign. Not mimicking but sharing ideas. They are sentient beings who love and grieve and remember just like we do. And the title itself comes from the fact that we humans, not gorillas or other apes, are the “next of kin” for chimpanzees, as we share over 98% DNA.
This was written in the late ‘90s so tomorrow I am going to find out if that legislation was ever passed for the ethical treatment of chimps and what else Roger Fouts (and Washoe!) went on to do!
One of the most challenging and gutting books I've ever read, "Next of Kin" is the story of psychologist Roger Fouts and Washoe, the chimpanzee who changed his life and our understanding of language.
Washoe was the first chimpanzee to learn American Sign Language, and she gained a mastery of over 100 signs which she used to converse with her caretakers and eventually other chimps.
I don't really have words to describe how much this book means to me. I'm so glad I finally read it after my husband insisted I do so for three or four years. While it was absolutely heartbreaking and maddening to read about animal cruelty, testing, imprisonment, and poaching, this story will forever be one of my favorites. Washoe feels like a dear friend, and her and the other chimpanzees in the book are amazing, strong, kind, and smart as hell.
If you enjoy challenging reads and care about climate change, habitat destruction, and improving the lives of animals in captivity, this book should absolutely be on your list. It's astounding that I grew up believing evolution isn't real; now, I'm so proud to be reading and learning from some of the most profound and compassionate thinkers to have ever existed. Thank you, Roger, for this incredible story and for giving your life to protect chimpanzees.
Washoe was the first chimpanzee to learn American Sign Language, and she gained a mastery of over 100 signs which she used to converse with her caretakers and eventually other chimps.
I don't really have words to describe how much this book means to me. I'm so glad I finally read it after my husband insisted I do so for three or four years. While it was absolutely heartbreaking and maddening to read about animal cruelty, testing, imprisonment, and poaching, this story will forever be one of my favorites. Washoe feels like a dear friend, and her and the other chimpanzees in the book are amazing, strong, kind, and smart as hell.
If you enjoy challenging reads and care about climate change, habitat destruction, and improving the lives of animals in captivity, this book should absolutely be on your list. It's astounding that I grew up believing evolution isn't real; now, I'm so proud to be reading and learning from some of the most profound and compassionate thinkers to have ever existed. Thank you, Roger, for this incredible story and for giving your life to protect chimpanzees.
This book was in the bibliography of Sara Gruen’s Ape House and, because I loved the part of her book dealing with the animals, I wanted to know more about apes learning how to communicate with humans. I enjoyed this look of the first chimpanzee to be taught American Sign Language by Roger Fouts, co-director of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute. It’s fascinating to see how close these chimps are to us, and Fouts has some very valid and moving points about the sad way that humans treat research animals.