Ape House, by Sara Gruen, author of the bestselling Water for Elephants, has been selected as the fall title for the One Book, One Highland Park community-wide read program. Six bonobo apes use American Sign Language to communicate with humans in Gruen's story about animal research, animal rights, and human-animal relationships. The new novel was inspired by the bonobos and scientific research at Great Ape Trust in Des Moines, Iowa. Most of the conversations between the bonobos and humans in this book are based on actual conversations with great apes.
 

Events

Meet The Author: Sara Gruen
Thursday, October 7, 7 p.m

Ape House Book Discussion by Judy Levin, at the Highland Park Public Library
Wednesday, October 13, 7 p.m.

The Mind of the Chimpanzee 
Thursday, November 4, 7 p.m.

Links

• Sara Gruen's Website.
   
• Great Ape Trust.
   
• Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary.
   
• Conservation and Science at the Lincoln Park Zoo.
   
• Discussion Questions.
   
• Interview with Sara Gruen; Time Magazine.
   
• Inside the Minds of Animals.
   
• Simian Says by Leah Hager Cohen. A review of Ape House