ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in the US, Karen Dawn grew up and studied in Australia. She pursued a Science degree colloquially tagged "rats and stats,” so she knows firsthand that views and habits can shift. She hopes her furry subjects will shine forgiving blessings upon this book.

She worked as a news researcher and writer for Australia’s national nightly news magazine show "The 7:30 Report," on ABC, then moved to New York where she played the downtown music scene -- and made fruit salad at the Saint Francis of Xavier soup kitchen every Sunday. After reading “Animal Liberation” she was moved to devote her efforts to those most abused by society and least able to help themselves -- the animals.

Karen founded the animal advocacy media watch DawnWatch.com. Check it out to see her daily work and published op-eds. As a spokesperson for the animal rights movement she has appeared on all of the major news networks and on MTV, and has hosted talk shows on major radio stations. Her opinion pieces have been published in leading newspapers including the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post. Thanking the Monkey, which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of 2008," is her first book.

Click these links for the beautiful half page Washington Post Sunday Source piece on Karen and Thanking the Monkey, a NBC Going Green television piece on her visit to an animal sanctuary, and a fun profile of Karen Dawn in Veg News Magazine:

Washington Post Sunday Source profile
NBC segment on Karen Dawn and Thanking the Monkey
Profile of Karen Dawn in Veg News
An archive of Karen's Watchdog Radio Show