Roy Richard Grinker, Ph.D. is Professor of Anthropology at George Washington University and Editor-in-chief of Anthropological Quarterly. He is the author of Nobody’s Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness

Dr. Grinker was born and raised in Chicago where his father, grandfather, and great grandfather practiced psychoanalysis. He received his B.A. in anthropology at Grinnell College in 1983, his M.A. in social anthropology at Harvard University in 1985, and his Ph.D. in social anthropology in 1989. Grinker has conducted research on hunter-gatherers in central Africa, North Korean defectors in South Korea, and the epidemiology of autism. In 2008, his book Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism was the recipient of the National Alliance on Mental Illness KEN award for “outstanding contribution to the understanding of mental illness.”

Unstrange Minds was inspired by his daughter, Isabel, who was diagnosed with autism in 1994. The book documents Grinker’s global quest to discover the surprising truth about why autism is so much more common today. In the process, he made controversial discoveries that both his understanding of autism and his relationship with his daughter.

Building on Unstrange Minds, and based on research in Africa, Asia, and the U.S., his new book, Nobody’s Normal,tells the uplifting story of how we are successfully challenging the stigma that has long shadowed mental illnesses.

Pete on Twitter

Pete On Instagram

Pete Personal FB page

Stand Up with Pete FB page

Please consider a paid subscription to this daily podcast. Everyday I will interview 2 or more expert guests on a wide range of issues. I will continue to be transparent about my life, issues and vulnerabilities in hopes we can relate, connect and grow together. If you want to add something to the show email me [email protected] Join the Stand Up Community

Stand Up is also brought to you this month by GiveWell.org

GiveWell is a nonprofit dedicated to finding outstanding giving opportunities and publishing the full details of our analysis to help donors decide where to give.

GiveWell.org/Standup