Customer Reviews

Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired, and Sudden Savant

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I need to preface this review by pointing out that the copy of Islands I read was marked as a "Bound Galley-Not for Sale". I hope that marking indicates that the manuscript will still be edited prior to being released to the public because it desperately needs major attention by a competent editor.

The subject matter is fascinating and the author is clearly an authority on savant syndrome and autism. However, not only is the writing a bit flat, but there is a tremendous amount of repetition. At times it feels like the author took a break in writing for a few months and then started again while forgetting he had already used certain phrases and/or told certain stories or specific history. As a result, you feel like you're watching a movie that you've already seen a few times and one in which the dialog was not that scintillating the first time around.

It's near impossible to guess at how this book will read once an editor restructures it but it does have enough potential to get to four or even five stars with the proper care.

This book is a collection of information about savants. Darold Treffert first encountered savants in the early 1960s when he started working with mentally disabled children at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. Of the 30 patients assigned to him, 4 of them had remarkable abilities in contrast to their general developmental limitations. Treffert developed a deep interest in savant syndrome and became one of the world's leading experts on the topic. In this book, Treffert presents a collection of information about savant syndrome, describing the nature of special and preserved ability amongst brain-damaged individuals. The book is divided into 5 sections: The Mind of the Savant (technical descriptions of savant syndrome), The World of the Savant (profiles of famous savants), Significant New Dimensions to Savant Syndrome (acquired savant skills and savant-like skills in neurotypical individuals), Training the Talent (pedagogical techniques for savants--essays contributed by other authors), and Our Journey Has Just Begun (future research concerning savant skills). The book includes a selection of photos depicting artwork done by savants, a list of references cited, and a list of resources for further reading.

I found the book quite informative and well worth reading. Treffert makes it very clear that savant skills are most commonly found with autistic individuals, but only one in 10 autistic individuals has some savant skills, and people with other types of developmental disabilities can also have savant skills. Not only that, but savant skills may occasionally appear after head injuries; they may even appear spontaneously in neurotypical individuals without injuries. In this book, written for general audiences, Treffert sums up a lifetime of research on savant skills, and speculates a bit about causes and effects. Some of this speculation is hard to swallow without further confirmatory research, such as musical knowledge being part of our genetic endowment, but it could point the way to some interesting research topics. Treffert notes that the brain damage associated with autism is often localized to left hemisphere areas, whereas the typical savant skills: calendar and math calculations, music, and art, are usually thought of as right hemisphere skills. This is consistent with the theory of autism being "extreme male brain syndrome" as proposed by Baron-Cohen and other scientific observations about males tending to have more right-brain dominance than females, but goes directly against common folk understanding of brain dominance, in which intuitive and artistic skills are considered more "feminine", while a strict reliance to logic and explicit definitions more "masculine". Clearly, folk understanding needs to be brought up to date with research on hemispheric dominance and lateralization of skills described in this book.

This book is more a collection of essays than a single coherent work. It can be somewhat repetitive in places, and the writing varies from scientific with citations to simple anecdotal tributes about savants Treffert has known. Overall, though, it is informative and thought-provoking.

After reading an uncorrected proof copy of "Islands of Genius" three times, I went to my local library to request they get a copy of the book. All public libraries should have a copy of this book. Because it is an education. It is also an inspiration. And it is one of the most fascinating books I have ever, ever read.

What Dr. Treffert does primarily in "Islands of Genius" is explore the world of savants. He has worked with and researched servants since 1962. Not only does he share his 48 years of interaction, observations and research with the reader, he also tells the individual stories of over 15 well known savants--including Kim Peek, who was the inspiration for the "Rain Man". (The book is dedicated to Kim Peek, who died last December, and his father, Fran Peek.) Moreover, there are three chapters in the book written by teachers of special needs children, describing their methods for teaching art, music and math. Also, there is an appendix listing 15 books about savant syndrome and specific savants, as well as 11 books written by savants.

Next, Dr. Treffert explores acquired savant behavior, sudden savant behavior, and "neurotypical persons with savant-like skills". I must confess, I found those topics even more interesting than the savants! Individuals who acquire savant like behavior do so after an illness or injury that affects the central nervous system. He tells the story of a 10-year-old boy hit in the head by a baseball, who wakes up knowing how to perform calendar calculations. (If you don't know what calendar calculation is, as I did not, you are in for a wild read!) Plus, the stories of people who, after acquiring "fronto-temporal dementia", suddenly, for the first time in their life, develop an intense interest in art, and start creating extraordinary paintings. Or individuals who, after having strokes or head injuries, start writing poetry or composing music, or start talking with a foreign accent, or speaking in a foreign language, from a country they have never even visited. The latter is known as "xenoglossy". (Those who have read Dr. Ian Stevenson's work are very familiar with that topic.)

Then, there are those individuals , who have no disabilities, or have had no CNS illness or injury, who can do astounding things. For example, people who have "hyperthymestic syndrome" can remember what happened almost every day of their life. And some individuals can read backwards. Or they can write with both hands at the same time, in two different languages. Or, there are those with "synesthesia", who "see" words or sounds, "taste" music, or "smell" colors. Others can do astonishing things with all the letters in the conversations they hear, or with numbers. In addition, some individuals mentioned in the book, who were beginner students in music, suddenly fully understood music, as if they have been studying it their whole life, and then started playing and composing complex works of music.

How is it the savants and the non-savants can do all those beyond belief things? According to Dr. Treffert, they can because of "genetic memory". He proposes that "stored in each of us" is "a generous amount of genetically inherited, factory-installed software for certain skills and abilities, along with considerable genetically transferred knowledge itself, unconsciously remembered". He further states that his description of genetic memory "does not include reincarnation, mysticism, existential ruminations, transcendentalism or paranormal phenomena".

When one thinks about it, however, genetic memory is just a theory. Savants no more prove there is such a thing as genetic memory, than they prove there is such a thing as reincarnation. Of course, many who believe in reincarnation do see savants as souls who are remembering their past life skills in art, math, music, etc. And it's interesting to note that it is often at the ages of 3-4 that savant skills suddenly manifest themselves in children, which are also the ages that children often start talking about past life memories, according to those who have studied past life memories of children. Yet, what would be the reason for incarnating as a savant? They have extraordinary talents, but also terrible disabilities that keep most of them from living independent lives. Is it possibly just karma? If so, what type of karma would get one the life of a savant? For those who firmly believe in reincarnation, don't let Dr. Treffert's disbelief in your beliefs stop you from reading this book. He does not appear to be spitting out the word "reincarnation". In fact, at one point in "Islands of Genius", he told how he was harshly criticized for once reporting in a journal article that parents and other observers of savants had reported paranormal abilities, including ESP. He stated: "Thus my merely reporting that there were such reports engendered censure from the scientific community". There is plenty in this book to feed your mind with all sorts of ideas about savants and reincarnation. Although, if you are not secure in your beliefs, then watch out--you might start believing in genetic memory instead. :)

One more metaphysical topic I couldn't help thinking about while reading "Islands of Genius" was near-death experiences. Those individuals who suddenly acquire intense interest in music or art or writing, after having a CNS illness or injury, remind me so much of the experiences of some individuals who have had NDEs. After seeing what's on the other side of the tunnel when they were medically dead, they often return to life desperately wanting to describe or recreate what they saw and heard, but find it verbally hard to do so. Thus, they passionately turn to music or art or poetry. One of the people who acquired savant skills mentioned in Dr. Treffert's book was a surgeon who was struck by lighting, and had an "intense near-death experience", after which he became obsessed with playing and composing classical music. Also, those who have had NDEs sometimes say they "knew everything", while on "the other side". And they often come back with psychic abilities. This poses the interesting question: Are all the wonderful memories and skills Dr. Treffert believes are stored in the brain, compliments of genetic memory, actually instead stored in the soul? Or are they stored in both? Does the brain, due to illness or injury, rewire itself in a way that brings up stored soul skills and memories? Or does the soul rewire the brain so stored skills and memories come up, in order to make life better or more interesting for the soul during a given lifetime? Is it possible a savant's soul may find itself so bored or so distressed due to the disabilities in that lifetime, that the soul goes searching for either past life or "spirit world" skills in order to have something to excel in, or simply something interesting to do to pass the time?

See, even if you're way more metaphysically inclined, instead of scientifically inclined, "Islands of Genius" can still create all kinds of interesting thoughts in your mind . . . or brain . . . or soul . . . or wherever thoughts are actually created and stored. The book is as extraordinary as the people in it. It is also easy to read and easy to understand; has interesting paintings, pictures and poems; has over 200 references; a subject index and an author index. (And no, I'm not related to Dr. Treffert . . . but am trying to highlight the fact that the final copy of this book is not the same as the uncorrected proof copy received by all Vine members. Imagine that.) You've also got to love a guy who says things like: "It has been said that when an old person dies, it is as if a library just burned down. Gone are all the collective knowledge, wisdom and recollections of that person." Moreover, you must admire a man who cares so deeply and fights so hard for individuals who cannot fight for themselves.

The savant condition has always fascinated me and this book is wonderful. It explains many of the aspects of the savant, including sudden and acquired conditions. The author has done a terrific job of explaining and chronicling his work with uplifting stories of the different savants he has dealt with. The book is long but lends itself to being read in segments, picking it up at different times and reading one or more of the chapters. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered or was curious about the savant condition. They really are amazing people with diverse and exceptional talents.

This book points you to good stuff, like Nova's show titled "Ghost in your Genes" discussing epigenetics. I was particularly interested in reading the chapter titled "Genetic Memory: How Do We Know Things We Never Learned?"

Another section I liked is "Achieving balance between visual and auditory learning."

Another book I'm currently reading (but far more slowly because it is a very important book) is This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession. I will write a review of that book after I re-read it; after all, Nabokov says there is really only re-reading.)

Perhaps, then, I've been unfair to this book by not re-reading it. But there are certainly more than five islands of good information in this book, therefore it gets five stars from me.

There's a major misconception out there that many people have who are not familiar with autism. They think that all autistic people are geniuses with savant skills, like in the movie "Rain Man". Just as many people with autism have mental retardation or above average IQs as in the general population. And not everyone has savant skills. Savant skills are very rare but are found more often in the population on the autistic spectrum than in the neurotypical population.

If you've ever wanted to know more about savant skills, this is the best book I've come across on the subject. Unfortunately, the galley copy I received just seemed incredibly repetitive which detracted a lot from what the author had to say. A good editor would tighten the book and I'd definitely raise my star rating.

This book is by a psychiatrist who has worked with savants for decades. He gives first-person accounts of many of the contemporary savants known to the public such as the inspiration for the film "Rain Man". Treffert, though, is no Oliver Sacks. Perhaps it is an unfair comparison, but this book seems choppy and filled at times (especially in the early chapters) with medical jargon that will probably go over the head of many readers. You will come away from this book with an appreciation for the talents savants can exhibit, and an understanding of what are thought to be the neurological underpinnings of the syndrome. One complaint is that while I should note the copy I got was marked as a pre-publication version, there was a significant amount of repetition of passages within it almost as the editing was not completed.

There are a lot of reviews that cover the general contents of the book, so I thought I would capture something that is of importance to me. Upon browsing through the Chapters, I noticed Chapter 4 "Genetic Memory; How do we know things we never learned?" In that chapter he cites several examples of children who "know things beyond their own existence".

One example is Jay, who I also saw on 60 minutes, who is not a savant by the way. Jay's example that he mentions in the book, brings to the forefront the point that I am trying to make. Jay is considered an extraordinarily gifted musical prodigy. By age 5 he had composed 5 symphonies. By 15 that had increased to 9, all performed professionally by major orchestras. His 5th symphony was 190 pages long and 1328 bars in length and was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra for Sony Records. Neither parent was particularly musically inclined, nor were there any musical instruments in the home.

In the words of an astounded professional musician, "How did he know the range of a flute, in order to write the score for one, he never even played a flute?" Mozart, much to the consternation of his critics, would write complete scores, including all of the instruments, and not have a single correction. So where does this come from? I'll never forget seeing the author Richard Bach who said, "I was walking down the beach, and the words, Jonathan Livingston Seagull appeared in my mind. Then I went home and the entire book just poured out of my pen". It was as if he was a casual observer, transcribing, as the book was being given to him.

Jay the prodigy when being hammered by an unbelieving musical teacher almost angrily stating, "You have to be able to change some of this", and Jay politely responded, "It comes through right the first time". What the author of this book is missing, by relegating all of this to "genetic memory" is that all great works of art, that are truly great come from those who recognize a power greater than themselves. I know this will offend some but I will say it anyhow. When the Lord as a young boy was teaching in the church, they asked him, "How is it that you know letters so well at such a young age?", and the Lord replied, "Even as the father speaks, so I speak."

Anyhow the author goes off onto some kind of babble about genetic memory. He refers to it as a genetic transfer of knowledge, like an instinct. I know we are getting into a science vs. spiritual debate, but when Jay the prodigy states that it "comes through right the first time" is he referring to it coming through from his own mind, into his own mind? I don't think so.

I don't mean to demean the author's vast experience of studying savants, but his lack of any kind of spiritual orientation kind of left me cold while he grappled at weak scientific straws to explain his theory of genetic memory. I guess a plausible argument could be from a religion that believes in reincarnation, that the savant was a learned musician in an earlier life, but then again, how many learned musicians can write a whole score without a single correction?

I took an immediate interest in this book because as a practicing musician, I have written quite a few songs, and the ones that I concentrated on writing with my limited skills, were ok, but the ones that seemed to pour out of the pen, almost magically, without any corrections, almost simplistic, yet deeply profound in their nature, were the best creations of them all. I am not trying to get lost in self importance, but merely stating that in my humble sort of way, I partially experienced what I am referring to. When the words of such songs were done pouring out, I would read them for the first time, just like as if someone else wrote them, and I was in awe of their meaning. Although they arrived as simple thoughts, I felt like I was an instrument of something greater than myself. Nothing spooky here, just an open mind, and a willingness to listen without interrupting. Where do our thoughts come from, first arriving in our minds, and then we speak them or write them down?

If you want to read what I consider a very interesting book, almost fascinating, then I advise you to read this book. Whatever your slant, one thing is for sure, there are those who have tapped into something greater than the standard human existence. Psychologists state that we are really using only the tip of the iceberg we call our brains. I can't help but feel that by reading this book, you will be able to delve deeper into your own mind, and realize some hidden potential, that you dared not realize you had. All in all, a highly recommended read.

"Islands of Genius" is a fascinating peek into the world of the mind - especially of those who - although mentally developmentally disabled in some way - nonetheless have some remarkable ability. The official definition of savant syndrome, as a matter of fact, taken directly from the book, is: "... a rare but remarkable condition in which persons with developmental disabilities (including but not limited to autistic disorder), or other central nervous system injuries or diseases, have some spectacular "islands of genius" that stand in stark, jarring contrast to overall limitations."

Through the course of the book, the author introduces us to several fascinating and remarkable individuals who are savants. The author also discusses different levels of savant syndrome, how it might come about, and the possibility that all humans have these sorts of skills locked away in our brains - it is just a matter of learning to set them free.

One thing that kept coming up that was of particular interest to me, personally (because I have experienced it several times) is the idea of "people who know things they never learned." On several occasions I have been developing an idea for something or another, only to go out to research it and find that the idea I've developed fits EXACTLY within the parameters of what I'm researching - I knew it before I learned it, in other words. It's a weird situation.

Any rate, for anyone who is interested in learning more about the workings of the mind, as well as any parent, sibling, grandparent or even those who have savant syndrome - this is sure to be a book you will want to have on your shelf.

Dr. Treffert is likely to be one of the most respected names in the field of savants and higher learning, or functioning and is well known for his article in Scientific American which seems to be the imputus of this effort.

This book is engaging and incredibly thought provoking. I was turning pages rather quickly and not skimming the material at all. As intense as the material is, at no time was it overwhelming or the anecdotes poorly constructed. I haven't read a book of this nature since Carl Sagan's Broca's Brain, and it's really about time that someone wrote an equally accessible book.

I will likely re-read this book or keep it around and make a few more cracks at it as the discussion of the potential of the mind, as heavy as it can come across, is always a discussion that should be studied.

I hope the repetition is an editing issue that will be worked out in the final version. I rarely, if ever remark on these type of issues, but it did seem 'overlooked' in this case.

However ... well done. Best non-fiction read of 2010.