Born On A Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant Paperback – October 16, 2007

Non-fiction autobiography of high-functioning Asberger's savant is fascinating

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Paul R DesRoches

August 11, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Autobiographies are often less than compelling, but this one is unusual. Daniel Tammet is unusual, and that's the reason primarily, but also his journey thru life and the way he's adapted while bearing the weight of autism and it's ant-social inclinations is quite stirring. It's hard to say if his unusually rare abilities stemmed from his near-death seizure attack at age four, along with other seizures around that time of his youth, but regardless of the source of his mental powers, there's no doubt that he indeed has serious cognitive abilities that are unique to himself alone. There's other savants in the world, but I've never read a book that they've written, primarily because most of them aren't able to do something like author a book, let alone travel around the world and speak to audiences of hundreds to sometimes thousands about the nature of cognitive perceptions and in particular offering new ways to see how tasks can be approached. His synesthesia, or "linked-sensorial" thinking allows his mental gymnastics with numbers, which is impressive, but equally impressive is his linguistic abilities, as he has fluency in at least ten languages including Icelandic dialect which does not have its roots in latin or Greek as most Eurpean languages do. Being able to converse in a foreign language after a mere week of study on that language is nothing short of genius in my estimation, and when combined with his prodigious mathematical abilities, like reciting 22,514 decimal places of the value of Pi in one continuous 5 hour plus sitting on "Pi Day" at Oxford University in Cambridge, and seeing numerical solutions in a dance of colors and shapes and textures all add up to a super special character that is an ongoing source of much interest to many professional minds around the globe. Able to sustain a loving relationship with another person as well makes Daniel a gifted and very special individual who has much to give to the world at large. I only wish the tale didn't end so quickly, since I was mesmerized by his personality and his benign ways, and the humility that characterizes him in all that he does. Highly recommend this book, and also recommend googling him on youtube to listen to the cadence and the sureness of his demeanor after you've comprehended the essence of his capabilities. It's all very impressive stuff, really.

Reading this savant's book made me realize how much differently ...

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Patty J Ptacek

May 3, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Reading this savant's book made me realize how much differently abled people can accomplish. His childhood was so unusual you will have to stop & think about how you navigated your formative years. He helped me see the special world where inability to recognize emotional states of others means ignoring everything outside your own attention span. It is a short book. I read it in about 4 hours even with some intentional back tracking to be sure I understood the implications of his unique view of world. You will think about this book for a long time after closing it.

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July 31, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I have to say that this book isn't one that I would yell out "It made me laugh! It made me cry! I was moved!" Instead, I was drawn in by the honesty and straigtforward way it was written. I'm not usually a fan of non-fiction. I like my reads to be mind candy as I use reading as escapism from real life. This book did suck me in, but for different reasons.

It's amazing to have someone speak so candidly about their past, thoughts, dreams, relationships. This book gave me a whole new perspective -- not only on the way an autistic person sees things, but also on how different people live their lives. Daniel has an amazing mind. It's fascinating to hear about how it works. I found it equally fascinating to hear about the people he has relationships with, specifically his boyfriend, parents and sibblings, because they seem to be equally extraordinary people too.

Thank you Daniel for sharing yourself with us. I would (and have!) recommended this book to friends and family.

7 people found this helpful

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Francois Kapski

Fascinating. Remarkable.

September 12, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Fascinating. This book gave me an inside look into the mind of an autistic savant, also I have a better understanding of epilepsy now. It amazes me how Daniel Tammet sees numbers as colors and shapes. I read the whole book in one session.
Read this book if you are looking to be inspired and are looking to explore new perspectives of people with disabilities and how they see the world.
I find it interesting how he can describe his mathematical abilities so clearly.

2 people found this helpful

I was getting this book for a college class I needed it for and upon recieving what I thought was the book, "Born on a Blue Day" I actually got this book.Read more

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Diana Regino

Not the item it states!

Published 3 days ago

Jessica

It has been a great experience!

I bought this to read with my daughter in hopes that it could shed some light on what her ASD brother goes through. It has been a great experience!

Published 5 months ago

Reg

Eye Opening and Inspiring

** Review of Audio Format **

Daniel was different from the moment he entered the world screaming. For. Over. Two. Years.Read more

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Kathy

Helped to understand my grandson with autism.

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