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Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsNon-fiction autobiography of high-functioning Asberger's savant is fascinating
ByPaul R DesRocheson August 11, 2018
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.
Top critical review
15 people found this helpful
3.0 out of 5 starsI really enjoyed reading this book for the first few chapters
ByAndrew Morganon February 4, 2016
I had a few friends with synesthesia growing up, and hearing them describe how they saw the world was fascinating. I have a math/science background, and Daniel Tammet has always intrigued me. After finding this book for my kindle, I was quite excited to read it. I really enjoyed reading this book for the first few chapters. It was intriguing, compelling, and absolutely fascinating how Tammet describes how his mind works. What follows was not so fascinating. After the hook, Tammet pretty much goes through his life growing up, but to me it came off as almost an emotionless list of events. I did this. Then this happened. I did that. The events didn't feel particularly coherent and there seemed to be a lack of explanation of how the things that he did and the things occurring around him had any significant impact on anything at all. It was like providing a connect the dots picture of his life, but without connecting the dots. I fell disinterested and left it half read.
My sister read was reading this book at the same time I did and loved it. She found it fascinating and compelling in its entirety.
Summary: This book isn't for everyone. Make sure to give it a try if you're interested in Savant-ism, Aspergers, or Synesthesia. It's a different kind of beast altogether.
My sister read was reading this book at the same time I did and loved it. She found it fascinating and compelling in its entirety.
Summary: This book isn't for everyone. Make sure to give it a try if you're interested in Savant-ism, Aspergers, or Synesthesia. It's a different kind of beast altogether.
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ByAndrew Morganon February 4, 2016
I had a few friends with synesthesia growing up, and hearing them describe how they saw the world was fascinating. I have a math/science background, and Daniel Tammet has always intrigued me. After finding this book for my kindle, I was quite excited to read it. I really enjoyed reading this book for the first few chapters. It was intriguing, compelling, and absolutely fascinating how Tammet describes how his mind works. What follows was not so fascinating. After the hook, Tammet pretty much goes through his life growing up, but to me it came off as almost an emotionless list of events. I did this. Then this happened. I did that. The events didn't feel particularly coherent and there seemed to be a lack of explanation of how the things that he did and the things occurring around him had any significant impact on anything at all. It was like providing a connect the dots picture of his life, but without connecting the dots. I fell disinterested and left it half read.
My sister read was reading this book at the same time I did and loved it. She found it fascinating and compelling in its entirety.
Summary: This book isn't for everyone. Make sure to give it a try if you're interested in Savant-ism, Aspergers, or Synesthesia. It's a different kind of beast altogether.
My sister read was reading this book at the same time I did and loved it. She found it fascinating and compelling in its entirety.
Summary: This book isn't for everyone. Make sure to give it a try if you're interested in Savant-ism, Aspergers, or Synesthesia. It's a different kind of beast altogether.
15 people found this helpful
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ByPaul R DesRocheson August 11, 2018
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.
ByPatty J Ptacekon May 3, 2017
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.
ByBJohnsonon July 31, 2012
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.
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.
ByFrancois Kapskion September 12, 2016
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.
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.
ByAndy Orrockon November 13, 2007
I learned of Daniel Tammet while listening to him get interviewed on BBC Radio. He spoke of the episode he details toward the end of the book where he learns Icelandic - an extraordinarily difficult language - in the span of about two weeks (only 4 days of tutored training)....well enough to hold a 15-minute interview in that tongue on national television. Tammet has Asperger's Syndrome, making him a functioning autistic. He possesses savant-like capabilities, manifested by his wizardry with calendrical calculations and his successful memorization of pi out to the 22,514th place. Oh, by the way, the recital of the 22,514 digits takes place _in public_ and at Oxford no less. Yikes!
How has Tammet succeeded despite his hardship? The answers are in 'Blue Day': the patience of his parents; the social interaction with eight siblings; the love and support of his partner; and, frankly, some plain old courage and gumption on Tammet's part. After completing school, he volunteers to teach English and is sent abroad to Lithuania. It's there his talent for languages flourishes.
Getting on that plane took a lot of guts. Mr. Tammet possesses them. Read about it here.
How has Tammet succeeded despite his hardship? The answers are in 'Blue Day': the patience of his parents; the social interaction with eight siblings; the love and support of his partner; and, frankly, some plain old courage and gumption on Tammet's part. After completing school, he volunteers to teach English and is sent abroad to Lithuania. It's there his talent for languages flourishes.
Getting on that plane took a lot of guts. Mr. Tammet possesses them. Read about it here.
ByElliot Malachon May 28, 2008
After I saw the author on television, I had to get his book. As an analytical person with a background in mathematics, I had to see how someone could do calculations in their head that would take me hours to run.
The book takes Daniel through his life in his own words. He explains what went on in his mind and what he felt that made him act or act out. An absolutely fascinating look into how an autistic savant (Asperger's Syndrome) experiences the world.
He sees numbers as having shape, texture and color, fitting them together like a puzzle to solve complex math problems. He can even tell what day of the week a date will fall on in the past or future.
Who's to say his mind isn't working correctly and mine isn't? Do the math.
The book takes Daniel through his life in his own words. He explains what went on in his mind and what he felt that made him act or act out. An absolutely fascinating look into how an autistic savant (Asperger's Syndrome) experiences the world.
He sees numbers as having shape, texture and color, fitting them together like a puzzle to solve complex math problems. He can even tell what day of the week a date will fall on in the past or future.
Who's to say his mind isn't working correctly and mine isn't? Do the math.
After seeing this appealing young man on a 60 minutes video clip, I bought the book to learn more about him. In the tv interview, I found it hard to believe that he was particularly autistic, but his memoir convinces me that, yeah, he is pretty autistic. In spite of his high-functioning, he does have fairly serious difficulties with normal living. He is able to make a living, of a sort, though in a somewhat sheltered environment. He has fallen in love and the warmth of his affection towards his partner and towards his family members is particularly touching since he seems so naive and had to actively learn to be cognizant of other people and their feelings.
But in addition to overcoming the limitations of autism, he also has very impressive savant abilities. Under controlled conditions, he has proven that he can memorize thousands and thousands of digits of pi and that he can learn the fundamentals of the vocabulary and grammar of an unfamiliar language in less than a week. (I do disagree that Icelandic was a stunningly difficult language choice. It's not a bad choice, since it's a language that few people know any little snippets of. But it is actually related to Old English and is nowhere near as unrelated or difficult as Vietnamese or Navajo would be for an English-speaker.)
The story is sweetly and gently told, reflecting the mind of a sweet and gentle guy with a highly unusual mind. And the implications of savant abilities continue to suggest that our minds are far different than we might suspect.
But in addition to overcoming the limitations of autism, he also has very impressive savant abilities. Under controlled conditions, he has proven that he can memorize thousands and thousands of digits of pi and that he can learn the fundamentals of the vocabulary and grammar of an unfamiliar language in less than a week. (I do disagree that Icelandic was a stunningly difficult language choice. It's not a bad choice, since it's a language that few people know any little snippets of. But it is actually related to Old English and is nowhere near as unrelated or difficult as Vietnamese or Navajo would be for an English-speaker.)
The story is sweetly and gently told, reflecting the mind of a sweet and gentle guy with a highly unusual mind. And the implications of savant abilities continue to suggest that our minds are far different than we might suspect.
I read memoirs because I'm a nosy introvert. I like to know about people's lives, but (like this author) I don't like to spend a lot of time with other people and I would never ask personal questions. Still, there is nothing to me more fascinating than a glimpse into the life and experiences of an intelligent, sensitive person. I also have friends and relatives who have Aspergers and I'm always thrilled when an Aspie tells his story.
I was astonished at how interested I was in Tammet's lengthy explanation of how he "sees" numbers. I'm not a numbers-person, but he explains it brilliantly. Perceiving numbers in a different fashion than "normal" people enables him to perform spectacular feats of memory and to learn languages much more rapidly than the rest of us.
But his book is primarily an ode to his loving parents. Both from troubled families themselves and without any access to expensive private schools or "consultants," they somehow found the strength and wisdom to guide their oldest child safely through his harsh childhood environment and give him the confidence to strike out on his own. He now has a loving partner and operates his own on-line business helping others to learn languages. What an incredible success story.
I don't know what else to say about this extraordinary book except that I wish Amazon would let me give it more than five stars and I have just placed an order for three paperback copies to share with others.
I was astonished at how interested I was in Tammet's lengthy explanation of how he "sees" numbers. I'm not a numbers-person, but he explains it brilliantly. Perceiving numbers in a different fashion than "normal" people enables him to perform spectacular feats of memory and to learn languages much more rapidly than the rest of us.
But his book is primarily an ode to his loving parents. Both from troubled families themselves and without any access to expensive private schools or "consultants," they somehow found the strength and wisdom to guide their oldest child safely through his harsh childhood environment and give him the confidence to strike out on his own. He now has a loving partner and operates his own on-line business helping others to learn languages. What an incredible success story.
I don't know what else to say about this extraordinary book except that I wish Amazon would let me give it more than five stars and I have just placed an order for three paperback copies to share with others.
ByBonnie N. Tiltonon July 21, 2015
I know and correspond with a savant that I met while volunteering with adults with special needs over about the past twenty years. So this book was special for me. It took a lot of savvy for Daniel to describe his fears and interests as we progressed into his life and adulthood. I admire his efforts to improve his life, his habits, his relationships. I really enjoyed Daniel's story.
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