Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet
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Book Reviews of Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant
Book Review: They said it was IMPOSSIBLE! Behold, a book written by ONE of only FIFTY SAVANTS in the world!!
Summary: 5 Stars
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"I have a rare condition known as savant syndrome...Like most individuals with savant syndrome, I am also on the autistic spectrum...By writing about my own experiences of growing up on the autistic spectrum, it is my hope that I can help other...people living with high-functioning autism...to feel less isolated and to have confidence in the knowledge that it is ultimately possible to lead a happy and productive life."
The above is found at the beginning of this unique book by Daniel Tammet who is a British high-functioning autistic savant.
Savant syndrome or savantism is a rare condition in which persons with developmental disorders (including autism spectrum disorders, ASD) have one or more areas of expertise, ability, or brilliance that contrasts with the person's overall limitations. It can be either genetic or acquired. (ASD are widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication, as well as restricted interests and repetitive, orderly behaviour.)
This book is a memoir or essentially an autobiography. Tammet talks about how Asperger's syndrome (a high-functioning form of autism), epilepsy (neurological condition characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures), & synaesthesia (he sees numbers & letters in colour and associates numbers with emotions, shapes, and textures) deeply affected his childhood and, despite having these problems, how he was eventually able to lead a happy and productive life.
The last few chapters of the book chronicle what Tammet's mental abilities have enabled him to do. For example, he recited Pi (3.14...) to over 22,500 digits (setting a British record) and was able to learn Icelandic (a very difficult language) in one week.
There are less than fifty people in the world with mental abilities similar to Tammet's.
Now, you might ask why is it so significant that a savant can write a book? What's the big deal? Answer: Savants can't usually tell others how they do what they do since it just comes naturally to them. However, Tammet can describe and tell others what he sees in his head.
From reading this book, I got the impression that Tammet was a very honest person despite his savant syndrome. For example, he tells us:
"I spend most days at home. It is here that I feel most calm, comfortable, and secure because there is order and routine."
When he went for a trip, he tells us the luggage contents: "I finished packing my bags the evening before the flight: one coat, two pairs of shoes, four sweaters, six pairs of shorts and trousers, eight T-shirts, eleven pairs of socks and underwear, a fresh tube of toothpaste, electric toothbrush, cleanser, essential oils, shower gel, and shampoo."
Finally, at many points in the book, Tammet will add additional information. Some people may find this boring but I actually appreciated this information. For example, he went to Lithuania to teach English. He gives us additional information about Lithuania:
"The republic of Lithuania is one of the three Baltic states, sharing borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland to the south, and the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia to the southwest. In 1940, during the Second World War, Lithuania was annexed by the Soviet Union. It later came under German occupation and fell again to the Soviet in 1945. [He goes on about Lithuania for another three sentences]."
You can simply skip this additional information if you find it boring.
In conclusion, this memoir is fascinating and inspiring, exploring what it's like to be special and giving us insight into what makes all of us human--our minds!!!
(first published in Great Britain in 2006; acknowledgements; 12 chapters; 225 pages)
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Book Review: Informative
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is a very good window into the mind of someone with Aspberger's. The author has a very unique perspective and ability to articulate what might be going through someone's mind while dealing with this issue. I feel it has given me a much better understanding and empathy for those with Autism.Book Review: Good Book, But Not As Unique As I Would Have Thought
Summary: 4 Stars
The first time I had heard of Daniel Tammet was when I still worked days and I happened to see him on Good Morning America one day before work. I recall in the interview, he said he was autistic, but was functional enough to lead his own life. I also recall him associating numbers with colors and shapes. I stored the name of his book to memory and went about my day.
A few years later, I happened to come across his book. I recall his short interview on GMA to be kind of interesting and hoped his book would delve more into how his mind worked and what his world was like.
When I opened the book, it almost immediately informed the reader that Mr. Tammet suffered from Savant Syndrome. At first, this concept was quite foreign to me until he mentioned it was the same ailment that Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man. Immediately I began thinking of a man rocking back and forth in his chair, worried about buying his boxer shorts from K-Mart in Cincinnati and how long until Judge Wapner was on. However, I knew this was not the case with Mr. Tamment and was definitely intrigued to read more.
Initially, the book was an excellent journey into the mind of an Autistic Savant. The author goes into detail how his mind works, his obsessive compulsions, and why numbers are quite special to him. As a person whose education was based on math and science, I felt a kind of connection with the author and how he thought and felt about things. The book then talks about his childhood and the difficulties he faced. He then went on to talk about how he began his life on his own, the fears and difficulties he faced, how he found love, and basically gave an outline of how he lives life.
The book is an excellent trip inside the mind of a genius. However, outside of the experiences specific to being an Autistic Savant (and very well maybe one of the main points of the book), the story being told is not that different than anyone else's. When I was reading much of this book, I was thinking much of this could be the story as told from the perspective of one of my children 15 years from now or it very well could have been my story 10 years ago. Mr. Tammet went through the same trials and difficulties that every person goes through and he addressed them and conquered them just as most people do. In this aspect, his story is not that unique. It is still a good story, but it is not as different as I would have expected.
All in all, I thought this was a good book. It was not a great book, but it was an enjoyable and quick read. I would highly recommend the book to Engineers, scientists, mathematicians and other technical people as I think they would find the way the author's mind works with numbers very fascinating and many would probably identify with the author on several levels. Also, if you are looking for a great book where you can cheer for the underdog and they win, then this is definitely worth reading.
Book Review: Makes sense
Summary: 4 Stars
Great book! At first I wasn't thrilled with the writing style. It is bland and very straight. No sense of humor. But then I realized that it is a direct reflection of what his world is like. It makes sense that he would write that way, so for me it turned out to be further insight into the world of an autistic savant. Book Review: terrific book
Summary: 5 Stars
Enlightening book. Some incredible facts about his life and ending on an inspirational outlook on life.