About book Born On A Blue Day: Inside The Extraordinary Mind Of An Autistic Savant (2007)
Imagine getting a glimpse inside the mind of someone living with autism. Tammet takes us into his world in this beautiful and fascinating memoir (for lack of a better descriptor) written in his mid-twenties. Tammet's world is one of numbers, counting, language, and other fascinations. It is also a sometimes lonely place. Finding love changed that.When something catches Tammet's attention, it seems that everything else ceases to exist. Tammet tells a story of seeing a lady bug on a bush when he is walking home from the bus. He became so engrossed that he finally just sat himself down on the sidewalk to watch her; people walked around him. Eventually he put out his finger for her to climb onto, then ran home to begin his lady bug collection, a collection later tossed by a teacher who asked him to bring it to class, but then feared the hundreds of bugs would escape into the classroom. Even so, this was not as bad as the chestnut collection that grew so large his parents feared it would come through the floor of his second-story bedroom. There is also the description of precisely the way in which brushing his teeth was physically painful, something he could not explain to his parents (who thought brushing a good idea), and how he dealt with this and figured out a way to brush his teeth that he can tolerate.Tammet's family (of eleven!) is featured prominently in this book. In fact, the book is partly a testament to the devotion of his parents, even though they really didn't understand his ailment, and the value of having siblings who understood enough that things at home could "work." It is also, I think unintentionally, a testament to a social service system (UK) that made it possible for this family to survive, even thrive, with nine children--at one point, five children under the age of four--two of them with autism and, and a father who suffered a series of mental breakdowns. Naturally there are weaknesses, or perhaps places lacking clarity. Tammet's move from being mostly unable to communicate effectively verbally, having no grasp of emotions, not getting things such as why it isn't cool to just touch people when you want, and the like to signing up to be an international volunteer is one such gap. Yes, he is a savant and has some truly incredible abilities, especially in math and languages. Still, this leap is fairly astounding. His success in Iceland--professional and social--is hard to fathom. The language ability is also hard to understand, in some ways. Yes, languages involve lots of words, something he would be good at, and rules for use, again, something that fits with the math ability. But the ability to truly understand shared meaning, this I would like to see discussed. Similarly, when he finds love, as a reader you are delighted for him. Still, how was that really possible? How much emotion does he really feel? How does the autism impinge on the relationship, beyond the practical things such as his inability to drive and his occasional outbursts when he is overwhelmed? I suppose what we are missing are: (1) some sorting out of where Tammet falls on the autism spectrum, how extraordinary he is beyond the 1 in 100 "prodigious savants", more of a qualitative brushstroke of this autism spectrum to which he refers quite often; and (2) a much better view of how Tammet is seen by others, both his intimate circle and strangers. For this latter to be missing in a book written by someone with autism is, I suppose, inevitable. Despite these mild frustrations, it is clear that Tammet is an amazing young man. He has written a book that is mature and sensitive way beyond his years. He has also given readers the tremendous gift of a view into his life and mind.
When I read "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time," I recommended the book to a friend, saying, "It lets you know what it is like in the mind of an autistic kid." My friend, who enjoys playing devil's advocate, asked, "How does the author know? Is he autistic?" Well, no. But in this case, the answer is yes. Daniel Tammet can't tolerate crowds of people, noises, itchy clothes, or any change to his routine. When he gets upset he sticks his fingers in his ears, counts things, or walks in a circle. But he also has remarkable abilities with numbers and languages. He can calculate and memorize large numbers, partly due to synesthesia. He experiences numbers as shapes and colors. Combinations of numbers appear like landscapes to him, and he finds them beautiful and comforting. He can learn a new language in a week. There is always a struggle between the savant side and the autistic side. He discovers he is gifted at chess, but gives it up because the noise and movement of the other player distresses him. My favorite parts of this book are those where he describes how his mind works. Others have complained that Tammet narrates the events of his life in a flat style. Well, duh. That's part of the syndrome. But they are remarkable events just the same. After high school he spent a year teaching English in Lithuania. For a kid who couldn't take a bus in his home town without getting lost, to travel abroad by himself showed great courage and helped to bring him out of his isolation. He broke the world record for memorizing pi. He then became the subject of a documentary, "Brainman" (a take off on the title of the movie "Rain Man"), which brought him minor celebrity, and an appearance on David Letterman. The most remarkable events are the changes that happened inside Daniel. In his childhood he was mostly oblivious to the people around him. His schoolmates were like obstacles to navigate around. He just did his own thing. At some point he decided he wanted to be close to other people, and somehow he learned how. He learned to force himself to look people in the eyes when speaking, and not at the floor. He learned to concentrate on what the other person was saying. At the end of the book, Tammet describes the lives of his parents and brothers and sisters, because they have become important to him. He has learned to enjoy their company. I realize I have used the word "remarkable" three times in this review, so let that be my summary of Daniel Tammet's life, and his book: remarkable.
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I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I was going to. I hate math and at the beginning when he was talking about numbers and how he sees them, I was wondering if I could get through the whole book. I also thought he spent a lot of time talking about his early life and wasn't for sure that I was going to enjoy the book. I am glad I stuck with it though, because it is such an inspiring story about someone who has overcome such odds. Not to mention that even though he has a type of Autism he has managed to write an inspiring book that is very interesting and enjoyable to read. I thought it was admirable that instead of just staying the way he was and writing off his lack of social abilities to his Autism, he genuinely worked very hard at becoming a more social person and developing real relationships with people. I am in no way as extraordinary as Tammet, but I feel that I can relate to many of his feelings of anxiety in different situations. The fact that these anxious feelings are hard for me to overcome, whereas his are probably much worse and that he has persevered and done so much in spite of them is extraordinary to me. It really is an inspiring story that I encourage anyone and everyone to read.
—Kendra
Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic SavantDaniel Tammet is a highly successful language educator who is also a high-functioning autistic savant with synesthesia. Subject of the documentary film "Brain Man", Tammet has appeared on television several times. He has learned several languages, is incredibly adept at certain kinds of math and, apparently, has a terrific memory. Tammet's success is foreshadowed by the upbringing in a large, loving and highly supportive family. He was inspired to write his memoir, despite his relative youth, because he wished to pass his inspiration on to others like him and also wished to foster understanding for others with asperger's syndrome. Empathetic and lofty goals for a man who claims, from the beginning, to have had to teach himself how to empathize. The book will almost certainly accomplish both tasks, and more. It is, like Tammet himself, uninhibited, honest and clear, and it is a success story - for Tammet, for his family and friends, and, perhaps most importantly for the world in which he has succeeded. Tammet explains that his syndrome makes him a relatively poor listener, but an effusive speaker. When he was younger, he explains, he would often simply speak on a subject that interested him until he had said everything he had to say about it regardless of any non-verbal cues his audience may have produced. While I would not say that Born on a Blue Day does this consistently, it does have a few moments which will undoubtedly seem unnecessary. But it is not a long book and not a difficult read. It is also well worth the effort for anybody who enjoys exploring the range of human experience with an open mind and open heart.
—Matt Tomaso
I've seen publicity of this book and have wanted to read it. I found a copy at the Orem library and checked it out, just in time to read the whole thing during a flight from SLC to New Orleans. It's a very interesting personal account of a man living in England who has both Savant Syndrome and Asperger's. He has a stunningly brilliant mind for numbers - he visualizes them as shapes and colors - and can perform incredibly complex mathematical tasks in his mind in seconds by merging the shapes. He once memorized over 20,000 digits of "pi" and recited them in public; you almost want to cheer as he describes that accomplishment in detail. He learned to speak Icelandic fluently in a week (adding to a string of other languages he is comfortable in). Yet in other areas, he is compulsive, inept, afraid, or incredibly awkward.I quite enjoyed reading this book, and learning of this remarkable personality. But I found myself wondering how much was actually written by the author. It seemed too well written for someone with the symptoms he describes. But the publicity doesn't indicate any co-author or ghost writer.Unfortunately, Tammet is also a homosexual and describes discovering his inclinations in that area, a few relationships, and then meeting his partner. Fortunately, we are spared any graphic details.
—David
