Editorial Review
Born on a Blue Day is a journey into one of the most fascinating minds alive today -- guided by the owner himself. Daniel Tammet is virtually unique among people who have severe autistic disorders in that he is capable of living a fully independent life and able to explain what is happening inside his head.
He sees numbers as shapes, colors, and textures, and he can perform extraordinary calculations in his head. He can learn to speak new languages fluently, from scratch, in a week. In 2004, he memorized and recited more than 22,000 digits of pi, setting a record. He has savant syndrome, an extremely rare condition that gives him the most unimaginable mental powers, much like those portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the film Rain Man.
Fascinating and inspiring, Born on a Blue Day explores what it' s like to be special and gives us an insight into what makes us all human -- our minds.
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Customer Reviews
Truly Inspiring! 
2008-04-11
An "extraordinary mind" and a wonderful person. I couldn't put this book down. I am grateful to Mr. Tammet for sharing his story.
Review of Born on a Blue Day 
2008-04-09
This is a wonderful book that makes the daily and lifetime struggles of an individual dealing with autism understandable and real on a personal level. The author's honesty is so revealing, both in painful and joyful experiences. His courage and persistence are inspiring to all, especially those who struggle with being "different" in any way. It's a very important book for parents and educators struggling to understand those on the autistic spectrum and learn how to best help them. However, it's probably even more important for young people who themselves are struggling to deal with autism and find their way in a world that is often confusing, sometimes brutal, and always challenging.Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant
Growing up with a head full of numbers 2008-03-26
It's fascinating to watch numerical savants on TV -- performing bizarre and seemingly impossible tasks like telling strangers the day of the week on which they were born or on which they'll turn 65. But aside from their phenomenal talents, many of these people -- individuals on the autism/Asperger's spectrum -- are profoundly disabled. They have enormous difficulty with simple tasks, and are huge emotional and financial drains on their families. "Born on a Blue Day" is Daniel Tammet's memoir of his own life as a high-functioning person with Asperger's Syndrome. He takes us on an interior tour of his own life, from the cradle to his mid-20s. Tammet is luckier than many who share his challenges. His parents were loving and caring and provided the enormous emotional support required to tend a child who lives by rules that most of us would find bizarre. Though able to solve difficult math puzzles in his head in startlingly creative visual ways, he cannot comprehend seemingly simple rules of human interaction. He had to be trained laboriously to maintain eye contact with people.
Tammet's youth was extremely lonely and painful, taking place as it did before much was known about Asperger's. He had a profound and alienating sense of being different, but had no way to cope other than retreating into his own peculiar activities, like stacking coins or listening to songs literally hundreds of times in succession. Yet in his late teens, Tammet (for whom a bus trip across town could be terrifying) decides to take an overseas teaching assignment. Through this adventure and others, he begins to reach out to others. Eventually, he falls in love and comes to the attention of the media, becoming the subject of a documentary and an interview with David Letterman.
Tammet's ability to bring readers into his strange, inner world makes "Born on a Blue Day" so interesting and profoundly moving. By the end of the book, you may understand better what being autistic is from the inside out, and come to appreciate the odd logic and extreme literalness that underlies the special traits of those with Asperger's. It's only the final third of the book, dealing with Tammet's triumphs, that was a bit disappointing. It is hard to connect the pathological introverted Daniel of the first part of the book with the seemingly outside-world-focused young man of the last part. Tammet may himself not understand what made him change (or at least be able to tolerate change better) and this is a lingering puzzle.
"Born on Blue Day" was a very worthwhile read. Tammet punctuated his story with scientific information about autism and the organizations that assist the autistic. His book, along with Mark Haddon's "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" helped to make those with autism and Asperger's more real and more human -- a worthy endeavor!
An amazing indiviual. 2008-03-24
Most people will love to read the first chapter regarding how Daniel is able to memorize and calculate numbers in regards to his synesthesia (seeing numbers in colors and shapes). The rest of the book is written very matter of fact in regards to his life, birth and to finding love and a certain fame. It is written in a matter of fact honest way that i really enjoyed. I've seen some people comment that it was a little on the boring side but i disagree. His honest assesment of his life is laid out on the book. He is an amazing individual.
An inspiring life and autobiography 2008-03-21
Daniel Tammet - a high functioning asperger savant - describes in vivd detail his life, gifts, and shortcomings. A person of unusual courage, as well as extraordinary gifts, he shows us how he was able to learn Icelandic in a week, while being unable to tie his own tie. Despite being nearly a prisoner of his own routine - eating precisely the same number of cereal pieces every morning, counting the number of clothes he's wearing - he can perform near miraculous feats, like reciting Pi to over 22,000 places; a world record. The book is not only a fascinating study of A man, but an insightful look into human potentiality. Written in thoughtful, but matter-of-fact format, Tammet lets us - perhaps because he has no choice in the matter - feel for him and his trvails growing up. This is a too-short book that leaves the reader cheering and wanting more.
Tale will both inspire and move you 2008-02-28
Born on a Blue Day is a journey into one of the most fascinating minds alive today -- guided by the owner himself. Daniel Tammet is virtually unique among people who have severe autistic disorders in that he is capable of living a fully independent life and able to explain what is happening inside his head.
He sees numbers as shapes, colors, and textures, and he can perform extraordinary calculations in his head. He can learn to speak new languages fluently, from scratch, in a week. In 2004, he memorized and recited more than 22,000 digits of pi, setting a record. He has savant syndrome, an extremely rare condition that gives him the most unimaginable mental powers, much like those portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the film Rain Man.
Fascinating and inspiring, Born on a Blue Day explores what it' s like to be special and gives us an insight into what makes us all human -- our minds.
Amazing 2008-02-16
Daniel Tammet's story is unbelievable. This is a beautiful book where he shares his world in an amazing way. Tammet is an extremely talented person and it is incredible how he can explain what goes on in his mind.
Awesome Read ! 2008-02-05
I got this book and decided to kill a little time before the Super Bowl so I started reading it. I did not stop until I read 122 pages !!!
This book will have you in awe! Well written, fascinating, and touching.
WOW 2008-01-14
5+ Daniel introduces us to his world as a savant. This is truly an amazing journey through the world of autism. Daniel sees the world in numbers, colors and shapes. And this is his adventure into finding his place in the world. I wouldn't recommend this as an audio book because there are shapes and diagrams that show how Daniel sees things in his mind. Favorite Quotes: "Most important of all, give your children the self-belief to hold on to their dreams, because they are the things that shape each person's future. "You don't have to be disabled to be different, everybody's different". "For the first time I had to realize that thought and logic had limits and could only take a person so far"
Amazing read 2008-01-12
The book exceeded my expectations. I started reading it just as it arrived to find out what it looked like and become engaged. I used every chance I had in the next few days to read it until it was finish. Admittedly it has some chapters in the last half of the book that are more boring, but it's one of those books that you want to read again as soon as you finish.
