Customer Reviews
Born On A Blue Day 
2008-05-28
This is an excellent, 1st person, account of Asperger's Syndrome. Anyone who knows a person, or has an ASD (autism spectrum disorder) should read this book. Any health care professional should read this book. I am a physician and know persons with this disorder.Born On A Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant
The boy can do math, can't write, though 
2008-05-27
I was lured to the book by a coleague that described how the Savant mind worked. Reading that is interesting, one understand how somebody can have special powers without understanding why and how. The rest of the history I found boring, the life and growing pains lack depth and analysis from the grown Daniel.
If you have seen the TV documentary, liked it, and want to know more; it is a book for you; if you are curious about the savant's mind inner workings; you might find yourself skipping some parts.
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!
A Literate "Rainman" 2008-07-22
Although autistic savants often amaze us with their feats of memory, typically they lack the communication and people skills to be able to share their stories with others. Daniel Tammet, a high-fuctioning autistic savant with Asperger's Syndrome, has lived an atypical life. He was featured in a documentary, "Brainman," and has appeared on numerous television shows around the world. The title of the book comes from David's synethesia. He identifies numbers and words as colors or shapes. Thus his Wednesday birthdate translates to "a blue day" because the word "Wednesday" is colored blue in his mind's eye. If you enjoyed the movie, "Rainman," you'll appreciate reading about this most unusual autistic man.
Either totally engrossing or terribly tedious... 2008-07-02
Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet is an autobiography that you will either find totally engrossing or terribly tedious. Fortunately, I was one who was enthralled by Tammet and his incredible story.
Tammet is unusual in many ways. First, he was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome (a high level form of Autism), but not until he was 24 years old. He describes in great detail his childhood experiences and how different he was from others. Second, he is a savant with extraordinary abilities in math and languages. In fact, he is so unique that he was featured in a documentary called "Brainman," a take-off on the movie about another savant, "Rainman." And last, what makes him truly incredible is that he is able to express and explain to others how he views his world--something very difficult for people with Autism.
I found Tammet's entire story fascinating--how he sees numbers as colors and shapes, how his loving family supported this difficult but gifted child, his schooling, his journeys to other countries to teach English, the scientific studies that have been done on him and most of all, how he copes as an adult. I found it especially interesting as an educator to see how the Autistic mind works.
How very fortunate we are that Daniel Tammet was able to give us his story in Born on a Blue Day.
Synesthetic 2008-06-09
Having read a little on Synesthesia in Diane Ackerman's ' A Natural History of Senses'.. I did believe Daniel Timmet's visual experiences of numbers and words.. A little into his childhood.. I was scared as to what will happen to him as an autistic child.. But with his diverse experiences in another country.. he has gone way far where he can answer the question of Allie Cone's(a mountaineer character) students "Do you know what its like when the only direction is down?"
Great information, disappointing product 2008-06-04
The information on the cd is great to hear. This author is fascinating to hear about. It helped me see why my son who is autistic does some of the things that he does. THough I was disappointed in the product. It would not play in my car cd player and that is why I bought it. I had to take the time to copy and burn it to 6 discs so that I could listen to it. It would not play in anyones car. Besides that, it was great.
Are You Getting The Picture? 2008-05-28
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.
