Born on a Blue Day

A Memoir

By: Daniel Tammet

Narrated by: Simon Vance

One of the world's 50 living autistic savants is the first and only to tell his compelling and inspiring life story and explain how his incredible mind works.

Worldwide, there are fewer than 50 living savants, those autistic individuals who can perform miraculous mental calculations or artistic feats. (Think Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man.) Until now, none of them has been able to discuss his or her thought processes, much less write a book. Daniel Tammet is the first.

Tammet's problems were apparent from childhood. He was shunned by his classmates and often resorted to rocking and humming quietly. Yet he could memorize almost anything, and his math and language skills were astonishing. By high school, Daniel was diagnosed as autistic, and he began to discover his own superhuman abilities: calculating huge sums in his head in seconds, learning new languages in one week, and memorizing more than 22,000 digits of pi.

With heart-melting simplicity and astonishing self-awareness, Born on a Blue Day tells Daniel's story: from his childhood frustrations to adult triumphs, while explaining how his mind works. He thinks in pictures. He sees numbers as complex shapes: 37 is lumpy like porridge; 89 reminds him of falling snow. Today, Daniel has emerged as one of the world's most fascinating minds and inspiring stories. His brain has amazed scientists for years, and everyone will be moved by his remarkable life story.

©2007 Daniel Tammet (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.

Critic reviews

"[Tanmet's] ability to express himself clearly and with a surprisingly engaging tone (given his symptoms) makes for an account that will intrigue." (Publishers Weekly)

Good Enough

I enjoyed the listen but I had no sense that the main character was facing any issues nor overcoming any difficulties. His condition was not presented as a problem nor an obstacle and he seemed perfectly capable of using his Asperger's and savant abilities to serve his appropriate and somewhat lucrative professional situations. Where's the problem? Where's the story? This character seemed perfectly capable of assimilating himself into Eastern European culture, for example, and I didn't see any story of triumph over any sort of negative odds, except at the end with the presentation of negative statistics on employment of people with syndromes in the autism spectrum. I thought it was a good reality check on discrimination - I guess it's easier to get a job if you are physically disabled, rather than possessed of an emotional/cognitive disorder.

I would say that this story probably works better as a documentary film and will try and rent the DVD of "Brainman" if it exists.

The perfectionism cited as a characteristic of this spectrum came through loud and clear, with the "all my ducks in a row" factor, and the book seemed more like a laundry list of all the elements of a very good life, rather than a struggle to deal with any sort of disability.

I did find the elaborate descriptions of numerical patterns and game strategies tedious and fast-forwarded through these sections.

Anyway it was a good "workout" read. I don't ask much in my listening, as I use most audiobooks as a second activity while exercising, driving, doing other routine tasks. I prefer a smooth, calm narration with minimal drama, and this listen satisfied most of my requirements.

Fascinating in part

What did you like best about Born on a Blue Day? What did you like least?

I found the descriptions of Tammet's experience of autism to be very interesting. I was very moved by his courage in moving far from home and making bis own way- and also admired his parents for supporting him!

Any additional comments?

I was glad to have read the book, but found the latter half of the book less captivating.

A rare description of a Savant from the inside.

Most people who are on the same level of mental capability as Daniel Tammet (like being able to do in his head that makes calculators run out of digits) are lacking the ability to describe what goes on their mind. Luckily for anybody readying this book Daniel is a one in a billion and does a great job of describing what goes on in that brain.

A deep look at the life of an Autistic man

This autobiography is extremely helpful for people with autistic relatives !
How wonderful and such am inspiration
Thank you for this Mr. Tammet. I am forever in your debt.

Ordinary Life Through Unordinary Eyes

Yes, Daniel's childhood is ordinary (if having 8 siblings is ordinary) but the way he experiences his childhood is unique. This was a book that I hated to see end. I listen to 2 or 3 books a month and this one ranks as one of the best. The narrator is excellent and does a great job being Daniel's voice. I did wish I could have seen illustrations in the book as I'd like to know how the numbers look to Daniel, but my imagination filled in the gaps. I highly recommend the book for all who want a deeper understanding of those on the autism spectrum. It provides good fodder for thinking about how our brains work.