Born on a Blue Day

By: Daniel Tammet

Narrated by: Daniel Tammet

Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

"I was born on 31 January 1979: a Wednesday. I know it was a Wednesday, because the date is blue in my mind, and Wednesdays are always blue, like the number nine or the sound of loud voices arguing."

Like the character Dustin Hoffman portrayed in Rain Man, Daniel Tammet can perform extraordinary maths in his head, sees numbers as shapes, colours, textures, and motions, and can learn to speak a language fluently from scratch in three days. He also has a compulsive need for order and routine. He eats exactly 45 grams of porridge for breakfast and cannot leave the house without counting the number of items of clothing he's wearing. If he gets stressed or unhappy, he closes his eyes and counts. But in some ways, Daniel is not all like the Rain Man. He is virtually unique among people who have severe autistic disorders in being capable of living a fully-functioning, independent life. It is this incredible self-awareness and ability to communicate what it feels like to live in a totally extraordinary way that makes Born on a Blue Day so powerful.

©2006 Daniel Tammet (P)2007 Hodder and Stoughton Audiobooks

Critic Reviews

"Read by Daniel, this memoir gives the listener a remarkable insight into the mysterious world of autism and pays homage to Daniel's parents." (Observer)

Very interesting story of someone with Asperger's

Would you listen to Born on a Blue Day again? Why?

Daniel Tammet narrates his own true story. His story gives an interesting inside story of himself who has been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. His voice is a bit monotonous, but this is characteristic of Asperger's. It was interesting from beginning till end.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Born on a Blue Day?

A memorable moment in the book is how Daniel describes the way he calculates. It is so completely different from the way everybody learn to calculate. It looks more like combining patterns with digits having colour, shapes and textures.. It may one day have implications for the way computers make their calculations.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Inside story of Asperger

ADD is not thhe end

Where does Born on a Blue Day rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

10 out of 10

What did you like best about this story?

The knowledge I gained from it

Would you listen to another book narrated by Daniel Tammet?

Not neccesarily, have to be in the mood to listen to him

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, though the information I gained got me hooked

Any additional comments?

This book helped me alot to understand ADD better

I am diagnosed with Aspergers too

Thank you so much for your book Daniel and for taking the time to narrate it. I bought the hard cover book when you wrote it and it kicked around the house for years without getting read. I find it quite hard to concentrate on books so I was really pleased to see the audiobook turn up here. Your story is really interesting and hearing someone else talk about autism and their experience of it always helps me with my own puzzling mind.
I really enjoyed the book and it is one I will listen to again.
Thanks.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Truly Fascinating

What a truly fascinating insight into a fascinating mind.
Even with his savant ability, there are aspects of his everyday life that are a constant challenge. It is inspiring how he has learnt to manage these problems.
I appreciate the time he has taken to describe his thoughts and feelings.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Synesthesia & Asperger Savants

Simply told & easy to understand. A glimpse into the mind of Asperger people. Quite remarkable & informative.

fascinating and inspiring stuff

fascinating and inspiring to hear how Daniel has overcome his difficulties and achieved so much
well told,