Struck by Genius

How a Brain Injury Made Me a Mathematical Marvel

By: Jason Padgett, Maureen Ann Seaberg

Narrated by: Jeff Cummings, Kate Rudd

Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

The remarkable story of an ordinary man who was transformed when a traumatic injury left him with an extraordinary gift

No one sees the world as Jason Padgett does. Water pours from the faucet in crystalline patterns, numbers call to mind distinct geometric shapes, and intricate fractal patterns emerge from the movement of tree branches, revealing the intrinsic mathematical designs hidden in the objects around us.

Yet Padgett wasn’t born this way. Twelve years ago, he had never made it past pre-algebra. But a violent mugging forever altered the way his brain works, giving him unique gifts. His ability to understand math and physics skyrocketed, and he developed the astonishing ability to draw the complex geometric shapes he saw everywhere. His stunning, mathematically precise artwork illustrates his intuitive understanding of complex mathematics.

The first documented case of acquired savant syndrome with mathematical synesthesia, Padgett is a medical marvel. Struck by Genius recounts how he overcame huge setbacks and embraced his new mind. Along the way he fell in love, found joy in numbers, and spent plenty of time having his head examined. Like Born on a Blue Day and My Stroke of Insight, his singular story reveals the wondrous potential of the human brain.

©2014 Jason Padgett and Maureen Ann Seaberg (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

It has raised my conscience about synaesthesia.

Would you listen to Struck by Genius again? Why?

Yes

What did you like best about this story?

The determination Jason ultimately found. I wasn't aware of synaesthesia, but now I do. I'm glad I listened to this book.

Which character – as performed by Jeff Cummings and Kate Rudd – was your favorite?

Jason

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Jason took the time to understand the guys with Cerebral Palsy.

Any additional comments?

Jason makes me wish I was good in science.

Thought provoking in unexpected ways.

I've always believed each of us has great unlocked potential. Moments in our lives when we sense untapped abilities, but can't quite tap into it. This book certainly gives creedence to that possibility.

3.75 stars

The first half of this book was interesting and really held my attention. the second half became repetitive and I struggled to finish it. I felt more time should have been spent on detailing his brain scans and less on him hanging out with other synesthetes. Overall this is a very interesting story, but I felt it could have been written/narrated better.

Struck by Delusion

Somewhere here there is an interesting story, even if mischaracterized by the title. Experiencing the writing is nothing short of painful. 10% of this book contains a loose collection of unstructured poorly phrased content. The other 90% is a raw, stream of consciousness blather with: off topic tangents that suddenly start and just as abruptly end, questionable opinions conflated with fact, irrelevant event minutiae and conversations with customers at his futon store, confusing and heavily qualified metaphor, extensive unnecessary explanation of common concepts coupled with the unexplained use of uncommon concepts, and, a staggering number of sentences somehow completely void of purpose. This "book" could be edited down to short article. In a sentence, Jason appears to be experiencing a kind of permanent mushroom trip, with all the visual, awe, and delusional trappings. If there's any genius here, the lack of editing might reveal a kind of unintended truth. That truth is, brain injury is very serious business, and it's probably more likely to cause the delusion of genius and insight than actual genius or insight.

Sub-par and superficial

Any additional comments?

1.5-2 stars. This book was exceedingly mediocre, verging on sub-par. The book is the memoir (written with the help of an author) of a man who was severely beaten and suffered a traumatic brain injury, as a result of which he became a savant and synesthete. The parts of the book that explained brain function, savant capabilities, and synesthesia were interested, but far too brief and nowhere near detailed enough. The remainder of the book read like an extended catalog of why the author felt he was special, filled with false humility, repetitive passages, and superficial emotion. This may in part be a result of the memoirist's brain injury (which obviously changed his perception and could also hamper ability to read others and communicate clearly), but which resulted in a tortured book that was brimming with self-congratulatory statements, self-proclaimed genius, and very little depth. Not recommended.

didn't like it.

Couldn't get past the first hour. The narrator (not the performance) of the book seemed overly pretentious . Was incredibly grating and obnoxious.