Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant

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Type: Book
Studio: Free Press
One of the world's fifty living autistic savants is the first and only to tell his compelling and inspiring life story---and explain how his incredible mind works.

Art & Autism
Like Temple Grandin, another high-functioning autistic mentioned briefly in the last chapter of this book, Daniel provides rare insight into the world of autism and savantism. Few with his neurological condition (you can hardly call it a "disability") are articulate enough to express what it's like from the inside. In fact the majority of this book details his fairly mundane daily life, and the events surrounding his "discovery" by science, the documentary made about him, and his appearance on David Letterman. Only the first 3 chapters really talk about how he is different -- his synesthetic experience of numbers and words, his prodigious calculating ability, his autistic shyness, his difficulties growing up.

Perhaps Daniel is as normal as he is because his condition was apparently triggered by a series of epileptic seizures at age 4 rather than a birth defect. Perhaps his "rewiring" is less extensive than the so-called "idiot-savants" like Kevin Peek, Stephen Wiltshire or Joseph Sullivan who are much less functional outside their gifts.

His autobiography -- at only 26, and not ghost-written -- is remarkably readable and insightful. The gradual coming-to-grips with realizing he always has been and always will be "different" shows maturity many of us could do well to emulate. In fact, the similarities between Tammet's life and the majority of us, who show minor signs of high-function autism in our everyday lives, is perhaps the greatest lesson of this book.

Born on a Blue Day book review
Cassie Hawkins
Instructor Gina Fournier
Comp II (Wed 8-11:55)
October 29, 2008
Born on a Blue Day
Having a child born with a disorder, is most parents fear. Not knowing if the child they are about to give birth will need extra attention brought forth for his/her needs. Some parents even have to take parenting classes; not because they are a bad parent but, they need to learn how to tend to their child's needs. Daniel Tammet was born with a form of autism called Asperger's syndrome. Asperger's syndrome is a disorder that causes repetitive behavior patterns and impairments in social interactions. The book Born on a Blue Day truly inspires parents that the obstacles they encounter with a child who suffers Asperger's can be achieved.
On January 31, 1979 Daniel Tammet was born in East London. Since Daniel was the first child his parents were unaware of some of his autistic behaviors and thought of them to be normal. It is normal for a baby to cry when he/she needs something, that is their communication factor with the parent. Daniel on the other hand would cry for hours and the only result of him to stop crying would be motion. It is known that rocking is a way that some autistic children and adults find calmness. Daniel also suffered tantrums. The slightest sound could set Daniel off into a tantrum. His tantrums consisted of kicking the floor or smacking himself in the head repetitively. It was not until Daniel began to attend nursery when his parents detected his disorder. At the nursery Daniel never interacted with the other children or joined in on group games. Instead Daniel was happy with the books and colored beads he enjoyed to sit and play with for hours by himself. Not only were these actions at the nursery, but at home too. Daniel was also known to walk in circles which caused him to wear a path in his carpet in the bedroom.
When Daniel was four he suffered from his first massive epileptic seizure. While at the hospital he was given some tests including an EEG and a MRI. He was prescribed some medicine to take for his Epilepsy. When taking his medicine Daniel showed another sign of his disorder. He had to take it everyday at the same time with the same amount of milk. Daniel began to attend primary school and showed more signs of his disorder. Once again he would rather be alone and not socialize with any classmates. A new sign he began to show was humming. While reading a book by himself he would begin to hum without knowing he was. It was not until secondary school where at the age of 10 Daniel was given an official diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome, since this disorder is very difficult to diagnosis.
The years before the diagnosis of his disorder many different people helped him cope with some obstacles he encountered. His teachers were very understanding and did not force him to participate in social group games. The doctors he attended gave good advice towards problems he faced. The most important people who helped him grow more social are his siblings. His brothers and sisters growing up were around him everyday and helped him cope with his social interactions. They made him more comfortable with socializing. With the help from these people in his life Daniels adulthood became easier to live than his childhood. Daniel states, "In spite of all my many problems... they devoted themselves to helping me- little by little, day by day. They are my heroes." (28)

After secondary school Daniel decided he wanted to get a job. He applied as a volunteer to teach in another country and was accepted. In Kaunas, Lithuania Daniel taught in a classroom full of women English. Here he became friends with one woman who soon introduced him to a couple who he became relatively good friends with also. From his volunteer job he was given a grant where he purchased a computer. In a chat room he met a man named Neil. Neil supported Daniels disorder and they moved in together after long dating. Neil and Daniel came up with a website to teach different languages to people. The success of their website had Daniel learning more and more different languages. In 2005 Daniel participated in a study for the Department of Language and Communication Science at City University in London. Researchers conducting the study found Daniel to be brilliant. They conducted many studies with him and discovered his disorder has merely made him a genius.
In late 2003 Daniel contacted the National Epilepsy Foundation and wanted to do something special for them since he too suffered from it. Daniel decided he was going to memorize as many digits of Pi and recite them in front of an audience. "I had recited 22,514 digits of pi without error in a time of five hours and nine minutes..." Tammet states (Born on a Blue Day 185). This made headlines all over the world and made a group of people interested in doing a documentary on him. With his love for different languages they asked him to learn Icelandic in a week flat. Daniel did so and to prove he was asked to go on a popular television show and have an interview all in Icelandic.
In his personal Memoir Daniel Tammet gives insight of his extraordinary autistic mind. Daniel had a disorder called Asperger's syndrome, but that doesn't stop him from all he has accomplished in his life. Daniel has set a world record for reciting 22,514 numbers of Pi correctly. Daniel also has a documentary called Brainman that airs on a local channel called PBS. He also participated in an experiment where he had to learn a whole new language in just a week flat.
Born on a Blue Day is recommended for parents who have a child that suffers from Asperger's or for a teenager who suffers from Asperger's syndrome. This book gives good insight to what Daniel has encountered in his life and ways he steered around certain problems. This book also is very inspiring and brings hope to parent's eyes that their child too was given a particular talent. Also this book is interesting to read for people who are unconnected with what goes on in the mind of a person with Asperger's syndrome.
According to sources at Powell's Books, "One of the worlds only 50 living autistic savants is the first to tell his compelling and inspiring life story, and explain how his incredible mind works." Daniels book being the only one written about his disorder has received high reviews from major tabloids.
Dr Darold Treffert, scientific advisor on the Rain Man movie had this to say about Born on a Blue Day. "Of special interest for me, though, is not just what Daniel can so extraordinarily do, but rather his capacity to describe how he does it. Such first-person explanations of savant abilities are extremely rare, in fact nearly non-existent."
Temple Grandin another known author states, "This book is a must read for anybody who is interested in how the minds works."
The New York Times states, ""Something in the way that Mr. Tammet describes the beautiful, aching, hallucinatory process of arriving at his answers illuminates the excitement of all cogitation."
Not only did Daniel's Memoir receive such good reviews his documentary called Brainman received high reviews also. The book, along with Daniel's documentary, are both highly recommended by many.

Fascinating and heart warming!
I absolutely could not put this book down! What an amazing individual Daniel is. I would love to meet him. I was amazed at how fluid the book was given it was written by an autistic person. I HIGHLY recommend this book!

Meticulous detail about the rhythm and routine of the author's life
Daniel Tammet has penned his account of his life, through his 27th year, as a British autistic savant who has navigated through his life with Asperger's syndrome and synesthesia. He captures with meticulous detail the rhythm and routine of his life and recounts his events and experiences though offers few thoughts about his inner thinking.

His prose (and one has to wonder how heavy or light a hand his editors wielded) is precise and measured--not surprisingly--but the overall story does not crackle with excitement or energy. Hence, Mr. Tammet's biopic no doubt seems oddly dry as he does not rely on embellishment or stray from his point, but tends to present the facts in a straightforward and thrifty manner.

Mr. Tammet admittedly leads an insular, interior life, and that perspective also infuses his writing here. Yet there are surprises along the way: his first experience with tears, his acceptance of Christianity, his falling in love. In some ways, his advanced abilities in math and language are secondary to the rituals of life that he relies on to keep him grounded and functioning.

Yet, I somehow wanted more from this book, perhaps more insights into the inner working of someone with Asperger's syndrome and a bit more detail of how Mr. Tammet's mind functions.

The reviews are easier to read than the book
Though I work with autistic students, I was hoping after reading the reviews to find a book that was a bit more reader friendly. It skipped here and there with wild abandon.