If you've read "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," one good way of describing "Born on a Blue Day" is as a non-fiction version of the former. The two are really similar in the way they try to explain autism, except that Tammet's is a true story. In fact, Tammet tells the whole thing in his own words: an autobiography, which, if I'm not mistaken, is pretty rare for autistic savants. (Daniel actually has Asperger's Syndrome, which is a high-functioninig form of autism.)

I am tempted to give it a 4, which is my ranking for a pretty much all-around good, but not amazing, book, but it does read pretty slow in the beginning. The first 20 or so years of his life are rather uneventful, and his explanation of them repetitive. However, his description of his childhood does provide a window into a world that I wouldn't otherwise understand.

The more recent parts of his life--his voluntary service in Lithuania, his memorization and recitation of 22,514 digits of the value of Pi, his relationship with Neil, and his trip to the States--really are incredible examples of how independent he's become. I ended the book feeling impressed with this man who is supposedly "disabled" and yet has had a more interesting, exciting life so far than most "normal" people have. Really makes you think twice about the inaccuracy of those labels. ( )

after watching a Channel 5 documentary on Mr. Tammet, I eagerly await reading this book.

What an amazing person Daniel Tammet is! He is inspirational, funny, and an altogether great guy. One of the best books I've read this year. ( )

This is a fascinating story of a young man who has learned to live effectively with Asperger's Syndrome, turning his personal challenge into a valuable source of information and income. Tammet is an amazing savant and he has developed a well articulated dedication to helping others with specific challenges. His book is touching, informative, interesting, and well documented. ( )

A fascinating look into the mind of an incredible man. Tammet reveals what his life is like, living with the constraints and blessings of Asperger's. He filled my mind with ideas of learning and prevailing... What an inspiration and a gift. ( )

Very readable. But I came away thinking more that it's a light read about a really nice guy who has found his place in the world with some information on his particular gift, rather than any sort of real and fascinating insight into the workings of his mind and their implications. Maybe his follow-up has more meat to it. ( )

This book gave me a valuable new insight into the world of children and adults with autistic spectrum disorders and Asberger's. It is truly enlightening to see the world through the author's eyes.
Should be required reading for educators! ( )

an insight and feel like can relate to some things

I listened to the audio book version of this work while driving to and from a dog show. It was pretty fascinating stuff, especially as we have recently had some experiences with autistic patrons at the library where I work. I would recommend the book to everyone in order to gain a better understanding of how an autistic person's mind works or doesn't work, as the case may be. ( )

A most interesting read. Daniel is very up front about his disabilities as well as his capabilities. We are very fortunate that he can overcome his limitations to give us a very good insight into what he faces on a day to day basis. In our book group much was made about the flat tone of the book, but in reality that is a reflection of his personality and his condition. Many thanks for sharing, Daniel. ( )

Daniel Tammet, an autistic savant with Asperger’s syndrome and synesthesia, shares his own fascinating story of a living with an extraordinary mind. He relates a childhood marked by isolation and anxiety, and the many coping strategies he developed so that he could live independently as an adult. Tammet also describes his realization that he is homosexual, and the support he receives from his partner. Written for an adult audience, this memoir is appropriate for a high school library.

Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of and Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet is an extraordinary, indeed, unprecedented memoir. Because savant syndrome and autism, even in it’s mildest form, affect emotional experience, social interaction, and imagination, the public communication of individuals like Tammet is usually limited to displaying feats of calculation and memorization. Tammet’s life story highlights his acquisition of social skills and how the acceptance of family and friends helped him along. Vivid descriptions of his synesthetic experience of numbers (in colors, shapes and textures) help explain why when, as a child unable to relate to other children, he thought of numbers as his friends. His ability to learn languages quickly is astounding, but also educational because of his insights into the pattern recognition skills that we all share. More than a heartening story of disabilities overcome, the book offers insights in learning, communication, and differences among us all. ( )

I do not usually read much non-fiction, and when I do, it is usually historical in nature. This book certainly deviates from the norm for me- but I think that's good. To be perfectly honest, I picked it up because I thought it would be a quick read. And it is- I read it in two sittings, I think. The sittings were just separated by a couple of weeks.

I really enjoyed most of this book- it is really fascinating to read about the way an autistic savant experiences the world. I think Tammet does an amazing job of describing things that are completely foreign concepts to most people. For example, every number in existence has a specific shape and feel for him. Every number. And he visualizes each one, and can even draw pictures of them. It's so completely foreign to the way that I experience numbers that I can't even imagine what it must be like in the man's head. But clearly, his head is a very interesting place to be.

The book does sometimes get bogged down with descriptions of numbers or languages, though as those are two things that Tammet has true passion for, it's understandable. I admit to skimming paragraphs in which grammatical context of several languages was described, or in which Tammet waxed lyrical about prime numbers.

But Tammet has led a very interesting life- especially in the past few years- and he is really doing amazing things to help the world learn more about Asperger's and autism. His book is very well-written for someone who claims he has trouble communicating with people, and I feel like I now have a better understanding of autism. More importantly, I think it really hit me in reading the book just how differently people can experience the world around us. I feel like I usually expect other people to generally see things around them in the same way that I do- this book makes it very clear that this isn't the case. I doubt that anyone else sees the environment around him in the way I do, and it was really kind of amazing to have this made so clear to me in this book. Obviously, we all have a general knowledge of that fact that everyone is unique and it takes all kinds to make the world work- but even in the way people approach numbers or read books or learn a language- it's amazing just how varied the experience can be, and the ways in which your mind can go about resolving a situation. It was a thought-provoking read, definitely, and I am glad I picked it from my shelf. ( )

An amazing look inside the mind of an amazing man. Daniel Tammet is unique in being able to articulate how his mind works, what he experiences as an autistic savant. He is also sweet and charming without even being aware of it. I cannot recommend this highly enough. ( )

An interesting and engaging story of a man with Aspergers, his life experience and what he is doing with his life. I found it both interesting and a touch exasperating and can imagine that he is a hard person to life with or work with. The focus is continusously on him and you can see how others could be sidelined by him.

He describes how school was torture for him because he really didn't fit in, being gay didn't help either, and where he didn't understand the social niceties of the world.

It does lag occasionally, particularly when he gets bogged down in mathematical abstracts but otherwise it is quite interesting and gave me an insight to how some people think. ( )

An extraordinary book about an astounding young man and his unique talent, I came away shocked, amazed and profoundly affected by Daniel Tammet's life and achievements. It certainly made me reconsider my views of autistic individuals. I found this story much easier to relate to than John Elder Robinson's "Look Me In the Eye," although I enjoyed that title as well. ( )

Daniel Tammet is a savant with Asperger's Syndrome. He is one of the few savants that is able to communicate well with the outer world, and that makes his a unique and fascinating story. His writing style isn't the best, but it is easily overlooked when he starts talking about the way he visualizes numbers and mathematical problems. It's a picture of a mind that works in a very different way from most, and will make you appreciate anew the complexity of the human brain. ( )

This is a beautifully written book. The author is frank, very self-aware, and presents the facts of his life in an interesting way.

The most fascinating parts to me are when Mr. Tammet describes how his mind works and sees numbers. There are a few pen scribblings of what a number looks like, or how he solves a complex multiplication problem. The most amazing one to me is his way of memorizing Pi to over 22,000 places - it looks like a strange mountain range. Amazing. ( )

this book is amazingly good. i almost read it all on one day. it truly describes the life of an Autistic Savant who has succeeded in his life, through the love and support of his parents, and through lots of will. very good for parents of autistic kids who sometimes don't understand some reactions of their children. loved it! ( )

Tammet does an extraordinary job of describing how someone with autism sees the world. His story of how he was able to become a contributing member of society is inspiring. ( )

Born on a Blue Day is a memior of an autistic savant who grew up in proverty in England. The portions of the book which deal with his early life and his school are very enlightening and enjoyable. Daniel was essentially a "weird kid" (no fancy psychologist label was available) from a loving home who was academically successfull (particularly at arithmetic) and socially awkward. You gain a deep respect for the way his parents dealt with him and are inspired by the kindness of some of his teachers and classmates. The lack of label seemed to prevent him or his parents from limiting his activities and propelled him to do things which would be considered brave for any child of his age. This bravery is best exhibited by his decision to volunteer to go to Lithunia by himself to teach English. At this point in the book when he gets back from Lithunia on, where it does appears as though Tammet is writing from journals rather than memory, the book very rapidly goes very far down hill. It reads as though Tammet was trying to fill pages and the book becomes excruciatingly boring. Although many people comment on Tammet's ability for self reflection, it needs to be appreciated that this is relative to others on the Autistic Spectrum. Hence is inability to label his self absorption as just that gets very annoying. A particular expression of this self absorption is his inability to differentiate observation that are unique to him (such as seeing words as colours and numbers as shapes) and those that are common to everyone - such as a bus having long shiny windows. Consequently rather large portions of the second half of the book are taken up with mundane observations that have the effect of extreme boredom to the reader. ( )

This was fascinating - Tammet describes his unique capacities, his unusual way of perceving the world around him, in a very accessible way. I come away from this in awe of how his mind works. As he writes, it's neat to see how what made him different and isolated growing up now serves as a bridge. ( )

The premise of this book is brilliant. The telling of it is not so brilliant. Tammet writes about his difficulties in connecting with others, an attribute of those with autism. Unfortunately, that difficulty comes through in the writing as well. Tammet fails to connect with his audience because he is so focused on himself instead of relating. I applaud him in attempting to make this work, but it falls short. ( )

Very interesting look at an Autistic Savant. He was able to explain how his brain works. (Feb 08) ( )

Really interesting and well written story of Daniel's struggle with Aspergers and syaesthesia. Remarkable how high functioning he is and how complete his life is - filled with friends, a partner, a job, and what appears to be a self-sufficient life. ( )