Daniel Tammet

A celebration of neurodiversity - meet nine extraordinary people on the autism spectrum

An eye-opening short book by the international bestselling writer of Born on a Blue Day and Thinking in Numbers. Have you ever wondered how neurotypicals - so called 'normal' people - come across to those who are on the autistic spectrum? Daniel Tammet is an essayist, poet, novelist and translator. In 2004, he was diagnosed with high-functioning autistic savant syndrome. In this eye-opening and fascinating book, he takes readers on a tour around nightclubs, ponders the significance of tattoos, delves into anti-age creams and puzzles over playing the lottery, all from the perspective of someone who approaches everything in life from a unique angle. After all, this is a man for whom Wednesdays are always blue, who sees numbers as shapes and who learned conversational Icelandic from scratch in seven days. These short essays come together in a beautifully written, sometimes humorous but always refreshing narrative that focuses on the eccentricities of modern life as seen through the eyes of someone always on the outside. Rather wonderfully, it illustrates the eccentricity inherent in every kind of mind, reminding us of the little-noticed strangeness of our common humanity, while subtly questioning what it means to be thought 'normal'.

A mind-expanding, deeply humane tour of language by the bestselling author of Born on a Blue Day and Thinking in Numbers. Is vocabulary destiny? Why do clocks talk to the Nahua people of Mexico? Will A. I. researchers ever produce true human-machine dialogue? In this mesmerizing collection of essays, Daniel Tammet answers these and many other questions about the intricacy and profound power of language. In Every Word Is a Bird We Teach to Sing, Tammet goes back in time to London to explore the numeric language of his autistic childhood; in Iceland, he learns why the name Bl r became a court case; in Canada, he meets one of the world's most accomplished lip readers. He chats with chatbots; contrives an e-less essay on lipograms; studies the grammar of the telephone; contemplates the significance of disappearing dialects; and corresponds with native Esperanto speakers - in their mother tongue. A joyous romp through the world of words, letters, stories, and meanings, Every Word Is a Bird We Teach to Sing explores the way communication shapes reality. From the art of translation to the lyricism of sign language, these essays display the stunning range of Tammet's literary and polyglot talents.

'Full of charm and fascination' The Bookseller'Would dazzle any storyteller in love with words and their deepest meanings' Amy Tan, author of Joy Luck Club'A generous book and a beguiling read' Rebecca Gowers* * * * * *From the bestselling author of Born on a Blue Day and Thinking in Numbers, a delightful and eclectic exploration of language, and what it can teach us about ourselves and our lives. Why is the name 'Cleopatra' not allowed in Iceland? Why do clocks 'talk' to the Nahua people of Mexico? And if we are what we eat, are we also what we say? These are just some of the questions Daniel Tammet answers in Every Word is a Bird We Teach to Sing, a mesmerising new collection of essays investigating the intricacies and profound power of human language. Tammet goes back in time to explore the numeric language of his autistic childhood; he looks at the music and patterns that words make, and how languages evolve and are translated. He meets one of the world's most accomplished lip readers in Canada, learns how endangered languages like Manx are being revived and corresponds with native speakers of Esperanto in their mother tongue. He studies the grammar of the telephone, contemplates the significance of disappearing dialects, and also asks: will chatbots ever manage to convince us that they are human? From the art of translation to the lyricism of sign language, Every Word is a Bird We Teach to Sing is a fascinating journey through the world of words, letters, stories and meanings, and an extraordinary testament to the stunning range of Tammet's literary and polyglot talents.

Asperger-henkilön muistelmat, jotka paljastavat täysin poikkeuksellisen luonteen ja lahjakkuudenDaniel näkee luvut muotoina, väreinä ja pintoina ja kykenee suorittamaan päässään täysin käsittämättömiä laskutoimituksia. Lisäksi hän oppii viikossa puhumaan ventovierasta kieltä sujuvasti. Hän on savant, jolla on Aspergerin oireyhtymä, mikä tarkoittaa hänen kohdallaan sen verran poikkeuksellisia mentaalisia kykyjä, että häntä voi aivan hyvin verrata Dustin Hoffmanin näyttelemään Sademieheen. Autismin kirjon henkilönä hän on siinä mielessä harvinaislaatuinen, että hän kykenee elämään lähes täysin itsenäisesti. Koskettava ja valaiseva Sinisenä päivänä syntynyt pureutuu siihen, millaista on olla erilainen, ja samalla kirja luotaa syvällisesti sitä, mikä tekee meistä kaikista ihmisiä - ihmismieltä.

Mathematical savant and bestselling author of BORN ON A BLUE DAY, this is Tammet's engaging and personal exploration of what numbers can teach us about our lives and minds.

* Gold Medal Winner in the Psychology / Mental Health Category of the 2011 IPPY Awards ** Silver Medal Winner in the 2010 BOTYA Awards Psychology Category *Savant syndrome is a rare condition in which individuals with developmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders, have one or more areas of expertise, ability, or brilliance - "islands of genius" - that exist in contrast with their overall limitations. In this fascinating book, Dr. Darold Treffert looks at what we know about this remarkable condition, and at new discoveries that raise interesting questions about the hidden brain potential within us all. Dr. Treffert explores the phenomena of genetic memory - instances in which individuals somehow "know" things they never learned - and sudden genius or "acquired savantism" - where a neuro-typical person unexpectedly and spectacularly develops savant-like abilities following a head injury or stroke. Showing that these phenomena point convincingly towards a reservoir of untapped potential - an inner savant capacity - within us all, he looks both at how savant skills can be nurtured, and how they can help the person who has them, particularly if that person is on the autism spectrum. A central colour section contains the extraordinary artwork of some of the savants who are mentioned in the book. Islands of Genius will intrigue anyone who has ever wondered what makes the mind of a savant tick, as well as clinicians, parents, teachers, therapists, and others who care for, and about, individuals with savant syndrome.

Owner of "the most remarkable mind on the planet," (according to Entertainment Weekly) Daniel Tammet captivated readers and won worldwide critical acclaim with the 2007 New York Times bestselling memoir, Born On A Blue Day, and its vivid depiction of a life with autistic savant syndrome. In his fascinating new book, he writes with characteristic clarity and personal awareness as he sheds light on the mysteries of savants' incredible mental abilities, and our own. Tammet explains that the differences between savant and non-savant minds have been exaggerated; his astonishing capacities in memory, math and language are neither due to a cerebral supercomputer nor any genetic quirk, but are rather the results of a highly rich and complex associative form of thinking and imagination. Autistic thought, he argues, is an extreme variation of a kind that we all do, from daydreaming to the use of puns and metaphors. Embracing the Wide Sky combines meticulous scientific research with Tammet's detailed descriptions of how his mind works to demonstrate the immense potential within us all. He explains how our natural intuitions can help us to learn a foreign language, why his memories are like symphonies, and what numbers and giraffes have in common. We also discover why there is more to intelligence than IQ, how optical illusions fool our brains, and why too much information can make you dumb. Many readers will be particularly intrigued by Tammet's original ideas concerning the genesis of genius and exceptional creativity. He illustrates his arguments with examples as diverse as the private languages of twins, the compositions of poets with autism, and the breakthroughs, and breakdowns, of some of history's greatest minds. Embracing the Wide Sky is a unique and brilliantly imaginative portrait of how we think, learn, remember and create, brimming with personal insights and anecdotes, and explanations of the most up-to-date, mind-bending discoveries from fields ranging from neuroscience to psychology and linguistics. This is a profound and provocative book that will transform our understanding and respect for every kind of mind.

Daniel Tammet captivated readers with his bestselling memoir, Born On A Blue Day, and its vivid depiction of a life with autistic savant syndrome. In his fascinating new book, Embracing the Wide Sky, Daniel combines the latest scientific research with insights drawn from his personal experience to shed light on the mysteries of how our minds work and the incredible feats of which each one of us is capable. A unique and brilliantly imaginative portrait of how we think, learn, remember and create, Embracing the Wide Sky is a profound and provocative book that will transform our understanding and respect for every kind of mind.

Eine einzigartige Innenansicht des Autismus und zugleich ein faszinierender Einblick in die Kraft des menschlichen Geistes Daniel Tammet ist ein Genie: Er rechnet schneller als jeder Computer dieser Welt und spricht zehn Sprachen. Zahlen nimmt er als Formen, Farben und Charaktere wahr. Für Hirnforscher ist er ein besonderer Fall: Seine erstaunlichen mentalen Fähigkeiten sind auf das Savant-Syndrom und eine gemäßigte Form des Autismus zurückzuführen. In seiner Autobiografie gibt der 29-Jährige Einblick in seine Wahrnehmung der äußeren Welt, seine Suche nach innerer Ruhe und die kurzen Momente des Glücks. "Dieses Buch ist eine Sensation, weil es uns einen einzigartigen Einblick in die Welt der Savants gewährt (...). Daniel Tammets Sichtweise lässt uns unser eigenes Leben mit anderen Augen sehen. Er öffnet uns den Blick für die Wundermaschine Gehirn. Er rückt das Wesen Mensch in ein anderes Licht." Melanie Mühl/Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung "Tammet ist selbst eine Art Primzahl unter den Lebenden; er gehört zu den wenigen Menschen mit spektakulären Inselbegabungen. Kaum 50 seinesgleichen gibt es auf Erden. Und nur er ist fähig zu sagen, was in einem solchen Kopf vorgeht." Der Spiegel

A journey into one of the most fascinating minds alive today--guided by the owner himself. Bestselling author Daniel Tammet (Thinking in Numbers) is virtually unique among people who have severe autistic disorders in that he is capable of living a fully independent life and able to explain what is happening inside his head. He sees numbers as shapes, colors, and textures, and he can perform extraordinary calculations in his head. He can learn to speak new languages fluently, from scratch, in a week. In 2004, he memorized and recited more than 22,000 digits of pi, setting a record. He has savant syndrome, an extremely rare condition that gives him the most unimaginable mental powers, much like those portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the film Rain Man. Fascinating and inspiring, Born on a Blue Day explores what it's like to be special and gives us an insight into what makes us all human--our minds.

A fascinating and touching memoir from real-life Rain Man, Daniel Tammet, who has the extremely rare condition Savant Syndrome