Daniel Tammet - Born on a Blue Day

Like a lot of writers, I was a reader first. That hasn't changed. Even though my time is limited, I find every nook and cranny of my day to read a little bit. I don't just read romance, either. To be honest, I read almost anything. If I didn't switch up my genres and categories, I'd get bored way too fast.

This past weekend, I finished Daniel Tammet's autobiography, Born on a Blue Day. If you're not aware, Daniel is a highly functioning autistic savant, but rather than listen to me tell you about him, why don't you listen to him?

The following video is one Daniel did to promote his second book, Embracing the Wide Sky, but he explains his particular abilities and weaknesses so clearly in it, it might as well be part of his first:



The autobiography was a fantastic read, detailing Daniel's life in a very nonsentimental way. It would've been easy to play the sympathy card, but instead he just tells it like it is/was, making no apology for his flaws or boasts about his strengths. It could've become quite maudlin, because his childhood was not an easy one. Neither was his transition to adulthood, either, as he comes to terms with his homosexuality and falling in love for the first time. As a math lover, I was transfixed by the way he described numbers, but I do realize that some non-math people might glaze over in those sections.

Just don't stop reading. The whole is greater than its parts, and putting this down - or worse, not reading it at all - will deny you discovering a very incredible man.