Born on a Blue Day, by Daniel Tammet

Born on a Blue Day is the extraordinary true story of a young man who experiences many setbacks in life - besides having Asperger's syndrome, as a young child Daniel suffered from epilepsy. Some scientists have suggested his seizures caused his savant syndrome (think Rain Man), a condition linked to his synethesia (a condition in which numbers, letters and words are perceived as shapes, emotions and colors). Tammet relied heavily on his parents growing up. He was sensitive to loud noises, certain textures, and had a difficult time learning. They helped him in whatever way they could to make his life more comfortable. He had a difficult time brushing his teeth, hating the sound and sensation. As a teenager and adult, shaving was incredibly difficult. Daniel socialized mainly with his many brothers and sisters. They aided in his care, and he learned how to work in groups, compromise, and problem-solve. However, he still could not make friends at school. He sat by himself at recess time, and played with his imaginary friend, an older woman named Anne. When he did make friends, he lost them quickly with annoying behaviors, such as standing very close to them, not making conversation or even feigning interest in their hobbies. He was different from the other children in many ways, and knew their experience of life was vastly different from his own. Interestingly, he suggests this helped him as a young adolescent, discovering he was gay. It did not bother him as much as other children - he already knew he was different, and had come to terms with it. After graduating high school, Daniel really didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. Instead of going to college, he travelled abroad to Lithuania as a volunteer English teacher. There, he discovered his speed language-learning abilities, and got in touch with other gay couples to learn more about himself as a person. Upon returning to the U.S., Daniel met his current partner online, which taught him more about himself and depending upon another person. After meeting and eventually moving in with Neil, he had a difficult time finding a job - something apparently not unique among individuals with autism. Using Neil's skills as a software developer, Daniel developed a language-learning software online. Today, he still operates the software, but has written several books and been involved with the production of a documentary. He describes how he learns and views language, and includes information on different studies and scientific discoveries regarding how people learn language. He also talks about his own language, the one he invented. Daniel describes the process he went through learning the digits of pi - to raise money for the Epilepsy Foundation, he learned and recited over 22,500 numbers. After this amazing feat, a documentary crew contacted him, looking to make a documentary (Brainman) about savant syndrome. Daniel travelled all over the world, met scientists and researchers, and Kim Peek - the inspiration for Dustin Hoffman's character Rain Man. This led to his book and an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. He also describes briefly his journey to Christianity, before ending the autobiography with, "Everyone is said to have a perfect moment once in a while.... I imagine these moments as fragments or splinters scattered across a lifetime. If a person could somehow collect them all up and stick them together he would have a perfect hour or even a perfect day....he would be closer to the mystery of what it is to be human. It would be like having a glimpse of heaven."

Tammet's memoir is profound, touching, moving and thought-provoking. It provides a glimpse into one of today's most extraordinary minds and a unique perspective on a life most of us take for granted.

Details and resources:

http://www.optimnem.co.uk/

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Free Press (October 16, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416549013
ISBN-13: 978-1416549017

The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth, by Tim Flannery

This book is exactly the opposite of Gretel Ehrlich's book I reviewed last month, but they make great companions. While Flannery's book gives you the facts, figures and politics of global warming, Ehrlich's is a tribute to what is being lost, giving a face to Flannery's hard numbers.

What I liked: It debunked a lot of global warming myths that I have found hard to explain in global warming debates; for example, the "Medieval Warm Period", when the Earth was thought to be warm due to evidence of wineries in England. As evidenced by global temperature records (ice cores, tree rings, etc.), the Earth was overall cooler, but warmed in a sort of patchy way due to natural stratospheric shifts. Flannery's book gave me a lot of the facts, numbers and predictions I was looking for out of Ehrlich's book, but having read Ehrlich's book helped me clearly envision what he meant. I would highly suggest reading them together. I also liked that he made it clear that even if we stopped emitting any fossil fuels this very minute, the Earth would still warm a little (maybe 2 degrees overall) because of the lifetime of carbon dioxide to stay in our air.

What I didn't like: For all of Flannery's hard facts, putting compassion behind facts is very difficult. Saying that the hole in the ozone is 11 million miles wide (made up number) is not the same as showing it. I often found myself checking the page numbers to see how long I had before I was done.

Overall: I would give it a 7 out of 10.

Alternative review:

Publisher's Weekly:

Mammologist and paleontologist Flannery (The Eternal Frontier), who in recent years has become well known for his controversial ideas on conservation, the environment and population control, presents a straightforward and powerfully written look at the connection between climate change and global warming. It's destined to become required reading following Hurricane Katrina as the focus shifts to the natural forces that may have produced such a devastating event. Much of the book's success is rooted in Flannery's succinct and fascinating insights into related topics, such as the differences between the terms greenhouse effect, global warming and climate change, and how the El Niño cycle of extreme climatic events "had a profound re-organising effect on nature." But the heart of the book is Flannery's impassioned look at the earth's "colossal" carbon dioxide pollution problem and his argument for how we can shift from our current global reliance on fossil fuels [...]. Flannery consistently produces the hard goods related to his main message that our environmental behavior makes us all "weather makers" who "already possess all the tools required to avoid catastrophic climate change."

Details:

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Grove Press (January 10, 2001)
ISBN-10: 0802142923
ASIN: B001PO66MG