Born On A Blue Day: A Memoir by Daniel Tammet

What an interesting read this was. I read this book for the nonfiction yahoo group that I belong to and it was a worthwhile read. Daniel is an autistic savant which he equates to being a more highly functioning "rain man" (the Dustin Hoffman movie) Basically, he is really smart in certain areas. For instance, he loves numbers. Every number is a visual experience for him that he pictures in his head. He says repeatedly that numbers are his friends. In fact, for a fundraiser (I believe) he learned over 22,000 numbers of pi. (*Remember that pi is an infinite number -something that some of us...meaning me....might not have remembered :P) And he didn't miss a single number. How amazing is that?!?!!!
This memoir takes us from when Daniel was a baby to his present day life. I found it very interesting to see how he progressed and grew as an individual. He is very up front with the things socially that he is not good at-and also gives facts that relate to Aspergers as to why many individuals with this condition are not good at certain situations. I hope that made sense. Anyways, I'm really glad that I read this book. It was interesting for me and gave me a better sense of what someone that has a disease like this goes through. Just a sidenote: because Daniel is so intelligent some areas are a bit dry. But that's just because he knows so much and he explains it all to you. Others might find those tidbits really fascinating. I recommend this one!
Challenges: In Their Shoes Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("B" Title)
My Rating: 4 out of 5

In Their Shoes Challenge

I finally decided on a list for this challenge. It took me forever because I have so many of these types of books on my TBR list. I just couldn't decide. :) I picked out eight books so I wouldn't overwhelm myself...with a couple of extras of course. Here is what I decided on:

• Fat Girl: A True Story by Judith Moore
• Expecting Adam: A True Story of... by Martha Beck
• I Have Lived A Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson (crossover with numbers challenge)
• Dreams From My Father: A Story by Barack Obama
• Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
• Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa by Peter Godwin
• Devil In The White City by Erik Larson
• Wild Swans by Jung Chang

Alternates/Extras:

• Brainiac by Ken Jennings
• The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls