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Title details for Embracing the Wide Sky by Daniel Tammet - Available

Embracing the Wide Sky

A Tour Across the Horizons of the Mind

by Daniel Tammet
Daniel Gerroll
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

From the New York Times bestselling author of Born on a Blue Day...

Owner of "the most remarkable mind on the planet" (Entertainment Weekly), Daniel Tammet captivated audiences and won worldwide critical acclaim with his 2007 memoir Born on a Blue Day and its vivid depiction of a life with autistic savant syndrome. In his fascinating new work, he writes with characteristic clarity and personal awareness as he sheds light on the mysteries of savants' incredible mental abilities — and our own.

Daniel Tammet explains that the differences between savant and nonsavant minds have been exaggerated; his astonishing capacities in memory, math and language are due to neither 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. It is a unique and brilliantly imaginative portrait of how we think, learn, remember, and create, brimming with personal insights and anecdotes and with 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 work that will transform our understanding and respect for every kind of mind.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 6, 2009

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780743572453
      • File size: 174258 KB
      • Duration: 06:03:02

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 2, 2009
      Following up his critically acclaimed memoir, Born on a Blue Sky
      , Tammet offers this insightful analysis of autism that sheds light on the differences between savant and nonsavant minds. Reading with intense focus, actor Daniel Gerroll becomes Tammet while still distancing himself just far enough from the material so as not to downplay Tammet’s experiences. Gerroll reads with a concentrated tone that flows smoothly and effortlessly; he fully understands the material he is presenting both in literal and emotional terms, delivering Tammet’s rich prose with appealing ease. A Free Press hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 27).

    • AudioFile Magazine
      EMBRACING THE WIDE SKY is a book about how humans think. Author Daniel Tammet, the autistic savant and math genius featured in the documentary BRAINMAN, has had his own mind studied intensely. He builds on this research, as well as providing an exhaustive summary of modern neuroscience, to show that extraordinary intelligence results from mental capacities possessed by everyone. Narrator Daniel Gerroll expertly captures Tammet's intelligence and thirst for knowledge. Tammet's curiosity about the brain--and how individuals perceive the world--is at the forefront of Gerroll's performance. Tammet's frequent references to research studies and statistics don't translate quite as well to the audio format. Nevertheless, this production provides listeners the opportunity to question the boundaries of the human brain. J.T. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Daniel Tammet's personal inquiry into mental function and cutting-edge neuroscience champions the idea that autism is a difference, not a disease. Tammet--a noted autistic savant--describes his own vivid reaction to numbers. The focus of his work, however, is his belief that autism results from mental "hyperconnectivity," a physiological state that brings unique abilities as well as disabilities. Tammet accentuates the positive. This is not a memoir, like Tammet's earlier work, BORN ON A BLUE DAY. John Keating's clear, slow, very British narration helps the listener absorb Tammet's often-complex and occasionally disjointed material. Still, this audiobook can be a challenge to the casual listener. F.C. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from October 27, 2008
      In 2004, autistic savant Tammet reeled off 22,514 digits of pi from memory, setting a European record. How did he achieve such a feat? Is an autistic mind different from others? Yes and no, Tammet answers in this follow-up to his bestselling memoir, Born on a Blue Day
      . His own brain may be wired a little differently, but we are all capable of remarkable mental feats, he asserts. Tammet seamlessly blends science and personal experience in a powerful paean to the mysteries and beauty of the brain. Intelligence is a complex phenomenon that synthesizes various skills and abilities. Tammet illustrates this with his own abilities in memory, language and number sense. For example, he points out that his extraordinary memory for numbers is augmented by “the unusual way in which my mind perceives numbers as complex, multi-dimensional, coloured and textured” that allowed him “to compose something like a visual song.” Tammet concludes that all humans have something unique to contribute to the world, and he himself has a gift for rendering science accessible and even delightful.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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