BORN on a BLUE DAY- Inside the Mind of an Autistic Savant; Interesting to Visit Not Reside

Daniel Tammet's 2006 memoir details his life in early with undiagnosed Asperger's and savant syndrome. The book takes the reader into a mind that there is very little insight into which is an extraordinary empathetic and excruciatingly detailed as to derail any interest to learn more. Too much information is not an issue for Tammet, the first born in a household of 9.  There's much to be said for his parent's unwavering support which he credits for encouraging him to pursue his peculiar or precise interests. Of particularly fascination to Daniel was his interest in numbers. His memoir explains what he finds so fascinating which is slightly more exciting or for that matter informtional to the lay person than hearing a phone directory read. Of course, no one has the door stopper phonebooks anymore and his explanations are somnolent and obsolete. The appeal of Tammet's memoir come from his emotional insights as to how he felt and how he felt himself perceived. "It's not true that we don't want to make friends. I was terribly lonely but I didn't know how to fit in." Tammet is not oblivious to the frustration of his parents, teachers and classmates.  He's just didn't understand what was being asked of him or his anxiety would become crippling and render him unable to conduct himself as warranted. Happily, he was able to develop friendships with 2 other loners at different times during his school years.  These boys shared his passion for mathematics or chess, One friend opened his world up to the many cultural advantages within London and exposed him to being around large groups of people. Still, the cruelty he suffered at the hands of most classmates was deeply painful. Tammet's memoirs offer an understanding of the many difficulties which make social interactions so hard to understand or impossible to partake for himself and other's on the spectrum. Perhaps, this insider's insight will shed light on understanding leading to more compassion. It's gratifying to know from the start Tammet is a successful adult.  As a prodigious savant and polyglot he has a prominent career as a writer and creator of educational language websites (French and German.)  Tammet's penchant for finely detailing how his mind fixates on what many would find mind numbing minutia makes reading the memoir in its entirety, a bore.  Less would have been more.