Tow #8: IRB Final Review

Daniel Tammet

Daniel Tammet is my new inspiration for every single thing I'll ever do for the rest of my life. Born On a Blue Day is one of the most touching yet fascinating books I have ever read. Tammet learned a language in a week. Not only do I struggle with Spanish, but I can't imagine being completely fluent in it within seven days. Tammet hasn't failed to blow my mind with every line and every word of the book. In the book, Born On a Blue Day, Daniel Tammet uses humor, and reality to portray this character of himself that everyone can fall in love with. Although he suffers from this type of autism and disability, his ability to communicate is profound. One of my favorite quotes was,"I Became upset if a school event was announced at short notice in which everyone was expected to take part, or by changes in the normal routines of the class. Predictability was important to me, a way of feeling in control in a given situation, a way of keeping feelings of anxiety at bay, at least, temporarily." (Tammet, 76) The main reason I loved this quote was because I could relate. Personally, I hate change. It makes me nervous, and I like order in my life. Ironically, I'm not the most organized person, but I like schedules and knowing when things are and having nothing change. I like being in the same state and the same house and the same school. The way Tammet writes, it makes me feel like I'm his best friend. It's almost as if I can speak to him and have a conversation about whatever his paragraph is about. Another quote I love is,“Why learn a number like pi to so many decimal places? The answer I gave then as I do now is that pi is for me an extremely beautiful and utterly unique thing. Like the Mona Lisa or a Mozart symphony, pi is its own reason for loving it.” (Tammet, 55). He uses similes here in order to connect with his audience, but he also just makes me love him more by stating why pi, something abstract and unimportant to me, has its own motto. It is loved because it is. That's why. And as mind blowing as hat sentence was, I realized it was true. That's the main thing about this book; as I flipped through, each page never failed to teach me something new, something I could actually use in the future. School doesn't teach me how to accept others. School never taught me why love is so important and why differences don't matter, but this book does. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a book to inspire them and change their life. I loved it.