Book Summary and Reviews of Embracing the Wide Sky by Daniel Tammet

Book Summary

"The brain is wider than the sky
For, put them side by side,
The one the other will include
With ease, and you beside."

Emily Dickinson's poem expresses the universal belief that the mind has almost infinite capacities. Yet most of people only scratch the surface. Memories often fail; people often give lousy driving directions; and calculators are needed for simple math problems.

Daniel Tammet is one of the world's most famous autistic savants, not only because his memory, math, and language skills are so astonishing, but because he can express himself so beautifully and clearly. He also has one of the world's most examined brains, having been the subject of leading neuroscientists in the U.S. and the U.K. Here, he explains what science has learned about him and about the brain in general, and he explains the techniques he uses to master language, math, and memorization. Everyone has the capacity to unlock their "hidden Rain Man," and Daniel is in the perfect position to explain how.

Many people's brains automatically sift information, to "get the gist." Daniel explains how we can learn to observe better. Many people have heard of such memory tricks as associating names with a visual cue, but Daniel explains how associative thinking can help in many other areas. Throughout, he draws on his personal experience in fascinating and profound ways. The deepest secrets of the brain may be hidden in plain sight among savants like Daniel. His tour of brain science will fascinate and instruct like no other work of its kind.