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Nine Minds: Inner Lives on the Spectrum
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About This Book
From the New York Times–bestselling author of Born on a Blue Day and Thinking in Numbers, this poignant, perspective-altering book celebrates the power and beauty of the neurodivergent mind, as told through the true stories of nine contemporary men and women on the autism spectrum. A Japanese researcher in psychology sets out to measure loneliness while drawing on her own experience of autism. A quirky boy growing up in 1950s Ottawa sows the seeds of his future Hollywood stardom. In the US, a non-verbal man explores body language, gesture by eloquent gesture, in his mother's yoga classes. Nine Minds delves into the extraordinary lives of nine neurodivergent men and women from around the globe. From a Fields Medal–winning mathematician to a murder detective, a pioneering surgeon to a bestselling novelist, each is remarkable in their field, and each is changing how the world sees those on the spectrum. Exploding the tired stereotypes of autism, Daniel Tammet—acclaimed author and an autistic savant himself—reaches across the divides of age, gender, sexuality, and nationality to draw out the inner worlds of his subjects. Telling stories as richly diverse as the spectrum itself, this illuminating, life-affirming work of narrative nonfiction celebrates the power and beauty of the neurodivergent mind, and the daring freedom with which these individuals have built their lives.
Reviews
"I enjoyed most those chapters that paused to dwell on their relationships with friends, family, doctors and colleagues; the networks of care on which we all rely, autistic or not."
"I found each story in Nine Minds so moving that they became, in my mind, a series of Joseph Campbell-like Hero's Journeys, where each character traveled through a series of adventures, trials and temptations and emerged from the narrative somehow changed."
"Tammet frequently drops the stance of detached narrator to adopt the perspective of his subjects."
"Explanation is seamlessly blended with storytelling, and the text flows smoothly, creating an engaging and educating experience for readers."
"The strength of Tammet's Nine Minds: Inner lives on the spectrum lies not only in his personal perspective, but also in his simple strategy of asking people who live with autism, or people who know them, to tell him frankly what it's like ..."
"Throughout, Tammet remains clear-eyed about the systemic challenges autistic people face in a neurotypical society."
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