Description

From the bestselling author of BORN ON A BLUE DAY and THINKING IN NUMBERS

‘Bursting with feeling and possibility’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

‘Nine Minds offers something that autistic people urgently need: it humanises us’ KATHERINE MAY

‘Tammet’s exquisite portraits remind us that the variety of brains is every bit as essential as any other form of diversity’ ANDREW SOLOMON

‘A book as beautiful as the minds it portrays’ AMY TAN

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.

‘Nine Minds reminds us of the diversity within neurodiversity’ GRAEME SIMSION

Publisher Review

Over two decades Daniel Tammet has narrated the neurodivergent experience and in his deeply researched Nine Minds he breaks new ground, turning a novelistic eye to autistic lives as compelling as any in fiction. The result is a book as beautiful as the minds it portrays — Amy Tan, author of THE JOY LUCK CLUB Beautifully rendered, painstakingly researched, and completely absorbing, Nine Minds offers something that autistic people urgently need: it humanises us — Katherine May, author of WINTERING and ENCHANTMENT In Nine Minds, Daniel Tammet, an autistic savant and author of Born on a Blue Day, reports on the unique lives and cognitive differences of nine neurodivergent people. This fascinating book engages by imaginatively entering its subjects’ inner worlds. Each profile is based on hours of interviews. Readers will discover a spectrum filled with valuable different kinds of minds — Temple Grandin, author of THE AUTISTIC BRAIN Beautiful and intimate and mind-expanding. We generally presume that everyone’s inner life is like our own; only rarely do we get to dive deeply into the mind of another, much less nine of them. Tammet gives us this opportunity with his characteristic eloquence, insight, and grace — David Eagleman, neurologist and author of INCOGNITO and LIVEWIRED A study of remarkable people on the spectrum and their dazzling accomplishments. Written with insight, generosity, compassion and narrative energy, Tammet’s exquisite portraits remind us that the variety of brains is every bit as essential as any other form of diversity that sustains the planet — Andrew Solomon, author of FAR FROM THE TREE Daniel Tammet’s wonderful portraits of autistic people’s inner lives illustrate the range of neurodivergent talents and experiences, and celebrate human cognitive diversity — Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre, Cambridge University, author of THE PATTERN SEEKERS Beautifully written and fascinating, Nine Minds takes us deep into the inner lives of nine extraordinary people. With eloquence and sensitivity, Daniel Tammet transcends stereotypes and shows us different facets of neurodivergence. I loved this book — Angie Kim, author of HAPPINESS FALLS There are more than nine minds in this book, there are ten: Daniel Tammet’s own mind is there on every page, in the narrative flow, the wordplay and the empathy for his subjects. Nine Minds reminds us of the diversity within neurodiversity, and of the common challenges that the neurodivergent face. A fine contribution to the growing body of work by and about people who think differently. — Graeme Simsion, author of THE ROSIE PROJECT This book is a meeting of minds, in all their vast capacity, passionate commitments, and varied flavours – a profound act of appreciation of the many unexpected gifts of neurodivergence — Emma Donoghue, author of ROOM, THE WONDER and THE PULL OF THE STARS With the release of Born on a Blue Day, Daniel Tammet showed readers the extraordinary power of his autistic mind. Today, with Nine Minds, he explores the challenges, cognitive processes, and life goals of other neurodivergent thinkers. He reveals the exceptionality they bring to the world by finding their ways in life. There are costs for being “born different” but society’s benefit from the existence of neurodivergent people is incalculable and incredibly diverse. These stories offer glimpses into parts of the human experience most people never see, yet we are all touched by neurodiversity every day, and we are better for it. — John Elder Robison, author of BE DIFFERENT As Daniel Tammet’s short sentences morph and lengthen into a kind of literary portraiture, you may find unique insights into autism and new aspects of our shared humanity. — Jory Fleming, author of HOW TO BE HUMAN Praise for Daniel Tammet * : * Remarkable * Independent on Sunday * Tammet’s writing is eloquent and moving but always uncomplicated * Radio Times * A memoir of outstanding lucidity and charm * Sunday Times * A charmingly precise, tenderly honest account * Daily Express * So elegantly written * Daily Telegraph *