Nine Minds: Inner Lives on the Spectrum

(Hardback, Main)

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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

'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

'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 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

'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

Author Bio

Daniel Tammet is the subject of the award-winning television documentary, The Boy with the Incredible Brain, as well as a BBC Radio 4 documentary, Two Poets (with Les Murray) and the Kate Bush song, Pi. He is the author of nine books, including the memoir Born on a Blue Day. His writing has appeared in Esquire, The Times Literary Supplement, The Guardian, Aeon and Quadrant, and his books have been translated into thirty languages. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2012, and awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, The Open University, in 2023. Daniel Tammet lives in Paris.