Book Discussions Open to the Public
Sunday, December 18, 9:30pm
Televised Book Discussion
Tune in at the Community Television Network (CTN-Channel 17) to watch Alyson Lobert from the Ypsilanti District Library, Ira Lax from the Ann Arbor District Library, Judy Nagle, a writer and retired humanities teacher and Molly Mahony from UM Tanner Philosophy Library discuss "Born on a Blue Day" as an important selection for this year's community read. They discuss the wide-appeal of the book and the insights learned about the autistic-mind.
Thursday, February 2, 10:30 am
Thursday Morning Book Discussion: Born On a Blue Day
Everyone is invited to join in the discussion and share your thoughts about the author Daniel Tammet, autism, genius, and more.
Ypsilanti District Library,
5577 Whittaker Rd.
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Details: 482-4110 ext. 1377
Monday, February 6, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Monday Evening Book Discussion
Join in the discussion of the book selected for Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads 2012 "Born On A Blue Day: Inside The Extraordinary Mind Of An Autistic Savant" by Daniel Tammet . Anyone is welcome to attend.
Traverwood Branch
3333 Traverwood Drive (at Huron Parkway)
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Details: 327-4555 or visit aadl.org
Wednesday, February 15, 12:10-1:00pm
Wednesday Book Discussion: Born on a Blue Day
Everyone is invited to join in the discussion and share your thoughts about the author Daniel Tammet, autism, genius, and more. Bring your lunch, refreshments provided.
Tanner Philosophy Library - UM Campus
1171 Angell Hall
435 S. State
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Monday, March 12, 7:00 pm
Monday Evening Book Discussion: Born On a Blue Day
Everyone is invited to join in the discussion and share your thoughts about the author Daniel Tammet, autism, genius, and more.
Ypsilanti District Library,
5577 Whittaker Rd.
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Details: 482-4110 ext. 1377
About the Reads
In 2012, the program will encourage readers of all ages to explore the theme of Language: How We Communicate.
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Daniel Tammet, Born On A Blue Day: Inside The Extraordinary Mind Of An Autistic Savant New York: Free Press, 2007. |
Click here for information about the three finalists.
Statement of Purpose
The Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads program is a community initiative to promote reading and civic dialogue through the shared experience of reading and discussing a common book.
History
Launched in 2003 by the University of Michigan Life Sciences, Values and Society Program, the Reads project was fashioned after a civic reads program designed by the Seattle Public Library. The book chosen for the inaugural Reads was “Lincoln’s DNA,” by Phillip R. Reilly. The Ann Arbor District Library was a major partner in this effort along with other area organizations.
In subsequent years, the Reads Program has been co-sponsored by the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti District Libraries and is supported by interested civic groups, the University of Michigan School of LS&A, the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Public Schools, local bookstores, Eastern Michigan University Libraries and Washtenaw Community College.
Reads Theme
The theme that informs the selection of potential reads titles often follows the broad topic chosen for the University of Michigan’s LS&A School for its annual “theme semester.” Previous themes have included a review of civil rights in the United States in celebration of the anniversary of Brown v Board of Education; “Revolutions in Science,” a discussion of evolution and the scientific method and “We the People...” how we define citizenship; in 2008 the theme was China and America: Bridging Two Worlds; and for 2009, The Universe: Yours to Discover. However, this year the Steering Committee opted for a general theme of "Language: How We Communicate."
Book Selection
Books chosen for the Reads should meet the following criteria:
Readability:
- The writing should be engaging and thought-provoking.
- The subjects discussed should be accessible to readers throughout the community, high-school age and above.
- The length, price and availability of the book should be suited to involvement by the general public.
The book should be available in audio format.
Appropriateness:
- The book should explore and develop an understanding of the theme of the Read.
- Its treatment of issues should encourage readers to discuss the subjects further with others, at home, work, reading clubs and community events.
- Ideally, the exploration of these concerns should lead to constructive dialogues across the many boundaries that presently separate members of our community from each other, whether by race, gender, age, residence, occupation, or other affiliation.
Process:
Selecting the final book for the Reads is a two-pronged process. During the summer the Book Screening Committee made up of individuals selected as representative of various civic constituencies read approximately thirty titles of fiction and non-fiction that reflect the year’s theme. In the fall, the Book Selection Committee reviews the three titles suggested by the Screening Committee and makes a final recommendation of the Reads book for the coming year.
Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads 2012 is scheduled to occur January through February 2012. Please watch this site for more information.
Three Finalists for 2012
A selection committee of community leaders, librarians, students and educators in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area will meet in late-October to choose one of three books as the focus for this year on the subject of 'Language: How We Communicate'.
The three book finalists will be available in alternative formats for those who are unable to read or use printed materials due to a physical disability (blindness, macular degeneration, paralysis, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, dyslexia, etc.). Please contact the Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled at 1-734-327-4224.
Click on the titles below for more information about the books and authors, and to add your comments.
The three books under consideration are:
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Eva Hoffman, Lost In Translation: A Life In A New Language. New York: E.P Dutton, 1989. |
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Susan Schaller, A Man Without Words. New York: Summit Books, 1991. |
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Daniel Tammet, Born On A Blue Day: Inside The Extraordinary Mind Of An Autistic Savant. New York: Free Press, 2007. |
Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads Posters
Click the following links for the official posters of the 2012 Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads:
Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads Event Poster (8.5 x 11)
Reading Guide Questions
The following Reading Group Discussion Guide for "Born on a Blue Day" can be found at the back of your book for easy access.
1. How does Daniel Tammet’s experience of numbers and language differ from that of most people? What explains his intense attraction to prime numbers? How does Daniel characterize his relationships with numbers, and how does it compare to his relationships with people?
2. How are Daniel’s savant syndrome and his epilepsy connected? Why might epilepsy allow some regions of Daniel’s brain to perform with remarkable efficiency? Of Daniel’s many remarkable abilities as a savant, which did you find most fascinating or extraordinary, and why?
3. “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.” To what extent is Daniel’s need for regularity and predictability a kind of compulsion? Why might similar behavior in someone without savant syndrome be perceived as neurosis? How does the unexpected affect Daniel?
4. How can Daniel’s professional success be understood in light of his having grown up in a large family that required a great deal of him socially, despite his autism? What roles might his family’s uncertain finances and his father’s illness have played in Daniel’s development? How would you characterize Daniel’s connection to his family as an adult?
5. Why was Daniel unable to reveal the fact of his homosexuality to his parents prior to his time volunteering in Lithuania? How did his experiences living abroad affect Daniel’s sense of self? To what extent were you surprised at Daniel’s ability to adapt to life in another country?
6. How would you describe Daniel’s relationship with his partner, Neil? In light of Daniel’s unique neurological concerns, why was their decision to move in together especially complicated? How do they accommodate Daniel’s autistic spectrum disorder in their day-to-day life as a couple? Given that Daniel has difficulty feeling and identifying emotions, why do you think he is able to experience romantic love?
7. “The relationship I have with language is quite an aesthetic one, with certain words and combinations of words being particularly beautiful and stimulating to me.” How does Daniel use his knowledge of different languages to help him understand and learn new languages? What does Daniel’s invention of a language of his own, Manti, reveal about his desire to communicate his appreciation of language to the world?
8. How does Daniel describe his experience of the number pi? Why are scientists particularly interested in his ability to see numbers as landscapes with color and texture? How did Daniel’s memorization and recitation of thousands of digits of pi affect him and how did it enhance his visibility in the world of savant study?
9. Why might Daniel have felt a special kinship with Kim Peek, the person whose life as a savant inspired the film Rain Man? How does Daniel’s experience of autism differ from Kim’s, and what neurological abilities do they share? Why do you think Daniel describes meeting Kim Peek as “one of the happiest moments” of his life?
10. What impact did Daniel’s conversion to Christianity in 2002 have on his life? What role does his religious belief play in his engagement and interaction with others? To what extent are you surprised that someone with Daniel’s gifts and abilities is able to put his faith in God?
Born on a Blue Day
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Born on a Blue Day: Inside The Extraordinary Mind Of An Autistic Savant :A Memoir, by Daniel Tammet.
Born On A Blue Day is a journey into one of the most fascinating minds alive today -- guided by the owner himself. Daniel Tammet is virtually unique among people who have severe autistic disorders in that he is capable of living a fully independent life and able to explain what is happening inside his head. He sees numbers as shapes, colors, and textures, and he can perform extraordinary calculations in his head. He can learn to speak new languages fluently, from scratch, in a week. In 2004, he memorized and recited more than 22,000 digits of pi, setting a record. He has savant syndrome, an extremely rare condition that gives him the most unimaginable mental powers, much like those portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the film Rain Man. Fascinating and inspiring, Born on a Blue Day explores what it' s like to be special and gives us an insight into what makes us all human -- our minds. What did you think of this book? Tell us! |
A Man Without Words
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A Man Without Words, by Susan Schaller.
For more than a quarter of a century, Ildefonso, a Mexican Indian, lived in total isolation, set apart from the rest of the world. He wasn't a political prisoner or a social recluse, he was simply born deaf and had never been taught even the most basic language. Susan Schaller, then a twenty-four-year-old graduate student, encountered him in a class for the deaf where she had been sent as an interpreter and where he sat isolated, since he knew no sign language. She found him obviously intelligent and sharply observant but unable to communicate, and she felt compelled to bring him to a comprehension of words. A Man without Words vividly conveys the challenge, the frustrations, and the exhilaration of opening the mind of a congenitally deaf person to the concept of language. What did you think of this book? Tell us! |
Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language
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Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language, by Eve Hoffman.
A classically American chronicle of upward mobility and assimilation, Lost In Translation is also an incisive meditation on coming to terms with one’s own uniqueness, on learning how deeply culture affects the mind and body, and finally, on what it means to accomplish a translation of one’s self. When her parents brought her from the war-ravaged, faded elegance of her native Cracow in 1959 to settle in well-manicured, suburban Vancouver, Eva Hoffman was thirteen years old. Entering into adolescence, she endured the painful pull of nostalgia and struggled to express herself in a strange, unyielding new language. Her spiritual and intellectual odyssey continued in college and led her ultimately to New York’s literary world, yet still she felt caught between two languages, two cultures. But, her perspective also made her a keen observer of an America in the flux of change. What did you think of this book? Tell us! |
Three Finalists for 2011
A selection committee of community leaders, librarians, students and educators in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area met in late-October to choose one of three books as the focus for this year on the subject of 'What Makes Life Worth Living.'
The three book finalists are available in alternative formats for those who are unable to read or use printed materials due to a physical disability (blindness, macular degeneration, paralysis, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, dyslexia, etc.). Please contact the Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled at 1-734-327-4224.
Click on the titles below for more information about the books and authors, and to add your comments.
The three books under consideration are:
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George Dawson and Richard Glaubman, Life Is So Good. New York: Random House, 2000. |
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Thomas Lynch, The Undertaking: Life Studies From The Dismal Trade. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997. |
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Geraldine Brooks, Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague. New York: Viking, 2001. |
Resources: 2011
About the Author: George Dawson
About the Author: Richard Glaubman
General Resources and Related Websites
Click here for copies available at the Ann Arbor District Library.
Click here for copies available at the Ypsilanti District Library.
Youth Reading List - Curated by Ann Arbor District Library