Struck By Genius: How A Brain Injury Made Me A Mathematical Marve - Hardcover

Seaberg, Maureen; Padgett, Jason

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1443418153 ISBN 13: 9781443418157

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 2014

Synopsis

The astonishing true story of an average man transformed by one violent encounter

No one sees the world the way Jason Padgett does. Water pours from the faucet in crystalline patterns, each number has a distinct geometric shape, and fractal patterns emerge from the movement of tree branches and the swirl of cream in his coffee, revealing the mathematical patterns hidden in the objects around us.

The amazing thing is that Jason wasn't born this way. Twelve years ago, he was an ordinary guy, a jock who loved to party and had never made it past pre-algebra in high school. One night, a vicious blow to the head in an altercation profoundly and permanently altered the way his brain works. Jason would eventually learn his injury had made him an acquired savant and synesthete, someone whose blended sense perception causes such strange effects as the ability to taste shapes, hear colours and see numbers as geometric objects. Suddenly, Jason saw the world in a completely different way. As the first documented case of acquired savant syndrome with his particular type of mathematical synesthesia, Padgett is a medical marvel.

Struck by Genius recounts how Padgett overcame enormous setbacks and embraced his transformed mind. Along the way he found love, discovered joy in numbers and spent plenty of time having his head examined. His fascinating and inspiring story of the abilities that potentially lie hidden within us all reveals how much we still have to learn about the wondrous potential of the human brain.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

The incredible story of an ordinary man who was transformed when a traumatic injury left him with an extraordinary gift
A remarkable and wonderfully personal medical tale. It reminds us in equal measure about our possible capacities and our impoverished understanding about how to tap into them.
David Eagleman, neuroscientist and author of Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain
Jason Padgett s story is an extraordinary example of the human capacity for adaptation and the immense importance of exploring the individual strengths hidden inside every person s brain.
Temple Grandin, author of The Autistic Brain and Thinking in Pictures
Like Dorothy in Oz, Jason sees the man behind the curtain. Except in his case, the wizard is not a trickster but the normal operations of the brain that, in the rest of us, take place outside of consciousness. Struck by Genius is a journey of self-teaching about what has happened to his brain, why he became a different person overnight, and what the meaning of it was.
Richard E. Cytowic, neurologist and coauthor of Wednesday Is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia
Acquired savant syndrome is an incredible phenomenon which points toward dormant potential a little Rain Man perhaps within us all. Jason Padgett s experience affirms that medical marvel in a demonstrable and irrefutable way. His compelling story calls for even more urgent inquiry into that remarkable, optimistic manifestation which holds great promise for better understanding both the brain and human potential.
Darold A. Treffert, M.D., author of Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired and Sudden Savant
Modern neuroscience, in spite of its tremendous progress, tends to ignore folk wisdom about the brain s remarkable potential for change and growth. Struck by Genius restores the balance and marshals evidence that there are astonishing abilities in all of us, presently unfathomable, waiting to be unleashed.
V. S. Ramachandran, neuroscientist and author of The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist s Quest for What Makes Us Human
"

From the Inside Flap:

No one else sees the world the way Jason Padgett does. Water pours from the faucet in crystalline patterns, numbers call to mind distinct geometric shapes, and intricate fractal patterns emerge from the leaves and branches of trees, revealing the intrinsic mathematical designs hidden in the objects around us.
Amazingly, Jason wasn t born this way. Twelve years ago, he was a party-loving jock and a college dropout who d never made it past pre-algebra. But a violent mugging permanently and profoundly altered the way his brain works, giving him unique gifts. His ability to understand math and physics skyrocketed. He s now a devoted student and an award-winning artist, hand-drawing the stunning geometric patterns he sees everywhere.
The first documented case of acquired savant syndrome with mathematical synesthesia, Jason is a medical marvel. Some researchers see his transformation as proof that every brain possesses stunning abilities only some people are able to consciously access. Struck by Genius is the remarkable tale of Jason s determined journey to overcome psychological and neurological trauma and embrace his new mind.
Jason describes his inner life and perception of the world before and after the attack with astonishing insight and infectious warmth. His is a story of joy, of falling in love, finding a passion for numbers, and, above all, discovering a deep sense of wonder for the beautiful order in our seemingly chaotic world.
A remarkable, heartwarming, and unforgettable first-person account of one man's struggle to comprehend his sudden genius in the wake of a traumatic assault. This truly amazing incident opens up a whole new dimension for science to explore. Berit Brogaard, professor of philosophy and neurodynamics, University of Missouri, St. Louis"

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1443418153
• ISBN 13: 9781443418157
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256