Struck by Genius: How a Brain Injury Made Me a Mathematical Marvel

No one sees the world the way Jason Padgett does. When water pours from the faucet, Padgett sees crystalline patterns; for him, numbers call to mind distinct geometric shapes; and intricate fractal patterns emerge from the movement of tree branches, revealing the intrinsic mathematical designs hidden in the objects around us. The startling fact here is that Padgett wasn't born this way. Twelve years ago, he had never made it past pre-algebra, but then a violent mugging forever altered the way his brain works, giving him unique gifts. His ability to understand math and physics skyrocketed, and he developed the astonishing ability to draw the complex geometric shapes he saw everywhere. His stunning, mathematically precise artwork illustrates his intuitive understanding of complex mathematics. The first documented case of acquired savant syndrome with mathematical synesthesia, Padgett is a medical marvel. Struck by Genius recounts how he overcame huge setbacks and embraced his new mind. Along the way he fell in love, found joy in numbers, and spent plenty of time having his head examined. Like Born on a Blue Day and My Stroke of Insight, his singular story reveals the wondrous potential of the human brain.

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
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