Struck by Genius
How a Brain Injury Made Me a Mathematical Marvel
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4.4 • 10 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
From head trauma to scientific wonder—a "deeply absorbing . . . fascinating" true story of acquired savant syndrome (Entertainment Weekly).
Twelve years ago, Jason Padgett had never made it past pre-algebra. But a violent mugging forever altered the way his brain worked. It turned an ordinary math-averse student into an extraordinary young man with a unique gift to see the world as no one else does: water pours from the faucet in crystalline patterns, 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.
As his ability to understand physics skyrocketed, the "accidental genius" developed the astonishing ability to draw the complex geometric shapes he saw everywhere. Overcoming huge setbacks and embracing his new mind, Padgett "gained a vision of the world that is as beautiful as it is challenging." Along the way he fell in love, found joy in numbers, and spent plenty of time having his head examined (The New York Times Book Review).
Illustrated with Jason's stunning, mathematically precise artwork, his singular story reveals the wondrous potential of the human brain, and "an incredible phenomenon which points toward dormant potential—a little Rain Man perhaps—within us all" (Darold A. Treffert, MD, author of Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired, and Sudden Savant).
"A tale worthy of Ripley's Believe It or Not! . . . This memoir sends a hopeful message to families touched by brain injury, autism, or neurological damage from strokes." —Booklist
"How extraordinary it is to contemplate the bizarre gifts that might lie within all of us." —People
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Padgett was, at 31, a man who seemed to care more about his biceps than his career until a brutal mugging completely changed the floundering course of his life. What initially manifested as an altered, more intense experience of visual phenomena developed into dizzying synesthesia and a newfound, savant-level capacity for mathematics. Pi quickly replaced partying in Padgett's life. But there were physical ramifications, too: Padgett's muscles withered into a leaner frame and the former gadfly became almost dangerously prone to isolation, the outside world too stimulating for his new senses. Yet Padgett ultimately reemerges into society by attending community college, meeting his eventual wife, pursuing yoga, and continuing to learn about his condition. Psychology Today blogger Seaberg serves as witness and scribe to the events of Padgett's life, though the clear and personable tone that she and Padgett collectively strike won't fully sate readers' curiosity about the book's miracles. The arc of the story, however, upholds the notion that positive turns come from unexpected places, and the implication that we all possess an inherent type of genius, whatever its truth, is sure to garner at least a modicum of public attention. 17 b&w drawings, 8p. 4-color insert.
