Embracing the Wide Sky
A Tour Across the Horizons of the Mind
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $14.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Daniel Gerroll
-
By:
-
Daniel Tammet
About this listen
Tammet explains that the differences between savant and non-savant minds have been exaggerated; his astonishing capacities in memory, math, and language are neither due to a cerebral supercomputer nor any genetic quirk, but are rather the results of a highly rich and complex associative form of thinking and imagination. Autistic thought, he argues, is an extreme variation of a kind that we all do, from daydreaming to the use of puns and metaphors.
Embracing the Wide Sky combines meticulous scientific research with Tammet's detailed descriptions of how his mind works to demonstrate the immense potential within us all. He explains how our natural intuitions can help us to learn a foreign language, why his memories are like symphonies, and what numbers and giraffes have in common. We also discover why there is more to intelligence than IQ, how optical illusions fool our brains, and why too much information can make you dumb.
Many readers will be particularly intrigued by Tammet's original ideas concerning the genesis of genius and exceptional creativity. He illustrates his arguments with examples as diverse as the private languages of twins, the compositions of poets with autism, and the breakthroughs, and breakdowns, of some of history's greatest minds.
©2009 Daniel Tammet (P)2009 Simon and SchusterListeners also enjoyed...
-
Every Word Is a Bird We Teach to Sing
- Encounters with the Mysteries and Meanings of Language
- By: Daniel Tammet
- Narrated by: Daniel Tammet
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A mind-expanding, deeply humane tour of language by the best-selling author of Born on a Blue Day and Thinking in Numbers.
-
-
too much digression
- By Jay Burkhart on 08-23-24
By: Daniel Tammet
-
Born on a Blue Day
- A Memoir
- By: Daniel Tammet
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the world's 50 living autistic savants is the first and only to tell his compelling and inspiring life story and explain how his incredible mind works. Worldwide, there are fewer than 50 living savants, those autistic individuals who can perform miraculous mental calculations or artistic feats. (Think Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man.) None of them has been able to discuss his or her thought processes, much less write a book. Until now.
-
-
Ordinary Life Through Unordinary Eyes
- By J. C. AZ on 05-09-07
By: Daniel Tammet
-
Uniquely Human: Updated and Expanded
- A Different Way of Seeing Autism
- By: Barry M. Prizant PhD, Tom Fields-Meyer - contributor
- Narrated by: Barry M. Prizant
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Autism therapy typically focuses on ridding individuals of “autistic” symptoms such as difficulties interacting socially, problems in communicating, sensory challenges, and repetitive behavior patterns. Now Dr. Barry M. Prizant offers a new and compelling paradigm: The most successful approaches to autism don’t aim at fixing a person by eliminating symptoms, but rather seeking to understand the individual’s experience and what underlies the behavior. Rather than curb these behaviors, it’s better to enhance abilities, build on strengths, and offer supports.
-
-
great Read
- By Mitzi on 05-30-24
By: Barry M. Prizant PhD, and others
-
What My Bones Know
- A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma
- By: Stephanie Foo
- Narrated by: Stephanie Foo
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By age thirty, Stephanie Foo was successful on paper: She had her dream job as an award-winning radio producer at This American Life and a loving boyfriend. But behind her office door, she was having panic attacks and sobbing at her desk every morning. After years of questioning what was wrong with herself, she was diagnosed with complex PTSD—a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously, over the course of years.
-
-
Complex PTSD from a patient's point of view!
- By Howard_a on 05-24-22
By: Stephanie Foo
-
Unmasking Autism
- Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity
- By: Devon Price PhD
- Narrated by: Devon Price PhD
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Unmasking Autism, Dr. Devon Price shares their personal experience with masking and blends history, social science research, prescriptions, and personal profiles to tell a story of neurodivergence that has thus far been dominated by those on the outside looking in. For Dr. Price and many others, Autism is a deep source of uniqueness and beauty. Unfortunately, living in a neurotypical world means it can also be a source of incredible alienation and pain.
-
-
Disappointing
- By Debra M. Givin on 11-12-22
By: Devon Price PhD
-
Incognito
- The Secret Lives of the Brain
- By: David Eagleman
- Narrated by: David Eagleman
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this sparkling and provocative new book, the renowned neuroscientist David Eagleman navigates the depths of the subconscious brain to illuminate surprising mysteries. Taking in brain damage, plane spotting, dating, drugs, beauty, infidelity, synesthesia, criminal law, artificial intelligence, and visual illusions, Incognito is a thrilling subsurface exploration of the mind and all its contradictions.
-
-
The author is NOT a good reader
- By MaryEllen on 06-17-11
By: David Eagleman
-
Every Word Is a Bird We Teach to Sing
- Encounters with the Mysteries and Meanings of Language
- By: Daniel Tammet
- Narrated by: Daniel Tammet
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A mind-expanding, deeply humane tour of language by the best-selling author of Born on a Blue Day and Thinking in Numbers.
-
-
too much digression
- By Jay Burkhart on 08-23-24
By: Daniel Tammet
-
Born on a Blue Day
- A Memoir
- By: Daniel Tammet
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the world's 50 living autistic savants is the first and only to tell his compelling and inspiring life story and explain how his incredible mind works. Worldwide, there are fewer than 50 living savants, those autistic individuals who can perform miraculous mental calculations or artistic feats. (Think Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man.) None of them has been able to discuss his or her thought processes, much less write a book. Until now.
-
-
Ordinary Life Through Unordinary Eyes
- By J. C. AZ on 05-09-07
By: Daniel Tammet
-
Uniquely Human: Updated and Expanded
- A Different Way of Seeing Autism
- By: Barry M. Prizant PhD, Tom Fields-Meyer - contributor
- Narrated by: Barry M. Prizant
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Autism therapy typically focuses on ridding individuals of “autistic” symptoms such as difficulties interacting socially, problems in communicating, sensory challenges, and repetitive behavior patterns. Now Dr. Barry M. Prizant offers a new and compelling paradigm: The most successful approaches to autism don’t aim at fixing a person by eliminating symptoms, but rather seeking to understand the individual’s experience and what underlies the behavior. Rather than curb these behaviors, it’s better to enhance abilities, build on strengths, and offer supports.
-
-
great Read
- By Mitzi on 05-30-24
By: Barry M. Prizant PhD, and others
-
What My Bones Know
- A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma
- By: Stephanie Foo
- Narrated by: Stephanie Foo
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By age thirty, Stephanie Foo was successful on paper: She had her dream job as an award-winning radio producer at This American Life and a loving boyfriend. But behind her office door, she was having panic attacks and sobbing at her desk every morning. After years of questioning what was wrong with herself, she was diagnosed with complex PTSD—a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously, over the course of years.
-
-
Complex PTSD from a patient's point of view!
- By Howard_a on 05-24-22
By: Stephanie Foo
-
Unmasking Autism
- Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity
- By: Devon Price PhD
- Narrated by: Devon Price PhD
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Unmasking Autism, Dr. Devon Price shares their personal experience with masking and blends history, social science research, prescriptions, and personal profiles to tell a story of neurodivergence that has thus far been dominated by those on the outside looking in. For Dr. Price and many others, Autism is a deep source of uniqueness and beauty. Unfortunately, living in a neurotypical world means it can also be a source of incredible alienation and pain.
-
-
Disappointing
- By Debra M. Givin on 11-12-22
By: Devon Price PhD
-
Incognito
- The Secret Lives of the Brain
- By: David Eagleman
- Narrated by: David Eagleman
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this sparkling and provocative new book, the renowned neuroscientist David Eagleman navigates the depths of the subconscious brain to illuminate surprising mysteries. Taking in brain damage, plane spotting, dating, drugs, beauty, infidelity, synesthesia, criminal law, artificial intelligence, and visual illusions, Incognito is a thrilling subsurface exploration of the mind and all its contradictions.
-
-
The author is NOT a good reader
- By MaryEllen on 06-17-11
By: David Eagleman
-
Blindspot
- By: Mahzarin R. Banaji, Anthony G. Greenwald
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I know my own mind. I am able to assess others in a fair and accurate way. These self-perceptions are challenged by leading psychologists Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald as they explore the hidden biases we all carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, and nationality. Blindspot is the authors’ metaphor for the portion of the mind that houses hidden biases.
-
-
Difficult to interpret.
- By Ryan Arnold on 12-21-15
By: Mahzarin R. Banaji, and others
-
The Language Instinct
- How the Mind Creates Language
- By: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 18 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this classic, the world’s expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association....
-
-
Absolutely Amazing and Interesting
- By J. C. on 10-28-12
By: Steven Pinker
-
Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded)
- 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
- By: John Medina
- Narrated by: John Medina
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the New York Times bestseller Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule - what scientists know for sure about how our brains work - and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives. Medina’s fascinating stories and infectious sense of humor breathe life into brain science.
-
-
Dear Publishers . . .
- By Bekah on 04-06-17
By: John Medina
-
This Is Your Brain on Music
- The Science of a Human Obsession
- By: Daniel J. Levitin
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this groundbreaking union of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explores the connection between music - its performance, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it - and the human brain. Levitin draws on the latest research and on musical examples ranging from Mozart to Duke Ellington to Van Halen.
-
-
Interesting, but Abridged?
- By ROLANDO on 03-12-08
-
Dyslexia: Managing and Organizing the Dyslexic Mind
- By: David Copperson
- Narrated by: Sam Logsdon
- Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Going deep into the studies of dyslexics and their strengths and weaknesses, the author of this book highlights some of the most overlooked aspects of the reading disability. He goes on to say that dyslexia is definitely hereditary and shows various examples and studies to back his statements. Then, he poses the question: “What is the reading gene?” in a less literal way. In the end, the author emphasizes on a number of tips teachers can take away to handle those with dyslexia better.
-
-
Another one
- By Anonymous User on 02-14-20
By: David Copperson
-
The Creating Brain
- The Neuroscience of Genius
- By: Nancy C. Andreasen M.D.
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a fascinating tour of creativity and the brain, Nancy Andreasen, professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa and the winner of the National Medal of Science, explores how the human brain achieves creative breakthroughs--in art, literature, music, and science--the role of genes and environment, extraordinary creativity vs. ordinary creativity, and the question of genius and insanity.
-
-
Well written history of creativity
- By William D. on 10-20-08
-
Dyslexia: Understanding the Pros, Cons, and Symptoms
- By: Kesha Smithsson
- Narrated by: Cole Niblett
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dyslexia is a common problem and can be helped and noticed when given the right tools. My aim is to show you those tools. Recognition of the problem is the first step, as is knowing where it came and what the symptoms are. From there, one could tap into programs and exercises that can stimulate the child’s senses and help him/her become better at reading in a shorter time period. This is what it’s all about: To push them into the fast track towards the same capabilities as any other person without the unnecessary frustrations and disappointments so many children experience.
-
-
Interesting
- By Elsie on 06-02-20
By: Kesha Smithsson
-
Subliminal
- How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior
- By: Leonard Mlodinow
- Narrated by: Leonard Mlodinow
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Leonard Mlodinow, the best-selling author of The Drunkard’s Walk and coauthor of The Grand Design (with Stephen Hawking), gives us a startling and eye-opening examination of how the unconscious mind shapes our experience of the world and how, for instance, we often misperceive our relationships with family, friends, and business associates, misunderstand the reasons for our investment decisions, and misremember important events.
-
-
Pretty Good
- By Bob on 06-24-12
By: Leonard Mlodinow
-
The Believing Brain
- From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies - How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths
- By: Michael Shermer
- Narrated by: Michael Shermer
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this, his magnum opus, the world’s best known skeptic and critical thinker Dr. Michael Shermer—founding publisher of Skeptic magazine and perennial monthly columnist (“Skeptic”) for Scientific American—presents his comprehensive theory on how beliefs are born, formed, nourished, reinforced, challenged, changed, and extinguished.
-
-
A reader's digest version of many other good books
- By K. S. on 06-29-11
By: Michael Shermer
-
How We Learn
- Why Brains Learn Better Than Any Machine...for Now
- By: Stanislas Dehaene
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The human brain is an extraordinary machine. Its ability to process information and adapt to circumstances by reprogramming itself is unparalleled and it remains the best source of inspiration for recent developments in artificial intelligence. In How We Learn, Stanislas Dehaene decodes the brain's biological mechanisms, delving into the neuronal, synaptic, and molecular processes taking place. He explains why youth is such a sensitive period, but assures us that our abilities continue into adulthood and that we can enhance our learning and memory at any age.
-
-
Too pedantic, too didactic
- By RickyF on 12-05-21
-
Why?
- What Makes Us Curious
- By: Mario Livio
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the ever-fascinating Why? Mario Livio interviewed scientists in several fields to explore the nature of curiosity. He examined the lives of two of history's most curious geniuses, Leonardo da Vinci and Richard Feynman. He also talked to people with boundless curiosity: a superstar rock guitarist who is also an astrophysicist; an astronaut with degrees in computer science, biology, literature, and medicine. What drives these people to be curious about so many subjects?
-
-
Good doce into Curiosity
- By Rodolfo De Nadai on 02-18-18
By: Mario Livio
-
Brain Bugs
- How the Brain’s Flaws Shape Our Lives
- By: Dean Buonomano
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With its trillions of connections, the human brain is more beautiful and complex than anything we could ever build, but it’s far from perfect: our memory is unreliable; we can’t multiply large sums in our heads; advertising manipulates our judgment; we tend to distrust people who are different from us; supernatural beliefs and superstitions are hard to shake; we prefer instant gratification to long-term gain; and what we presume to be rational decisions are often anything but.
-
-
Superficial, but mostly correct
- By Sean on 09-03-11
By: Dean Buonomano
Related to this topic
-
The Ravenous Brain
- How the New Science of Consciousness Explains Our Insatiable Search for Meaning
- By: Daniel Bor
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Consciousness is our gateway to experience: it enables us to recognize Van Gogh’s starry skies, be enraptured by Beethoven’s Fifth, and stand in awe of a snowcapped mountain. Yet consciousness is subjective, personal, and famously difficult to examine: philosophers have for centuries declared this mental entity so mysterious as to be impenetrable to science. In The Ravenous Brain, neuroscientist Daniel Bor departs sharply from this historical view, and proposes a new model for how consciousness works.
-
-
Effectively demystifies consciousness
- By Gary on 11-18-12
By: Daniel Bor
-
How Language Began
- The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention
- By: Daniel L. Everett
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mankind has a distinct advantage over other terrestrial species: we talk to one another. But how did we acquire the most advanced form of communication on Earth? Daniel L. Everett, a "bombshell" linguist and "instant folk hero" (Tom Wolfe, Harper's), provides in this sweeping history a comprehensive examination of the evolutionary story of language, from the earliest speaking attempts by hominids to the more than 7,000 languages that exist today.
-
-
Hard to endure
- By Michael D. Busch on 09-09-18
-
Words and Rules
- The Ingredients of Language
- By: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First published in 2000, Words and Rules remains one of Pinker's most provocative and accessible books, illuminating the fascinating relationship between the brain, the mind, and how language makes us humans.
-
-
Amazing how much irregular verbs can teach.
- By Tristan on 04-10-16
By: Steven Pinker
-
Blindspot
- By: Mahzarin R. Banaji, Anthony G. Greenwald
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I know my own mind. I am able to assess others in a fair and accurate way. These self-perceptions are challenged by leading psychologists Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald as they explore the hidden biases we all carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, and nationality. Blindspot is the authors’ metaphor for the portion of the mind that houses hidden biases.
-
-
Difficult to interpret.
- By Ryan Arnold on 12-21-15
By: Mahzarin R. Banaji, and others
-
The Bilingual Brain
- And What It Tells Us About the Science of Language
- By: Albert Costa, John W. Schwieter - translator
- Narrated by: Luis Soto
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do two languages coexist in the same brain? Why is it possible to forget a language? What are the advantages and challenges of being bilingual? Over half of the world's population is bilingual, and yet this fascinating, complex ability is understood by few. In The Bilingual Brain, leading expert Albert Costa explores the science of language through a wide range of cutting-edge studies and examples from South Korea to Spain and Canada.
-
-
Brains make language and language makes brains
- By Andy P. on 08-25-20
By: Albert Costa, and others
-
Babel No More
- The Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Language Learners
- By: Michael Erard
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We all learn at least one language as children. But what does it take to learn six languages...or seventy? In Babel No More, Michael Erard, "a monolingual with benefits," sets out on a quest to meet language superlearners and make sense of their mental powers. On the way he uncovers the secrets of historical figures like Italian cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti, who was said to speak seventy-two languages; Emil Krebs, a pugnacious German diplomat, who spoke sixty-eight languages; and Lomb Kat, a Hungarian who taught herself Russian by reading Russian romance novels.
-
-
Heavy on anecdote, light on science
- By S. Yates on 07-15-16
By: Michael Erard
-
The Ravenous Brain
- How the New Science of Consciousness Explains Our Insatiable Search for Meaning
- By: Daniel Bor
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Consciousness is our gateway to experience: it enables us to recognize Van Gogh’s starry skies, be enraptured by Beethoven’s Fifth, and stand in awe of a snowcapped mountain. Yet consciousness is subjective, personal, and famously difficult to examine: philosophers have for centuries declared this mental entity so mysterious as to be impenetrable to science. In The Ravenous Brain, neuroscientist Daniel Bor departs sharply from this historical view, and proposes a new model for how consciousness works.
-
-
Effectively demystifies consciousness
- By Gary on 11-18-12
By: Daniel Bor
-
How Language Began
- The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention
- By: Daniel L. Everett
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mankind has a distinct advantage over other terrestrial species: we talk to one another. But how did we acquire the most advanced form of communication on Earth? Daniel L. Everett, a "bombshell" linguist and "instant folk hero" (Tom Wolfe, Harper's), provides in this sweeping history a comprehensive examination of the evolutionary story of language, from the earliest speaking attempts by hominids to the more than 7,000 languages that exist today.
-
-
Hard to endure
- By Michael D. Busch on 09-09-18
-
Words and Rules
- The Ingredients of Language
- By: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First published in 2000, Words and Rules remains one of Pinker's most provocative and accessible books, illuminating the fascinating relationship between the brain, the mind, and how language makes us humans.
-
-
Amazing how much irregular verbs can teach.
- By Tristan on 04-10-16
By: Steven Pinker
-
Blindspot
- By: Mahzarin R. Banaji, Anthony G. Greenwald
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I know my own mind. I am able to assess others in a fair and accurate way. These self-perceptions are challenged by leading psychologists Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald as they explore the hidden biases we all carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, and nationality. Blindspot is the authors’ metaphor for the portion of the mind that houses hidden biases.
-
-
Difficult to interpret.
- By Ryan Arnold on 12-21-15
By: Mahzarin R. Banaji, and others
-
The Bilingual Brain
- And What It Tells Us About the Science of Language
- By: Albert Costa, John W. Schwieter - translator
- Narrated by: Luis Soto
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do two languages coexist in the same brain? Why is it possible to forget a language? What are the advantages and challenges of being bilingual? Over half of the world's population is bilingual, and yet this fascinating, complex ability is understood by few. In The Bilingual Brain, leading expert Albert Costa explores the science of language through a wide range of cutting-edge studies and examples from South Korea to Spain and Canada.
-
-
Brains make language and language makes brains
- By Andy P. on 08-25-20
By: Albert Costa, and others
-
Babel No More
- The Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Language Learners
- By: Michael Erard
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We all learn at least one language as children. But what does it take to learn six languages...or seventy? In Babel No More, Michael Erard, "a monolingual with benefits," sets out on a quest to meet language superlearners and make sense of their mental powers. On the way he uncovers the secrets of historical figures like Italian cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti, who was said to speak seventy-two languages; Emil Krebs, a pugnacious German diplomat, who spoke sixty-eight languages; and Lomb Kat, a Hungarian who taught herself Russian by reading Russian romance novels.
-
-
Heavy on anecdote, light on science
- By S. Yates on 07-15-16
By: Michael Erard
-
Riveted
- The Science of Why Jokes Make Us Laugh, Movies Make Us Cry, and Religion Makes Us Feel One with the Universe
- By: Jim Davies
- Narrated by: Matthew Josdal
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professor Jim Davies's fascinating and highly accessible book, Riveted, reveals the evolutionary underpinnings of why we find things compelling. Drawing on work from philosophy, anthropology, religious studies, psychology, economics, computer science, and biology, Davies offers a comprehensive explanation to show that in spite of the differences between the many things that we find compelling, they have similar effects on our minds and brains.
-
-
Fun and excellent listen!
- By Alejandro Franco on 04-13-18
By: Jim Davies
-
Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded)
- 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
- By: John Medina
- Narrated by: John Medina
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the New York Times bestseller Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule - what scientists know for sure about how our brains work - and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives. Medina’s fascinating stories and infectious sense of humor breathe life into brain science.
-
-
Dear Publishers . . .
- By Bekah on 04-06-17
By: John Medina
-
Ungifted
- Intelligence Redefined
- By: Scott Barry Kaufman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Ungifted, cognitive psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman - who was relegated to special education as a child - sets out to show that the way we interpret traditional metrics of intelligence is misguided. Kaufman explores the latest research in genetics and neuroscience, as well as evolutionary, developmental, social, positive, and cognitive psychology, to challenge the conventional wisdom about the childhood predictors of adult success. He reveals that there are many paths to greatness, and argues for a more holistic approach to achievement that takes into account each young person’s personal goals, individual psychology, and developmental trajectory.
-
-
Great content for the intellectually curious
- By ZestyFresh on 08-11-17
-
Out of Our Heads
- You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness
- By: Alva Noe
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alva Noë is one of a new breed - part philosopher, part cognitive scientist, part neuroscientist - who are radically altering the study of consciousness by asking difficult questions and pointing out obvious flaws in the current science. In Out of Our Heads, he restates and reexamines the problem of consciousness, and then proposes a startling solution: Do away with the 200-year-old paradigm that places consciousness within the confines of the brain.
-
-
A bold, yet ultimately unsupported, hypothesis
- By Keith Pyne-Howarth on 01-17-10
By: Alva Noe
-
Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking
- By: Daniel C. Dennett
- Narrated by: Jeff Crawford
- Length: 13 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over a storied career, Daniel C. Dennett has engaged questions about science and the workings of the mind. His answers have combined rigorous argument with strong empirical grounding. And a lot of fun. Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking offers seventy-seven of Dennett’s most successful “imagination-extenders and focus-holders” meant to guide you through some of life’s most treacherous subject matter: evolution, meaning, mind, and free will.
-
-
Loved it, but some philosophy background needed.
- By LongerILiveLessIKnow on 11-14-13
-
The Book of Why
- The New Science of Cause and Effect
- By: Judea Pearl, Dana Mackenzie
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Correlation does not imply causation". This mantra has been invoked by scientists for decades and has led to a virtual prohibition on causal talk. But today, that taboo is dead. The causal revolution, sparked by Judea Pearl and his colleagues, has cut through a century of confusion and placed causality - the study of cause and effect - on a firm scientific basis.
-
-
Great book! Not a great audiobook.
- By rrwright on 05-30-18
By: Judea Pearl, and others
-
Ha!
- The Science of When We Laugh and Why
- By: Scott Weems
- Narrated by: Kalen Allmandinger
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Humor, like pornography, is famously difficult to define. We know it when we see it, but is there a way to figure out what we really find funnyand why? In this fascinating investigation into the science of humor and laughter, cognitive neuroscientist Scott Weems uncovers what’s happening in our heads when we giggle, guffaw, or double over with laughter. While we typically think of humor in terms of jokes or comic timing, in Ha! Weems proposes a provocative new model.
-
-
Good place to start in the study of humor
- By Amazon Customer on 05-26-17
By: Scott Weems
-
Mind in Motion
- How Action Shapes Thought
- By: Barbara Tversky
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Mind in Motion, psychologist Barbara Tversky shows that spatial cognition isn't just a peripheral aspect of thought, but its very foundation, enabling us to draw meaning from our bodies and their actions in the world. Our actions in real space get turned into mental actions on thought, often spouting spontaneously from our bodies as gestures. Spatial thinking underlies creating and using maps, assembling furniture, devising football strategies, designing airports, understanding the flow of people, traffic, water, and ideas.
-
-
Physically difficult to listen to
- By Claire Hay on 11-08-19
By: Barbara Tversky
-
On Intelligence
- By: Jeff Hawkins, Sandra Blakeslee
- Narrated by: Jeff Hawkins, Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jeff Hawkins, the man who created the PalmPilot, Treo smart phone, and other handheld devices, has reshaped our relationship to computers. Now he stands ready to revolutionize both neuroscience and computing in one stroke, with a new understanding of intelligence itself.
-
-
Epiphany
- By James on 03-14-05
By: Jeff Hawkins, and others
-
The Self Illusion
- Why There Is No "You" Inside Your Head
- By: Bruce Hood
- Narrated by: Bruce Hood
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Self Illusion provides a fascinating examination of how the latest science shows that our individual concept of a self is in fact an illusion. Most of us believe that we possess a self - an internal individual who resides inside our bodies, making decisions, authoring actions and possessing free will. The feeling that a single, unified, enduring self inhabits the body is compelling and inescapable. But that sovereignty of the self is increasingly under threat from science as our understanding of the brain advances.
-
-
Disappointing
- By David R Pinsof on 05-10-12
By: Bruce Hood
-
Seeing Voices
- A Journey Into the World of the Deaf
- By: Oliver Sacks
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Oliver Sacks - introduction
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Seeing Voices, Oliver Sacks turns his attention to the subject of deafness, and the result is a deeply felt portrait of a minority struggling for recognition and respect - a minority with its own rich, sometimes astonishing, culture and unique visual language, an extraordinary mode of communication that tells us much about the basis of language in hearing people as well.
-
-
A Rich Experience
- By Douglas on 11-27-12
By: Oliver Sacks
-
Entangled Minds
- Extrasensory Experiences in a Quantum Reality
- By: Dean Radin PhD
- Narrated by: Al Kessel
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Is everything connected? Can we sense what's happening to loved ones thousands of miles away? Why are we sometimes certain of a caller's identity the instant the phone rings? Do intuitive hunches contain information about future events? Is it possible to perceive without the use of the ordinary senses? Many people believe that such "psychic phenomena" are rare talents or divine gifts. Others don't believe they exist at all. But the latest scientific research shows that these phenomena are both real and widespread.
-
-
Boring as all get out but…
- By rebekah higgins on 01-12-20
By: Dean Radin PhD
What listeners say about Embracing the Wide Sky
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 04-12-14
an interesting 'read'
I think Daniel Tammet is an amazing find. Sweet and shy but as the late great astonishing Kim Peek learning there is a world out there that they fit in. Even if it is in a different way from some peoples norm. I have a unique mind and have always felt as though I were a freak. I am not autistic nor mentally challenged in any way( I stand to differ)lol. anyhoo his guidance and research was terrific. He made me seem to fit in this world and be proud of the way my mind works. Why it works the way it does and that anyone out there also has special abilities. I know 6 languages only three taught formally the other three I taught myself in a short amount of time. I also know American sign Language. Mathematics also come very easy. I see numbers as a cast in a play. No colors just parts and feelings towards them. I remember numbers easier than long stories word for word. 'well I digress I apologize! His book just gave me tools to look into my unique world and show my loved ones a book to help explain a piece of my world in a well written way. The man Daniel Gerroll who narrated this book was excellent. Time flew by listening to it on my time off or walking. Very happy to have this in my collection as I think you will as well. Its great to see the world through different ways. give it a try !
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Daniel J.
- 05-22-18
Another fantastic book
Daniel Tammet does it again. As one of the most fascinating minds of our generation his unique perspective on perception and cognitive science is nothing short of brilliance.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Scott
- 10-21-12
Impressive but dense information
I greatly enjoyed his explanations of how he experiences the world and rate these sections of the book very high. The other information about language development, mathematical reasoning, and other areas were interesting but very dense. If it weren't for interspersing his personal observations I would have found these sections to be less interesting.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Roy
- 06-26-10
Autism from the Inside
Daniel Tammet is autistic and has provided us a second book dealing with his cognitive functioning. This volume as well as his memoir, "Born on a Blue Day," deals with a number of cognitive issues while focusing on the autistic experience.
First, you will learn that being autistic is not what you thought. Forget the "Rain Man." There is more to the cognitive abilities of those with autism than meets the eye or the popular media.
This is a wonderful, informative, well written, insightful read. Daniel Gerroll doesn't miss a beat reading either. Take a chance on this one even if your interest is elsewhere.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- jeff s
- 01-21-24
fun look at the brain
I enjoyed this read. I learned some and laughed some. all good interesting facts
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ben
- 03-19-12
Excellent choice for those wanting more.
What made the experience of listening to Embracing the Wide Sky the most enjoyable?
the fact that I have little time to read formally, and I could listen at my liesure.
What other book might you compare Embracing the Wide Sky to and why?
no other.
What does Daniel Gerroll bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
well spoken english
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
the end of the book.
Any additional comments?
no.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jay Burkhart
- 09-01-24
insightful
I am an autistic adult who has had savant-like abilities of various types come and go throughout my entire life. Sometimes these abilities stay for only a few minutes, sometimes for a few weeks, and in one case, a couple of years. I read this book hoping to get some insights and tips on how I can stabilize these abilities and culture them so they stay and grow. Did this book accomplish that? I would say, kind of. I got some gems that pointed towards things I can use, not a lot, but that's not the intent of the book, so I would still rate the book as a success. I enjoyed reading it. It gave great insights into the mind of a savant and how he views his own abilities as well as a positive outlook on the neurology of neurotypicals.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!