Daniel Tammet: the Boy with the Incredible Story

Expanded 2017 edition. Many people have known for a long time that the life story of the author, celebrity and performer of intellectual feats Daniel Tammet which has been told countless times in books, television and journal papers is incomplete in ways that matter and questionable in too many ways to count. Let Lili Marlene take you by the hand and show you the alternative story hiding in plain sight. Learn about the surprising role of the PR industry in neuroscience and psychology. With her meticulous eye for detail Lili reviews the scientific literature, popular media, journalistic coverage and statistical data pertinent to Daniel Tammet (previously named Daniel Corney). Is Daniel Tammet a trained memory sportsman and showman, or a natural savant? Is he impaired in his ability to read and recognize faces, as claimed? Is Tammet's "diagnosis" of synaesthesia beyond question? In the years since the first edition other personalities have emerged telling life stories of mysterious savant talents such as memorization, music and visual art, stories that appear to be modeled on Tammet's. Lili has added pen portraits of new "savants" on the scene and the academics and "experts" who have nurtured their fame. Grab some popcorn because a big story just keeps getting bigger!