Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

How the extraordinary multisensory phenomenon of synesthesia has changed our traditional view of the brain.

A person with synesthesia might feel the flavor of food on her fingertips, sense the letter "J" as shimmering magenta or the number "5" as emerald green, hear and taste her husband's voice as buttery golden brown. Synesthetes rarely talk about their peculiar sensory gift-believing either that everyone else senses the world exactly as they do, or that no one else does. Yet synesthesia occurs in one in twenty people, and is even more common among artists. One famous synesthete was novelist Vladimir Nabokov, who insisted as a toddler that the colors on his wooden alphabet blocks were "all wrong." His mother understood exactly what he meant because she, too, had synesthesia. Nabokov's son Dmitri, who recounts this tale in the afterword to this book, is also a synesthete-further illustrating how synesthesia runs in families.

In Wednesday Is Indigo Blue , pioneering researcher Richard Cytowic and distinguished neuroscientist David Eagleman explain the neuroscience and genetics behind synesthesia's multisensory experiences. Because synesthesia contradicted existing theory, Cytowic spent twenty years persuading colleagues that it was a real-and important-brain phenomenon rather than a mere curiosity. Today scientists in fifteen countries are exploring synesthesia and how it is changing the traditional view of how the brain works. Cytowic and Eagleman argue that perception is already multisensory, though for most of us its multiple dimensions exist beyond the reach of consciousness. Reality, they point out, is more subjective than most people realize. No mere curiosity, synesthesia is a window on the mind and brain, highlighting the amazing differences in the way people see the world.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

So what is synesthesia? Researcher Cytowic (The Man Who Tasted Shapes) and neuroscientist Eagleman (Ctr. for Synesthesia Research, Baylor Coll. of Medicine) offer an answer: synesthesia is a response to a stimulus with the joining of senses that creates a particular experience of the world. It could be an association of a letter to color, shapes to music, an orgasm to flashes of color, or a phoneme to taste. The authors' descriptions of the varieties of joined sensation appear limitless. Herein the reader discovers the often-hidden and, to the uninitiated, idiosyncratic world of the synesthete. The authors also delve into the importance of synesthesia to creativity, explore successful synesthetes, including artists, authors (e.g., Vladimir Nabokov), and composers, and introduce the genetics and neuroscience behind the condition. Filled with detailed tables, clarifying illustrations, and instructive chapters, this title, which includes an afterword by Nabokov's son, Dimitri (also a synesthete), should be required reading for teachers and anyone who works with children.-Scott Vieira, Johnson Cty. Lib., KS (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Cytowic (George Washington Univ. Medical Center) and Eagleman (neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine) provide an invaluable introduction to the phenomenon of synesthesia. Through a well-structured exposition of the vast, rich literature on the subject, the authors explore the scientific understanding of this "peculiar sensory gift," whereby an individual may experience a sensory event in multiple modalities. The text is richly illustrated, adding to the readers' understanding of the process. The authors provide a series of personal vignettes that reveal that many individuals who possess this sensory processing ability may not be aware that they experience the world in ways different from the experiences of most other people. An afterword by Dmitri Nabokov (who experiences synesthesia, as did his famous father) completes the story by providing an interesting account of the heritability of synesthesia. This well-written summary of what is known about synesthesia concludes with some helpful suggestions for the direction of future research. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. P. Flattau Institute for Defense Analyses