Tiffany 16 - Synesthesia
Over break, I had the pleasure of reading Shade Me by Jennifer Brown, which is the first book of a fictional series about a girl named Nikki who has a rare condition called synesthesia. Synesthesia is a neurological condition where different senses combine, and it affects approximately 3 to 5 percent of the population. There are many different types of synesthesia; for Nikki, she sees numbers, letters, and emotions as colors. For example, she sees the number 2 as pink, the letter B as primary blue, and sadness as a mixture of brown and green.
This thrilling and suspenseful book follows Nikki getting wrapped up in a mysterious crime and finding and figuring out clues to discover the truth behind it. All throughout the story, Nikki relies on her synesthesia to remember details and pieces of information. For her, it is natural to remember the colors associated with numbers and words. In multiple instances, she is able to recognize and remember phone numbers by remembering the string of colors associated with each number. In one part of the story, she looks at a picture that contains a 3-digit number and subconsciously stores the respectful color pattern in her memory. A few chapters later, she sees the familiar color pattern as an address and is able to connect it back to the picture that contains more important clues.
Although Nikki has a love-hate relationship with her synesthesia, it is evident that she relies on her ability way more than she realizes, and one of its effects is that she has an excellent memory. Other than memory, her synesthesia also helps her read a person, like when she sees the mint-green of suspicion or the gray of lies. However, she is also at times distracted by it, like only being able to see the violet of lust, or being completely overwhelmed by the crimson of death. This was a very interesting and unique read, and if you're looking for something to read for fun I'd definitely recommend this.
Hey Tiffany, this condition of synesthesia was one I had admired for its uniqueness. In the past, in a source my brain's memory has now forgotten, I read about certain people who can see color when they hear music. I tried this myself, listening to classical piano songs, but nothing seemed to arise. The most "color" I could imagine was shades of black and white, with me associating brightness with energetic pieces and darker shades of gray with melancholic tunes. This ability truly seems interesting, although I can definitely imagine the negative effects of distraction it would cause.
ReplyDeleteHey Tiffany! Shade Me by Jennifer Brown seems like a really interesting read! I must admit, I’ve never heard of synesthesia and I really wonder what daily life would be like for those with it. I personally associate objects with music, which may not necessarily be synesthesia, but it seems to mimic the symptoms you described. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I literally felt and saw colors. It seems surreal, almost like a super power. I would really love to learn more about synesthesia and I can’t wait to read this book! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Tiffany! When I first opened this, I kind of expected it to be about that drug that makes you go to sleep but have since been informed that that is anesthesia, not synesthesia. On that note, you begin to wonder how differently abled people have adapted to and maybe even become dependent on things that make them different. People with better noses may use it more on food, people with better eyesight to read from further etc. They might be performing better than the average without trying, and not even realizing others are trying more. An interesting proposition. On that note this book does seem interesting and I will make sure to give it a read sometime.
ReplyDeleteTiffany, what an interesting blog post to read and refreshingly different. I have never heard of the book Shade Me by Jennifer Brown and your summary of this novel has me very intrigued. I never knew such a thing called Synesthesia existed before; let alone the fact that 6 to 7 percent of the population correlated colors with numbers and other various correlations. I try to picture myself in the shoes of Nikki but I just cannot; I cannot envision my brain processing information the way she does. This was such a great blog post and nice reading recommendation especially with summer break coming up.
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ReplyDeleteHey Tiffany, there is actually a name for memory associated with our five senses. Our iconic memory refers to our memory from vision, but there’s also memory associated with taste, smell, and hearing. Having synesthesia is interesting because it’s like a combination of our iconic memory and echoic memory. This book seems really interesting and right up my alley; I will definitely check it out sometime. Thank you for sharing!
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ReplyDeleteHi Tiffany! I first learned about synesthesia as a writing technique in my writing class as a way to make my work more descriptive and impactful. I think this neurological condition to connect senses is very cool and fascinating. I never knew that synesthesia can be used as a way to help people memorize things. Although I do not have synesthesia, I have used similar methods of relating one thing to another as a way to remember it. It makes me wonder if people have different levels of synthesis. I have never read Shade Me by Jennifer Brown before, but it sounds like an interesting book that I want to check out the next time I go to the library. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Tiffany, before reading your blog I did not know there was such a condition where human senses could combine. I am very curious about whether or not the brain could be trained to mix their senses or associate something like a smell to a color? The limits to our minds are truly endless. This concept sounds very intriguing and I will definitely consider reading Shade Me this summer!
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