http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-02/when-brain-damage-unlocks-genius-within?single-page-view=true

When Brain Damage Unlocks Damage Within

Adam Piore

This story, which originally appeared in Popular Science, is about the emergence of extraordinary talents or abilities that appear in individuals after brain damage. This article is a good mix of case studies, opinions, and scenes. Unlike news stories, the immediacy of the event is secondary. The emphasis is on human interest, so it makes sense that Piore would open this story with the story of Derek Amato’s accident. This beginning draws the reader in and allows Piore to come back to Amato’s story in the middle and at the end of the piece.

I think the organization of this feature worked well because Piore used careful transitions to maintain the flow of the story and didn’t spend too much time on one aspect, character, or scientific observation. This made the feature easy to read despite its length because there was never an overflow of information that didn’t make sense. Piore also uses short paragraphs and varies the lengths of his sentences for effect.

There is also a very clear picture of the subject and good descriptions like, “as we strolled down Santa Monica Boulevard to a sushi restaurant after the filming, he hardly could have seemed happier. At the table, Amato smiled broadly, gestured manically with meaty forearms tattooed with musical notes, and poked the air with his chopsticks for emphasis.”

Piore also does a really good job with introducing the cultural fascination with savants. He gives a lot of examples which gives the story more weight.

I also really liked the ending in that he brings in back Amato but doesn’t necessarily agree that he has become prodigious. I like that this feature is like a collection of cases and facts but the reader still has to reach their own conclusion. The way this feature story ended with the question, “who’s to say what spectacular abilities might lie dormant in the rest of us?” definitely made me want to keep exploring the subject.