Helen Keller The Story of My Life Dover Thrift Editions by Helen Keller - 5 Star Review

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Helen Keller: The Story of My Life (Dover Thrift Editions) by Helen Keller

One Of The Greatest Books Of All Time

Helen Keller would not be bound by conditions. Rendered deaf and blind at 19 months by scarlet fever, she learned to read (in several languages) and even speak, eventually graduating with honors from Radcliffe College in 1904, where as a student she wrote The Story of My Life. That she accomplished all of this in an age when few women attended college and the disabled were often relegated to the background, spoken of only in hushed tones, is remarkable. But Kellers many other achievements are impressive by any standard: she authored 13 books, wrote countless articles, and devoted her life to social reform. An active and effective suffragist, pacifist, and socialist (the latter association earned her an FBI file), she lectured on behalf of disabled people everywhere. She also helped start several foundations that continue to improve the lives of the deaf and blind around the world. As a young girl Keller was obstinate,

prone to fits of violence, and seething with rage at her inability to express herself. But at the age of 7 this wild child was transformed when, at the urging of Alexander Graham Bell, Anne Sullivan became her teacher, an event she declares the most important day I remember in all my life. (Sullivan herself had once been blind, but partially recovered her sight after a series of operations.) In a memorable passage, Keller writes of the day Teacher led her to a stream and repeatedly spelled out the letters wa-t-e-r on one of her hands while pouring water over the other. This method proved a revelation: That living world awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free! There were barriers still, it is true, but barriers that could in time be swept away. And, indeed, most of them were. In her lovingly crafted and deeply perceptive autobiography, Kellers joyous spirit is most vividly expressed in her connection to nature: Indeed, everything that could hum, or buzz, or sing, or bloom, had a part in my education.... Few know what joy it is to feel the roses pressing softly into the hand, or the beautiful motion of the lilies as they sway in the morning breeze. Sometimes I caught an insect in the flower I was plucking, and I felt the faint noise of a pair of wings rubbed together in a sudden terror.... The idea of feeling rather than hearing a sound, or of admiring a flowers motion rather than its color, evokes a strong visceral sensation in the reader, giving The Story of My Life a subtle power and beauty. Kellers celebration of discovery becomes our own. In the end, this blind and deaf woman succeeds in sharpening our eyes and ears to the beauty of the world. --Shawn Carkonen

Personal Review: Helen Keller: The Story of My Life (Dover Thrift Editions) by Helen Keller First of all, I would like to take a short notice of the introduction by Jim Knipfel. Never in my life have I read an introductionary presentation of a person as famous as Helen Keller that was so condescending, sneering, and downright rude. I suggest the publishers of Signet Classic to discard Jim Knipfel's piece and replace it with an introduction that is of high quality and professional tone that meets Helen Keller's standards. Now, for the book The Story of My Life, the autobiography is as brilliant as it is an uplifting experience of having overcome the odds. I know what is it like to be deaf myself, but I can't imagine being blind too. It's so tough to think how I could succeed in this kind of life, but Helen Keller really did it and with high expectations. It is quite amazing that she went to an accredited college and earned a degree while possessing a knowledge of six languages (fingerspelling counts as one as it is part of American Sign Language). When she talks about her achievements, there is a great deal of pride in herself because she knows how hard it was to do it. At times, she commits the crime of supplying purple prose which went off the topic too much. One thing I notice about her writing is that it remains very positive throughout the book. She seems to be eternally grateful of being alive and granted with the fruits of life, and her accomplishments certainly reflect the fact. I am a little bit unsure as I am reading each chapter if she wrote it at that period of time, or did she write the story at the end of her college studies? I say this because I notice how her tone and attitude have

dramatically changed. After finishing The Story of My Life, there is a collection of Helen Keller's letters. I admit, I found all of them boring and couldn't read much of them except notice the improvements in relatively a short time, especially for somebody that is so precociousness as Helen Keller. I read some of the negative comments written by the reviewers, and I do agree with some of them in a certain extent, but one of them is so odd that I am compelled to address the issue. One said, in her title, "Great story...hard to teach." Quite frankly, I find that comment narrow-minded. Surely, have you thought about teaching the ABC's of American Sign Language to the hearing kids? Have they met a deaf person before? Have they met a blind person? Or how about a deaf-blind person before? Have they learned about their culture? Have you taught them the characteristics of their lives and how they overcome adversities like watching television, talking on the phone, attending classes, etc.? Have you taken the kids to a school for the deaf and blind? I assure you, the experience for the kids can be very enlightening and surprising. One of the lifelong frustrations of my life being a deaf person as I am is the lack of acceptance by the hearing people. They seem to have this certain assumption that I can't do a lot of things just because I can't hear. It sounds hard to believe for most of you, but the fact is, this problem is incredibly prevalent. That's why The Story of My Life is a great and useful experience of exposing the young readers the kind of a world that deaf and/or blind people that live in and how they manage to live their lives. All in all, The Story of My Life presents a miracle of a woman who overcame all odds to be the best person possible as she can be, and it's shocking for me to see her to do it so considering the time period she lived in given the history of education among students with disabilities.

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