Book Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Helen (Adams) Keller, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 2362 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Amazon.com
William Gibson's The Miracle Worker is justly celebrated for its dramatic depiction of the innovative techniques by which Annie Sullivan taught Helen Keller, who was deaf and blind, to communicate with the outside world. Now, Dorothy Herrmann's solid, readable biography of Keller reveals that the 7-year-old, who was liberated from her isolation in 1887, grew up to be a strong-willed, tough-minded, intellectually independent woman--not at all the "plaster saint" her teacher liked to present to the public. Throughout her long life (1880-1968), Keller worked tirelessly to promote the interests of the handicapped, but she was also an avowed socialist who believed that working-class people deserved a larger share of America's wealth and a racial egalitarian whose support of civil rights horrified her genteel Southern family. Veteran biographer Herrmann paints a nuanced portrait of Keller's complex relationship with Sullivan, which included anger and resentment as well as devoted affection, and she vividly depicts the maddening constraints imposed by society's image of Keller as a perfect Victorian maiden, virginal and selfless, when in fact she had an ego and a sex drive no different from those of hearing and sighted people. The book abounds in colorful touches such as Keller's delight in performing on the vaudeville circuit--her admirers were scandalized by this vulgar display to earn money. She adored "the warm tide of human life pulsing round and round me." Candidly acknowledging Keller's frustrations and some of her less-than-sterling qualities, Herrmann gives readers a flesh-and-blood woman whose achievements are all the more remarkable. --Wendy SmithBook Description

Customer Reviews (28)

A great biography; a disturbing life
Many or most nondisabled peoples' only knowledge of Helen Keller's life is the events of William Gibson's "The Miracle Worker".If you only know of the events from this play you would think Helen, Annie Sullivan, and Helen's family lived happily ever after.This is far from the case.Helen's disablities took quite a toll on how much she and her family loved each other.Annie became quite possessive and controlling of Helen during her childhood.Annie had a troubled personality as a result of the horrors of her childhood.Apparently she was never as psychologically stable as she might've been had she had a far better childhood.Throughout Helen's life, both when Annie was alive and after her death in 1936, she was surrounded by people and groups who sought to use her for their own purposes or goals.John Macy, after several years of marriage to Annie, saw the mistake of falling in love with her.It's easy to see why John eventually became an alcoholic, given that his second significant other passed away after only 5 years of living with each other.In the mid 1950's when Helen and Polly Thomson were living together Polly's behavior toward Helen became obsessive enough that Helen was cut off from virtually all human contact except Polly herself.In 1959/1960 Helen terminated a friendship with editor Nella Henney, perhaps as a result of being surrounded since childhood by people and groups who sought to use her for their own purposes or goals.

An irony about "The Miracle Worker" is that while it's a happy tale, the true story of Helen Keller is quite a sad tale."The Miracle Worker"
is not Helen's "real life" at all.

However, given the time Helen lived in, I can see why her life story went the way it did.I wish she'd never become disabled during childhood and wished she'd been able to live a normal life.But this biography is more believeable than previous biographies of Helen Keller.

Fascinating, but too disturbing
The Helen Keller most of us are familiar with is the beligerent and frustrated little girl who in that fateful Spring of 1887, became docile, loving, and all of a sudden able to understand things when she put her hand under the water pump. But little was always written about her adult life. I always thought she had perfect features for a woman who was 100% blind and deaf. I recall Annie Sullivan's description of Helen when she first met her was that she was "noticeably blind with one protruding eye" and I thought her eyes looked perfect and beautiful, if not unfocused, for a blind woman, but then again I looked at photographs of her from her twenties on down and they were always right profile pics, with the exception of her photo on the front cover revealing her protruding left eye. It gives me the heebeejeebees that she had them removed and replaced with prosthetics. Anyway, they should make a movie about this detailing her life from Radcliffe college to her death.

Helen Keller Loves Martinis
This is a wonderful addition to all the bios on these two remarkable women.While the definitive is "Helen and Teacher," by Joseph Lash, this book adds lots of interesting details.I had no idea that Helen had her eyes replaced with plastic ones (hence the full face photos in adulthood) or that she enjoyed martinis, high heels and fur coats.What a woman!This is a very enjoyable book with plenty of great photographs.I wonder how much of Helen and Annie's fame was based on their youthful beauty?

Anne Sullivan Given Special Attention
Anne Sullivan (Helen Kellers teacher) is probably my biggest hero.
She endured a life of harsh physical pain from various ailments. Any direct exposer to sunlight caused her eyes agonizing pain. She was also plagued with intense emotional trauma, Orphaned, Anne and her younger brother both were shipped to an asylum where they played with rats as toys and frequently were housed in the room where they kept the dead bodies. The year Anne stayed there 70 babies were admitted, 60 died, as did Anne's brother. Anne had seen more death and pain by age 7 then many hardened solders. It was difficult for most people to understand her cantankerous personality and tendency to fly off the handle. It was said at the school she attended she would have been expelled many times, if they had someplace to expell her to. Despite these setbacks she saw Helen Keller, another girl people gave up on and showed her the world of language and communication. This new biography strips away all the well meaning sentimentality and shows us two souls, bruised and scared, but beautiful

An excellent biography
This was one of those books you can't stop reading.The author does a really nice job chronicling Helen's life; the book is entertaining from cover to cover.

I was deeply moved, reading about Helen's struggle with her disability, and how her mother forbidded her to have any type of relationship with men, stripping her of her rights as an adult.There are many poignant moments throughout the book, such as when Helen is emotionally crushed after she is accused of plagiarism. Helen Keller's story is an inspirational one, and well worth reading. ... Read more

Book Description
Helen Keller cannot see or hear. But that does not stop her from playing tricks on people, including her new teacher, Annie Sullivan. Still, Annie will not give up on Helen. Can Helen ever learn to trust her teacher?

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very good book!
My 5 year old daughter has developed a great interest in Helen Keller, and we've collected several children's books about her.This book and one other are her two favorites, and they have been read many times.This book helped develop an interest in learning sign language for my daughter.I highly recommend it for a small child as an introduction to biographies. ... Read more

Book Description
A biography that sheds new light on this extraordinary woman. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Girl Blind and Deaf
Helen Keller Rebellious Spirit is a biographical book by Laurie Lawlor. The book is about a girl that was blind and deaf but still accomplished her goals. Helen Keller was one of few blind and deaf children. The blind or deaf were thought of as an outcast or a burden. They were sent far away to schools where they could be out of the way and not seen. Helen's parents couldn't bring themselves to do so. Helen created her own home signs, which eventually led to the invention of sign language. She did signs for words such as ice cream or mother. Helen Keller was born in a little house that was close to her own. Her house was small and white. Helen's hometown was Tuscumbia, where she had many fun experiences with family members and friends. Her mother's name was Kate Adams Keller and her father's name was Captain H. Keller.
This book was organized in chapters, quotes, pictures, and headings for the pictures. I never misunderstood what the author was trying to peruse. The author put lots of description, which made it easier to read. I would recommend this book to any one who would like to learn about a girl that had a different life of being blind and deaf.

Helen Keller Rebellious Spirit
Laurie Lawlor's book, Helen Keller Rebellious Spirit, is a biography about an really cool woman who did wonderful things. Her name was Helen Keller. Helen Keller was awesome and different because she was deaf and blind and she still had a full education. Helen changed from a really spoiled, bossy, blind and deaf girl to a very accomplished woman who even graduated from college and learned to speak.
One nice story is about one of the first words she understood. The word was water. Her teacher, Annie Sullivan, poured water on to Helen's hands and fingerspelled the word to her and Helen understood.
Lawlor tells the story of Helen Keller in such detail it makes you feel like you really knew Ms. Keller. Maybe it seemed that you knew her too well. Lawlor goes on and on and tends to get off the subject of Helen Keller, talking about things that have absolutely nothing to do with Helen. Even though Helen led a very interesting life, Lawlor does not make it very interesting for the reader. If you were doing a report on Helen Keller, I would recommend this book. For light reading, unless you want a book that puts you to sleep, I would recommend something else. This story tells you that you can do anything if you set your mind to it.

Laurie Lawlor's Rebellious Spirit
Lawlor's book Rebellious Spirit was an excellent one. I had a report due and it had all the information I needed and more.I would recommend it to anyone if they wanted to know about or needed information on Helen Keller.This book was extraordinary!

Laurie Lawlor's Rebellious Spirit
Lawlor's book Rebellious Spirit was an excellent one. I had a report due and it had all the information I needed and more.I would recommend it to anyone if they wanted to know about or needed information on Helen Keller.This book was extraordinary!

Page Turner
What can I say?This book was great! I started reading it at the beginning of my bath and couldn't put it down. As a result my bath was four hours long.While reading this book you'll feel as though you are right besides Helen, from her first meeting with Annie Sullivan, to her travels around the world.She truly was a remarkable woman. This book lets you see the other side of Helen that not many people are aware of. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Una Ni;a llamada Hellen Keller
I like the book very much! It was in perfect vew. And my grandchildrens enjoied too.

Girl Named Helen Keller, A: Una nina Llamada Helen Keller
I have my book very soon, only 4 days in delivering.It was in a very good presentation. And was that I spect.

Very good services! ... Read more

Book Description
Out of print for nearly a century, The World I Live In is Helen Keller's most personal and intellectually adventurous work—one that transforms our appreciation of her extraordinary achievements. Here this preternaturally gifted deaf and blind young woman closely describes her sensations and the workings of her imagination, while making the pro-vocative argument that the whole spectrum of the senses lies open to her through the medium of language. Standing in the line of the works of Emerson and Thoreau, The World I Live In is a profoundly suggestive exercise in self-invention, and a true, rediscovered classic of American literature.

This new edition of The World I Live In also includes Helen Keller's early essay "Optimism," as well as her first published work, "My Story," written when she was twelve. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Her world without sight and sound.
She tries to help you understand the reality of her life. It is much more than you can imagine.

Wonderfully touching
What beautiful writing! It's pointed out in the intro that, more than most of us, her world was shaped with WORDS. I've only read about four essays so far, and am profoundly touched. I've always admired Helen Keller, but am newly re-impressed with her wisdom and vision, and touched that she can write so clearly as to make me feel how little she felt limited by her handicap. If Helen Keller had simply learned to behave and ask politely for her food, etc, it would have been an impressive accomplishment. The fact that she grew to fully embrace her intelligence, her world and her potential . . . wow. I know so many people who are content to just do the bare minimum, to not stretch their limits at all, to not show any intellectual curiosity . . . she had the perfect excuse to exert the least effort, yet she didn't. Once she was given the key, the entree to humanity, she didn't let her handicaps stop her. I love that even all these years later, she is still able to share that. ... Read more

Book Description
Finally restored to its original state, this is the most authoritative paperback version of Helen Keller's classic now available.

The story of Helen Keller, who triumphed over deafness and blindness and became "a symbol of the indomitable human spirit," is now considered one of the "hundred most important books of the twentieth century" (New York Public Library). Yet the astonishing original version, first published in 1903, has been out of print for many years. In this, "the restored classic," Roger Shattuck, in collaboration with Dorothy Hermann, has reedited the book to reflect its original composition. Keller's remarkable transformation is presented in three successive accounts: Keller's own version; the letters of "teacher" Anne Sullivan, submerged in the earliest edition; and the valuable documentation by their assistant, John Macy. Including opening and closing commentary by Shattuck and notes by Hermann, this volume has already established itself as the definitive edition of a classic work. ... Read more

Book Description
Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind student to ever attend an American college, but graduating from Radcliffe with honors was only one of her many accomplishments. Her writing and speeches tell the poignant story of a woman who struggles to overcome personal adversity, while working as an advocate for the physically challenged. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

GREAT ADDITION TO A WONDEFUL SERIES
As with the other books in the series "In Their Own Words," the author has given us another great good and useful book for young women and men.The Keller story is in itself, quite inspirational and Mr Sullivan has been able to capture this spirit quite well. The constant use of quotes allows the reader to feel they are getting the facts right from the source and not from some dry accedemic source.The black and white photos are used quite effectively.The book holds the reader's interest and along with inspiring the reader, he or she actually learns something.Highly recommend this one.

Awesome!
I re-read this book a few nights ago and although it is not a story-tale fiction book like I ussually read it is still very enjoyable and extremly educational. It teaches you the amazing story of a girl named Helen Keller who lost her ability to see and hear at a very young age.It takes you through her life during which she accomplishes so many spectacular things and conquers challenges that no one thought she could.She stars in a movie, she learns to read and write and she goes through college and becomes an honor student and all along the way she is guided by her loyal friend Anne Sullivan.I ussually dont read biographys but I'm glad I picked this one up! I encourage you to read it because it makes you realize that even though someone like Helen Keller cant see or hear, it makes them no different than other people and they are perfectly capable of accomplishing anything as long as they set their mind to it.This book is very inspiring and it really makes you realize what a remarkable person Helen Keller was. ... Read more

Book Description
The intimate story of two women whose lives were bound together in a unique relationship marked by genius, dependence, and love. Lash traces Anne Sullivan's early years in a Massachusetts poorhouse, describes her meeting with Helen Keller in Alabama, and goes on to recount the joint events of their lives: Helen's childhood experiences, education at Radcliffe, and work in vaudeville, politics, and for the blind. This definitive biography concludes with Helen's final years without Anne Sullivan Macy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Remarkable women with feet of clay
This is the best biography about Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller that I have read. Since I was a child I have been fascinated by them and have read everything that I could get my hands on. Lash goes beyond their heroism and describes Annie and Helen as real people with "feet of clay."

He relies heavily on voluminous correspondence to show the many facets of Helen and those in her life. Many of these details are not explained in other biographies.For example, Helen's father tried to shore up his finances with loans (often defaulted) from Helen's patrons.The "Frost King" incident caused many people to doubt Annie's veracity and credibility as a teacher for the rest of her life.Mr.Sandborn and Mr. Anagnos used the controversy to divert attention from Annie's role as Teacher to Helen and to re-focus attention on the role that the Perkins Institute played in her education.Lash also shows that John Macy had a complex relationship (for the good and the bad) with both Annie and with Helen.Helen was a radical Socialist and often risked her popularity and, therefore, their income by speaking out in support of Socialist leaders and causes. In the end the reader sees that Helen and many of those around her did great things, but they were not perfect. Insecurity, jealousy, money and a desire for love and fame caused all of them to act ugly sometimes.

The other point that was never clear to me before, is that Helen and Annie spent their lives marketing themselves in order to generate an income. Helen's father faced a serious financial downturn that prevented him from supporting them from Helen's young womanhood on. Therefore, to continue Helen's formal education and to maintain a home away from Alabama, they had to cultivate sponsors, write publishable material, and earn money speaking at a myriad of functions. In many ways, this was an uncertain life that dictated that they remain in good standing with public opinion at all times.

The other connection that Lash made for me concerns the complexity, the depth and the breadth of Annie and Helen's relationship. Because Annie suffered through a harrowing childhood, she desperately needed to create a loving family. Helen presented the perfect opportunity for Annie to be needed and to love and be loved unconditionally. While some people construed their relationship to be unhealthy or manipulative, it seems that it was a natural outgrowth of their particular situation. Once again, it was not perfect, but it served a huge need for them both.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to see a more realistic view of the lives of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan.

Informative!
Informative!It does get a bit long & wordy at times, but it's a fair representation of Helen & Annie's lives.The more I read about Annie Sullivan, the more I like her.I think it was a real shame that Arthur & Kate Keller felt threatened by the close bond Annie had with Helen.I think Arthur & Kate just wanted Helen to be "trained," but not really the free independent spirit she was meant to be.I'm so glad Annie stood by her & helped her become a free person & became a lifelong friend to Helen as well.Annie was very open about whatever failings she'd had & was a warm, loving supportive guide in Helen's life.I get the feeling Helen & Annie had almost a mother-daugher-like bond, which of course practically killed Arthur & Kate.The stupid thing was, the Keller parents wanted to just shift over the responibility to Annie of educating her & getting her to fit into society, yet wanted total control over Helen's life.If anyone was manipulative & controlling, it was Arthur & Kate.Esp. Arthur, I think was really patronizing & downright domineering toward Annie.Kate didn't help matters either & when I read about her attempts to break Helen & Pete up later on & her consent to try to split Helen & Annie up, I really lost respect for Kate.I know I'm slamming Kate & Arthur here, but I see Annie as more of a loving parent figure in Helen's life.I really commend Annie for standing strong against Helen's domineering, manipulative parents.Oh, boy, was that John Macy a real creep!I was sooo glad Annie got away from him; he accused Annie of being "manipulative & controlling" when he was controlling himself!He KNEW Annie & Helen had a tight bond, yet after he married Annie, he started giving poor Annie a hard time about it!What was really contemptable was that John wrote to Kate & others badmouthing Annie behind her back & it's good that the book exposed that clearly.That made me lose respect for John too; sorry, but I have no sympathy for John Macy.I think Annie tried really hard to be a good wife, yet John just criticized her for being too close to Helen. Poor Annie, it was sad reading about her heartbreak.It was touching & kind of reassuring to read that it was Helen who came to Annie's support when Annie couldn't stop crying for several days over John.It was Helen who fired a letter off to John blasting him for badmouthing Annie.I cheered when Helen was the one who helped Annie get back on her feet, esp. since I hear that John cleaned out the Macys' joint account & closed it without Annie's consent & Annie had to struggle to get her career going again.Boy, was it inspiring to read about Annie's heart healing & her getting her writing going again as well as back on her feet financially!I love how Helen & Annie stood by each other all the way & once Polly joined them, stood by them too. Annie's shaky pride suffered a lot of blows in her life, but always she managed to get back on her feet.I always knew Helen was forever grateful to Annie for freeing her from her early wordless prison & helping her get started to an independent free life & Helen showed this gratitude by being the one to take care of Annie when Annie grew old & frail & went permanently blind.It was a touching mother-daugher bond almost...when Helen was young, Annie looked out for her, then the roles reversed; when Annie got older & weaker, Helen was the one to look out for her & it was great that Helen was able to be by her bedside when her mentor & friend died.What was wonderful also was that Annie was a really sweet, accepting person; she had so many problems in her life, yet never sank into self-pity; she even made wry jokes about her blindness & even wrote a self-effacing column "Foolish Remarks From a Foolish Woman."That part cracked me up!Annie was a quick-tempered little thing, but was quick to forgive & had a big heart & I'm glad this book acknowledged that.Even Helen said that Annie was generous "to a fault."But the last best gift Annie gave Helen was the capacity to be completely independent, even from her, so once Annie died, with only a little help from Polly, Helen was able to live a free life, even long after Annie was gone.I say kudos to both Helen Keller & Anne Sullivan!!!!

SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP
The lives of Helen Keller and her teacher, Ann Sullivan Macy are eternally intertwined.Helen Keller, blind and deaf since infancy depended on Annie since the age of 6 when the latter was hired to teach her.

This comprehensive, fascinating and completely riviting biography does an excellent job of separating the two women's lives and analyzing each woman in her own right.Helen takes giant steps beyond the water pump where Annie first impressed upon her the concept of language.It is to this author's credit that the reader does not languish at that water pump, but follows these women throughout their lives.

The true symbiosis is fully described when other teachers as well as Helen's own mother Kate, try to separate her from Annie.Feeling that her maternal authority had been usurped, Kate understandably wanted to wean Helen from Annie.Each attempt by any person to effect such a change resulted in disaster.Even Annie's marriage to a gifted editor named John Macy ended in an acrimonious split because he felt Helen took up too large a portion of their lives together.From all accounts, Macy seemed to feel that Annie used the same domineering methods she had used on the child Helen with him.He also described Annie as "manipulative and controlling," which certainly seem like apt descriptions of her approach.Resentful of Helen's constant presence and feeling like an odd member of an equally odd triadic relationship, John retreats further from the marriage.

When Annie dies, Helen is disconsolate; she feels she can't survive without her "Teacher," although she, by that point had been at Annie's side for nearly half a century.A bright, progressive woman named Polly assumes the role of "Teacher," and Helen flourishes under her gentle tutlage and interpretation.Polly is clearly accepting of Helen's challenges and appears to make a sincere effort to see that Helen is fully included in all conversations and activities which she [Polly] is part of.One does not get the sense that Polly is a martyr.One gets the impression that Polly is loyal and determined with no agenda of her own.

Helen's relationship with Polly does appear to be much healthier than her relationship with Annie.This book fully explores Helen's character, her life experiences and the types of relationships she forged in the post-Teacher years with intelligence and sensitivity.

A landmark biographical story of the human spirit.
AFB Press is the publishing arm of the American Foundation For The Blind.Helen And Teacher, written bybiographer Joseph P. Lash and published byAFB Press, is a magnificent, 811-page opus that is the most comprehensivework ever done on the unique and moving story of a little blind, deaf anddumb girl, and the dedicated woman who brought her into contact with theworld, and with people. The basic story is well known to the generalpublic, the subject of stage plays and movies. But in Helen And Teacher, weare treated in exhaustive, definitive detail to this landmark biographicalstory of the human spirit. Also highly recommended from AFB Press is theirwonderful little gift book, To Love This Life: Quotations By Helen Kellerwhich is also available in an audiobook format.

The authoritative Bio. on two of America's greatest women
There is no need to read anything else on Helen Keller or Annie Sullivan Macy, because it is all included in this incredible biography.This in-depth look at these two remarkable women was both readable and throughly informative.Of all my research on Annie Sullivan, I have found nothing that is not mentioned in Mr. Lash's work; he has truly captured her spirit, along with her triumphant pupil. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

HELEN KELLER A LIGHT FOR BLIND.By Kathleen V. Kudlinski and illustrated By Donna Diamond.

10/25/05
This book called "HELEN KELLER A LIGHT FOR BLIND ." By Kathleen V. Kudlinski and illustrated By Donna Diamond. It tolled you about how HELEN KELLER lives, how she ate, how she can read and how she can talk. I like this book because it was sad and happy. The date was June 27,1880 when HELEN KELLER when born, March 3,1887 when the teacher came, June 1,1968 when she died, and more. The fact was HELEN KELLER had a baby sister named Mired, when she died, and more. It this book is very good so you should read it.

A True, Inspiring Story
This book is a very inspiring story by a wonderful author. Ms. Keller's life had never been clear to me until I read this book and realized how hard it was for Helen. It amazed me that an almost blind teacher taught A BLIND-DEAF girl to speak, write, and understand the world around her. If you are looking for a touchy story, read this book and discover the magic of this amazing woman's life. ... Read more

Book Description
To Love This Life is a beautiful and moving souvenir of one of the world's most admired women.This memorable collection of quotations from Helen Keller brings words of wisdom, courage, and inspiration from a remarkable individual who above all wanted to make a difference in the lives of her fellow men and women.They offer profound statements on the meaning of being human and on life in all its complexity, revealing the wit and wisdom of an unforgettable woman.Perfect for gift giving. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent
I read one of the books about Helen Keller when I was nine years old, and I was hooked, at that age I could not put the book down, I actually memorized, taught myself the hand sign chart in the back of the book. I highly recommend this book.I am purchasing this book for my niece for Christmas, she loves to read. When you think you been short-cutted in life, read this.Then ask your self do you have it that bad?

The dealf, blind, and mute girl.
Helen Keller had a bad illness when she was only nineteen mouths old.She lived,but the illness left her blind, deaf, and mute.At the age of five her mom and dad wrote a school that has blind and deak kids there.A teacher came and didn't get along with Helen at first, but later thay become the best of friends.This is a good book for anyone who would like to know what it is like to be blind, or deaf or even both at the same time.This is a relly good book and I think that anyone who will read it will like it.

Helen Keller
...It's about a girl that is blind, deaf, and dumb. (As in can't talk) But later when she got a teacher named Anne Sullivan, she learned to do lots of things. When Helen was ten years old, she learned to talk. But still could not hear. I learned that if you are blind, deaf, or dumb, you could still do lots of things. I think you would like this book too.

I think all different kinds of people would like this book because people whoeverlikes biographies would like this book too.

A GOOD INTERMEDIATE BIOGRAPHY
This book covers Helen Keller's life from her precocious babyhood wherein she greeted people with "how d'ye" and "tea, tea, tea" to her impressive adulthood as a crusader for persons who are blind.

Helen became blind and deaf after an extended, unidentified illness she suffered at 1 1/2.Unable to see, hear or speak, Helen communicated by a series of rudimentary signs and showed great precocity in learning to fold clothing and recognizing her own.She was also unruly and given to fits of temper, which was understandable considering her lack of access to ready communication.

When Helen was 3 months off 7, her now famous teacher, Annie Sullivan was hired to work with her.The redoubtable Ms. Sullivan taught Helen the manual alphabet and from her stellar progress at identifying familiar objects, taught her Braille as well.Helen's progress is nothing short of spectacular and she makes an impressive academic showing at the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston.

I liked the fact that this book did not dwell on that now tired scene at the water pump when Helen learns after having "water" spelled onto her fingers that "all things have a name."Instead of gasping and losing speed after the now overworked water pump scene, this biography picks up speed and the reader is treated to following Helen's academic progress at Perkins and later as a Radcliffe alumna.

This book glosses over Helen's radical socialism during her adulthood and also glosses over the challenges she and Annie faced as they matured together.It's a nice biography, but you do end up wanting more.

Good kid and Well-behaved
You'll feel interesting the first capter and want to read the next chapters. Introduction the book, it attractives read over and over until you can memory the book feeling boring and can think about yourself and askyourself. Good kid, well-behaved and many people love her HelenKeller,"From Tragedy to Triumph" by Katharine E. Wilkie.HelenKeller was good kid and tried to speak and spelling when she was child. She also good student in high school and college. Her parents love her.When she met any one they love her.Growing uo, she was good lady, shevisited and encouraged people who blind, deaf, handicapper.... She wasgreat person and famous. From the book, I remind myself when I was childand the book also helping children try to become good kid and well-behaved. Ithink the audience who from 10-14 age, can read this book. Thebook purpose helps children in America to become good kid and learn manythings form people who is great person.If you want to know more informationor more knowledge Helen Keller what did she do?, you should read thisbook;aspecilly children. ... Read more

Book Description
Presents a brief look at the life of Helen Keller ... Read more

Book Description

This unique book presents a generally unrecognized aspect of Helen Keller's life: her radical socialism, her defense of the IWW and her pacifist stance during both world wars. It includes texts written about her, by figures such as socialist leader Eugene V. Debs and Mark Twain.

"Her liberal views and wide sympathies ought to shame those who have physical eyes, yet do not open them to the sorrows that encompass the mass of men."-New York Call (1911)

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"We were born into an unjust system. We are not prepared to grow old in it."-Bernadette Devlin

Rebel Lives books feature writings both by and about individuals who have played significant roles in humanity's ongoing fight for a better world. The series shows the not-so-well-recognized political views of some well-known figures and introduces some not-so-famous rebels. Strongly representative of race, class and gender, these books are smaller format, inexpensive, accessible and provocative.

Customer Reviews (1)

Revealing an unremembered revolutionary
Many people have heard of Helen Keller, the first deafblind person to graduate from college, an author, and the individual honored on Alabama's state quarter.Many fewer actually know what sort of person Keller was, what she stood for and believed in.Keller's activism on behalf of women's suffrage, pacifism, civil liberties, and radical socialism have largely been stripped from the sanitized images of her in popular consciousness.This short collection of some of Keller's best-known radical writings can help address this ignorance and raise consciousness about an American radical and militant socialist most often remembered as little more than a "poor little blind girl".

In "Helen Keller: Rebel Lives", editor John Davis brings together a collection of letters, articles, and essays (all written by Keller except for one interview) outlining her radical social visions.Davis opens the volume with a 14-page biographical sketch, chronology, and introductions to the documents written with Karen Fletcher.The remaining 75 pages are organized into four sections, each including 5-7 brief documents, that explore Keller's views on disability and class (and the links between them); socialism and industrial unionism; women and women's suffrage; and war, militarism, and pacifism.Also included is a very short bibliography of electronic and printed resources for more information.

The documents I found most interesting were those relating to Keller's involvement with the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), a radical anticapitalist union.Even though I was already familiar with Keller's revolutionary socialism, Keller's lively and witty articles on socialism and the IWW were a pleasure to read even with the burden of hindsight.I can only imagine that readers who know little about Keller the radical leftist will find these writings much more of a revelation, and more interesting as a result.

This volume is in no sense a complete biography of Keller.It includes only introductions to her activism and revolutionary politics, and could have benefited greatly from providing background and analysis that was both more comprehensive and more in-depth.However, this slim volume is plenty to burst the bubble of sanitized history that surrounds popular views of Keller, and help readers get past her whitewashed image and learn a bit about the least-remembered aspects of the real person.It may also be of special value to teachers looking for primary sources on Keller or any of her fields of activism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Girl NamedHelenKeller
This is a great book ! It's about a facinating younggirl that got ill when she was a baby.Helen lost her sight and hearing,and wenton a heartwarming adventurewith ayoung teacher ,youcanbuy this amazing book onamazon .com !

Sad but good (from an 8-year-old)
I like this book because it's a true story that happened 100 years ago. It's a sad story because Helen Keller was blind and deaf. It's a good story because after a while she understood what she was doing and she learned how to write on a typewriter.

Nice way to first hear the Helen Keller story
This is an easy to read book (grades 1 & 2) and a wonderful tool for introducing children to Helen Keller.It tells about her struggles after becoming deaf and blind, and of her eventual triumph of learning words with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan.It also gives a very brief summary of her accomplishments as an adult.

I think it's great for kids to learn about Helen Keller, and this book provides a nice way to first hear the story.

The last page of the book has a sign language alphabet chart which some children might enjoy trying to learn...

Helen Keller!
Helen Keller is just like Laura Bridgman.They both had Scarlet Fever.But Laura Bridgman had it before Helen Keller.This book tells you about a real girl name Helen Keller.Helen Keller had Scarlet Fever when she was two years old.She was blind,mute and deaf after this sickness.Helen was crazy.She was jumping around braking things and she even hurted her little baby brother! Then Helen's parents called for help.This lady came.She was blind also.But she helped Helen to learn sign language and knowing what are the things she touched.It was really hard teaching Helen all the manners and everything.But at the end Helen was like another ordinary girl. ... Read more

Amazon.com
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 Keller's 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 w-a-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, Keller's 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 flower's motion rather than its color, evokes a strong visceral sensation in the reader, giving The Story of My Life a subtle power and beauty. Keller's 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 Book Description

Customer Reviews (65)

One of the greatest books of all time
Most moving and inspiring book I have ever read. It should be required reading in all elementary schools throughout the world. I could go on and on, but that should suffice.

James Donovan
Del Mar, CA

Other Books
A deaf dumb and blind girl, but no pinball.Helen Keller, bereft of the senses that your average person is able to utilise, has to learn other ways to communicate. She is instrumental in forming systems that will lay the foundation to enable other people so afflicted to do the same, with the work she does herself, and with her tutors.

Well worth a look.

Sightless and unable to hear, but hardly mute.
Helen Keller gives a sweetly innocent rundown of her life in this brief book.It's just enough to get a glimpse into her well publicized transformation into a girl lost in her own inability to communicate to a wonderfully prolific soul;a person who changed the world.She is disarming and self aware and isn't afraid to gloss over a little bit of the struggle to paint a journey of searching that led to many rivers of experience.It's a charming book and if one is curious about Helen Keller it is best to 'hear' the words from the author than another source.

A continuous page-turner
The Story Of My Life was a life-changing book for me. The reason for this is because I never thought that a person who had no power could do so much and have so much of it. As soon as I read this book it made me feel that no matter how small you are you can accomplish your dreams and goals. My opinion about this book is that it taught me that even if you are disabled, like Helen Keller you can still do many things. I think what Helen Keller did was outstanding because even though she was blind, deaf, and only a kid she did some indescribable things. I think this book will be a page-turner for people in middle school and up.This has inspired me to do anything and believe that I can accomplish many goals that I have.

The Story of My Life
"Helen, you are charged with plagiarism of a whole book. Your sentence is to never see Miss Sullivan again."The Story of My Life is an autobiography by Helen Keller. Helen Keller was a blind and deaf girl who came over all these odds by learning how to read lips with her fingers, how to speak, how to read Braille, and understand things like a normal child. Her teacher throughout her life was Miss Sullivan. She taught Helen Keller just about everything she could when it came to communicating. Because of how she overcame her handicaps, many people, including celebrities, wanted to meet her and have her as a friend. I recommend this book if you like learning about amazing people.

Helen Keller wrote this book on her own.If you can think about how hard it would be to write a book when you are deaf and blind, then you will be amazed at how she did this.She wrote a book in her early childhood, but apparently it was read to her when she was younger and it was very close to the same thing, so the institution she was going to accused her of plagiarism.She could not see Miss Sullivan again as long as Miss Sullivan worked for the institution.So, Miss Sullivan quit her job and moved in with Helen and her family and taught her until she was older.

Helen Keller got to do many things a normal child would not.She got to travel the world with Miss Sullivan because everybody wanted to meet her and celebrities would pay to fly her out to where they lived.She also had to go to the institution for the deaf and blind, which was far away.Many people there were also amazed at how Miss Sullivan had taught Helen to communicate.

If you read this book, also note how many things Miss Sullivan taught Helen.Miss Sullivan taught Helen how to communicate with everybody.Even though Helen has been deaf since she was 3 months old, she learned how to pronounce words so she could talk to people.The hardest thing was probably to teach her to read Braille, which would have been hard because she would not understand the letters at first and what they meant.

Helen Keller is one amazing person. She overcame two very harsh defects, being blind and deaf. Any person having just one of those defects may never overcome these illnesses but she did. She not only overcame them she was taught how to communicate even though it was along and struggling process. Helen Keller is an amazing person and you should read the book she wrote.


-Jaycee Elliott ... Read more

Book Description
Helen Keller was only six years old when she met Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. The meeting was an eventful one,marking the beginning of a lifelong friendship. It was Bell who guided Helen's parents to a teacher and helped Helen adjust to an extremely public life. "You can do anything you think you can," wrote Dr. Bell to Helen. "Remember that many will be brave in your courage." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Audrey S. review
I liked this book a lot because it gave you a lot of info on Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan, and Dr. Alexander Graham Bell.
Helen Keller was struck by an illness that closed her eyes and ears as a new-born baby. She was only 19 months when this happened. When she was 6 years old her father and Aunt took her to see a famous eye doctor, who they thought might be able to restore her eyes. But the famous eye doctor could do nothing to help Helen's eyes. The doctor told the Keller's to get in touch with Dr. Alexander Graham Bell. The first meeting turned out to be the start of a life long friendship. He helped her through some hard times and gave her a teacher that showed her how to talk with her hands,say s few words by regular talking, and how to lip read. Helen Keller knew Anne Sullivan as teacher. Helen Keller, Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, and Anne Sullivan, Helen's teacher, are great people and did a lot of wonderful things in their life time.
I would recommend this book to someone who likes to read books about wonderful people and how they changed our world.

THE SOUND OF FRIENDSHIP
Dr. Alexander G. Bell, noted for his work with deaf persons (Dr. Bell's mother and wife were both deaf) served as a mentor for young Helen Keller.Both deaf and blind, she stirred an interest in Dr. Bell to further his work with the deaf.Charmed by the bright, vivacious child, Dr. Bell began corresponding with her regularly when she was still a child at the Perkins Institute for the Blind.A long term friendship developed and it was a real heartwarming treat to see how friendship rang out across their different generations.

The Story of a Unique Friendship
Dr. Bell and Helen Keller were two of the most notable people living during the late 1800's and early 1900's.The depth of their friendship, and their encouragement of one another's life work, is a testimony to whattwo people can accomplish together.The author supplies many details aboutDr. Bell and his work among the deaf.A recommended addition to any publicor private library.

Retarded
I had to read this book for school, and it was retarded. I do not know why anybody would write this book or why anybody has even bought this book. Do not ever ever ever ever read this book. I would rather watch Barney orTelatubies than read this book and I am 11 years old, yes it really is thatbad. There is no point to this book. Do not waste your money on tisretarded book ... Read more