From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

The Story of My Life

Helen Keller

Start date: December 1, 2022

Finish date: December 31, 2022

Discussion: Non-Fiction Classics

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What Members Thought

Mar 19, 2018 Chrissie rated it it was ok

Shelves: usa, audible-uk, classics, 2018-read, bio, medical

What I was looking for in this book is not what I got, but I am still glad I read it.

This is an autobiography written by Helen Keller (1880- 1968). It was published when she was still only twenty-two, when she began her education at Radcliffe. Thus, it does not cover her whole life and is in a sense biased in that she is telling us what SHE wants said. To get a full idea of her life, even just the first twenty-two year of it, you must read other books too.

Clearly, Hellen Keller was an intelligen What I was looking for in this book is not what I got, but I am still glad I read it.

This is an autobiography written by Helen Keller (1880- 1968). It was published when she was still only twenty-two, when she began her education at Radcliffe. Thus, it does not cover her whole life and is in a sense biased in that she is telling us what SHE wants said. To get a full idea of her life, even just the first twenty-two year of it, you must read other books too.

Clearly, Hellen Keller was an intelligent and extremely talented woman. At nineteen months she became both deaf and blind due to an illness, which illness is not clear, but influenza or scarlet fever are today postulated. On March 3, 1887, Anne Sullivan came to teach her, this being three months short of her seventh birthday. Her family was wealthy and spared nothing in their endeavors to provide her with the best care and education that could be gotten. What she accomplished with the help she received from Anne IS remarkable, but Helen Keller’s dependence upon Anne Sullivan must be emphasized too.

The book shies away from the emotional difficulties that Helen Keller had to surmount. Her struggle and frustrations are downplayed, scarcely spoken of. She is not forthcoming on a personal level. The book seems to be written to give encouragement, as a beacon shining light on what can be achieved rather an honest revelation of Helen’s personal difficulties.

I wanted to see the world as she saw it before she was given an inkling of how we see it. She expresses herself with the words of those who do hear and see, which just ends up confusing me. She is attempting to show how capable she became, while I instead was looking for an understanding of the existence she was trying to escape. She is giving her success story. I was looking for her nightmare and how exactly, by what means and steps did she progress from one world to the other.

How exactly did Helen communicate? We are told that Anne Sullivan “spelled into her hand". We are told that later she used books with "raised print". We are told she could understand what people were saying by feeling their lips. It is by the first two methods, Helen absorbed information at Radcliffe. We are told she learned to talk, but none of this is clearly explained in detail. It was such details I was looking for in this book.

The prose style is dated and on the flowery side. Through her prose she is showing us her success and what her hard work has accomplished. One can understand why she chose to write in this manner. Her style mimics the renown writers she studied and the literature that she came to love. I would have preferred a more heartfelt, simpler prose.

The last half of the book consists solely of letters written by Helen. They are written from 1887 to 1901, i.e. when Anne Sullivan first came to teach her to when she had been accepted at Radcliffe. Their content is not all that engrossing. They do reveal her increased writing capabilities. In addition, the letters’ optimistic tone draws a picture of her personality and reinforces the message she wished to relay with this book.

The audiobook I listened to was narrated by Mary Woods. The narration is good—simple to follow, read at an appropriate speed and without dramatization. ...more

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Oct 10, 2013 Barb rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, non-fiction, cd, 2018

Helen Keller was such an amazing, smart and strong women. i never realized she did so many things that people now who can see and hear struggle with. a true inspiration!

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Jun 12, 2010 Jim Townsend rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was the only book on a "never-finished" shelf. I abandoned it because I thought the supplemental material of Helen Keller's letters, personality, speech, and literary style, as well as the account of Miss Sullivan's teaching methods, would be dull to read. In parts they were; but I found most of it fascinating, because no one at the time thought it possible, let alone necessary, to teach a deaf-blind child in the same way you would teach one who can see and hear. This book is proof that if ...more

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Jul 17, 2019 Charles rated it really liked it

What a grit and determination. She couldn’t have pulled off all the education and life in general without Ms. Sullivan but still. It’s a remarkable story.

Memorable quotes:

Things seen are temporal but things unseen are eternal.

There is joy in self-forgetfulness. So I try to make the light in others' eyes my sun, the music in others' ears my symphony, the smile on others' lips my happiness. ...more

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Oct 12, 2008 Jenny rated it really liked it

An inspirational read! This great book should be read by all parents, teachers, and educators. If all children were taught through stories and playing as Helen was by Annie Sullivan, we would have an educational revolution and kids would enjoy learning.

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