false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178681160m/821611.jpg 821611 83 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 <I>The Story of My Life</I>. 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.<p> 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 <I>w-a-t-e-r</I> 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. <p> In her lovingly crafted and deeply perceptive autobiography, Keller's joyous spirit is most vividly expressed in her connection to nature:<p> <blockquote> 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.... </blockquote><p> 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 <I>The Story of My Life</I> 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. <I>--Shawn Carkonen</I> 1602613 1903 The Story of My Life (Bantam Classic) total:1736|5:521|4:628|3:480|2:86|1:21| 1736 6750 2592 182 5 3 false false Thu Mar 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 06 07:18:06 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 26 06:57:57 -0700 2009
...more...]]> 5 2 false false Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Sun Nov 02 20:00:33 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 02 20:00:33 -0800 2008 more...]]> 1 2 false false Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Tue Jul 24 14:50:16 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 24 14:56:35 -0700 2007
Of course her education was marvelous and it is amazing that a young woman with those disabilities was able to overcome them and become a...more...]]> 3 1 false false Tue Mar 11 12:24:21 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 07 16:58:34 -0700 2008
She may have been a greatly accomplished acti...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Feb 24 09:18:26 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 09:18:36 -0800 2008
This edition was in three parts. The first is a series of installments originally written for the ...more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 13 16:40:07 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 13 16:47:41 -0700 2007
I thought it was quite interesting. It's not very long, so it reads very fast. Helen had that very formal writing style that you s...more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Nov 26 12:02:32 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 26 12:04:51 -0800 2008
But it's hard to feel sorry for yourself when reading Keller's remarkable story. To paraphrase Faulkner, she didn't just survi...]]> 5 1 false false Tue May 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 21 19:19:55 -0700 2008 Tue May 13 09:12:29 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sat Apr 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Dec 22 11:02:44 -0800 2008 Sat Apr 25 04:24:00 -0700 2009
Truly, she a...more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Sep 18 19:41:51 -0700 2007 Thu Nov 01 15:07:27 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Mar 25 13:32:08 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 25 13:35:58 -0700 2008 This was great. How can you not hep but feel uplifted by the power of the human spirit after reading about Helen Keller's life. I love how she describes her love of nature and how she can feel the moon on her face in the evenings. The only disappointment was s...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Nov 13 05:59:19 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 13 06:00:49 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Oct 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 16 19:41:49 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 16 19:57:27 -0700 2009
Some parts of the story did drag, such ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Sep 06 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Thu Aug 13 14:37:27 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 13 14:38:17 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Feb 22 19:45:21 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 19:48:11 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 22:28:06 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 06:48:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Thu Jun 18 10:50:20 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 11:44:17 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue May 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 05:17:12 -0700 2009 Wed May 27 03:28:09 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Oct 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 28 09:43:27 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 10:24:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Nov 29 06:22:36 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 29 06:28:01 -0800 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=821611