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I've never before read such a sweetly-worded, lovely memoir. Helen Keller was a great writer! Her creative use of the English language and her reassurance to us that she lived a full and exciting life brought peace to my heart.
This memoir encompasses most of her life up until the time she attended Radcliffe College. It tells about her injury that left her unable to see or hear, and explains how she emerged from that to demonstrate great intelligence thanks to her dedicated teacher, Anne Sulliva ...more
This memoir encompasses most of her life up until the time she attended Radcliffe College. It tells about her injury that left her unable to see or hear, and explains how she emerged from that to demonstrate great intelligence thanks to her dedicated teacher, Anne Sulliva ...more
Helen Keller tells the stories of her unusual life. Keller shocked the world with her intelligence and her zest for life; people with disabilities in earlier times were shut away and never allowed to develop to their full potential. Keller befriended a Who's Who of the intellectual celebrities of her time, and much of the book describes her times with those folks. I was especially taken with the parts of the book where Keller details the ways she learned to communicate with others and to find ou
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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
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
How had a not read this before? Instant favorite. Pair this with my favorite podcast episode by Radiolab - Words- and you have an amazing all round experience. How could she write so well, and seem to have a keen understanding of the world? It's all in what words do to our brain. I wonder if her abilities with foreign language (something that really surprised me) had so much to do with her brain rewiring and using auditory and visual networks to instead master written language. Love her optimism
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Sep 23, 2018
Theresa Wright
marked it as to-read
Jul 19, 2019
Deborah
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Dec 03, 2023
Melanie Knight
marked it as to-read
Jun 26, 2025
Kathy
marked it as on-deck
