About this title: In this autobiography, initially published in 1903, Helen Keller recalls her remarkable life as a blind and deaf woman taught to communicate by Ann Sullivan. Here among other memories, Keller describes her epiphany at the water pump when she connected the physical world with its linguistic counterpart. Keller was eventually educated at Radcliffe University, where she graduated with honors.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: Not Stated
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: International Collectors Library, New York
Date Published: 1954
Description: Poor. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. International Collectors Library, New York, 1954, Poor/no jacket, hardcover. 8vo. Red Gilt binding has torn away from book, repaired with tape. GOOD READING COPY ONLY. Internally clean no marks. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Bantam Classics
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780553213874ISBN:0553213873
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Free upgrade to First Class mail. Clean and unmarked. Smooth and square cover. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 240 p. Audience: General/trade. Thanks for your order. read more
Description: Scholastic 33984 2001 3rd printing paperback CONDITION: VERY GOOD, pages a little toned o/w fine condition NOTES-Introduction by Robert Russell. read more
Edition: Reprint.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Dell
Date Published: 1974
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Book is straight & tight; Cover has very light edgewear; Name sticker on ffep; pages are clean and unmarked; 416 p. Includes index. Glued back softcover; Non-fiction; Autobiographical; Audience: General "ONE OF THE TRULY GREAT AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF OUR TIME...Unable to hear, and unable to see, Helen Keller discovered the world through her fingertips. Her achievement of difficult goals and her loving kindness have made her life an inspiration and a blessing to ... read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Dell
Date Published: 1974
Description: Fair. With a special foreword by Eleanor Roosevelt. 416 pp. Cover is shelf worn, frayed, creased. Ink writing last page and first page, last page torn. Interior browning. read more
"This short autobiography of Helen Keller (written when she was only 22) was compelling and, at times, moving. The fact that her experiences are vastly different from those of my own colors her story telling and brings life to mundane details of life.
Some parts of the story did drag, such as when she was defending herself against charges of plagiarizing a story she wrote when she was twelve years old, or the endless list of friends (some of them quite famous) that she thanks at the end of the book.
Some of her ideals, also, come across as incongruous, she revels in the life of the idle rich describing in great detail summer homes, and sail boats, and the expansive libraries of her friends and family while condemning those who live in fine houses for the reality of the miserable poor. Also, the statement (referring to the bible) that "For my part, I wish, with Mr. Howells, that the literature of the past might be purged of all that is ugly and barbarous in it" struck me as particularly wrongheaded and narcissistic.
Despite that poor sophistry of the last few chapter I really enjoyed this book and the wide eyed wonder that it conveyed."
"I originally began reading this with my 10 year old daughter thinking it was an "easy reader" type autobiography. That is not the case at all and we quit reading it part way through b/c it was boring for her and too difficult for me to read aloud to her b/c I had to keep stopping to explain so much. However, I kept reading after we quit, and I liked it so much better when reading it on my own.
Helen has such a unique perspective on life, and her writing is so poetic and reflective. She says herself, and I believe you can tell, that she was well read, and many of her own thoughts are "borrowed" from her readings, but only in the sense that her thoughts on things sound just like they came out of poetry, or a very elegant book. Near the end of the story when she lists some of the many books she has read, I began to understand why she wrote the way she did, but I loved it. Helen was a remarkable woman and achieved a lot more than most do with a full compliment of senses. To hear her story from her perspective was very interesting.
That said, there were many parts that were boring to me and I found myself glossing over. There were whole chapters where she presented a story about something but went into such great detail about a person and her opinion of that person/situation, that it was too much. It was almost as if she took the opportunity when writing this book to clear the air on certain events, or to pay tribute to someone, and it gave the feel of an editorial or personal letter, more than a telling of her own life story. While I can partially understand this, and it did lend a degree of personality, it also became boring.
Overall though, I thought this was an interesting read and very fast (when you're not trying to read it to a 10 year old). I do recommend it, Helen Keller was a remarkable woman, and the mere fact that she even wrote an autobiography warrants due credit."
"Written when Helen Keller was 22, "The Story of My Life" is about her life as a child and young lady. She was not born blind and deaf, but as a toddler suffered an illness that almost killed her and robbed her of her sight and hearing. Helen was seemingly unteachable and growing wilder each day until Helen's parents hired Anne Sullivan who was to become her beloved "Teacher". Helen became a proficient student, learning not only to read and write and speak, but also learning several languages eventually graduating from Radcliffe College.
This is an extraordinary book about an extraordinary woman. The book is divided into two parts: Keller's autobiography and her letters. Her autobiography is written a bit flowery, but is interesting as she describes her early years and how she tried to communicate with people and her increasing frustration when they couldn't understand her. She writes about how Anne Sullivan finally got her to understand the word for "water" and how she quickly learned other words after that breakthrough. She tackles what was a very painful time in her young life when she was accused of plagiarizing a story when she was only 11 years old. She ends her autobiography by describing the things she loves in life: reading (books that she loves and her favorite authors), history, languages, the outdoors, sailing and visiting friends.
As interesting as Keller's autobiography is, her letters reveal even more about her life. Printed in chronological order, starting when Helen was just 7 years old, the letters show how quickly her grammar and writing skills developed. In the autobiographical section of the book, it is easy to forget that Keller was deaf and blind as she writes about talking to people and things that she's seen. Her letters explain better how people communicated with her and even the toll it took on Anne Sullivan, who had continuous problems with her eyes. Her letters explain how she wrote letters using a special board and a regular pencil and how she was able to read people's lips and feel things in a museum to get an appreciation of art. Very interesting reading.
My only complaint about this wonderful book is the editing. The book was first published in 1903 and has been in print ever since, but I wonder when it was last edited. There are notations that a footnote will follow but there is no footnote. There are mentions of people who were well known in Helen's time, but today's readers might not know how they were and footnotes should have been used to explain who they were, starting with Laura Bridgman who apparently was the inspiration for much of the education the young Helen got. Also, Helen raised money for the education of a blind and deaf boy, but there was no mention of what happened to him later in life.
Editing aside, this is a wonderful, inspirational book and I highly recommend it."
"This book is screaming empowerment. Helen Keller was able to accomplish more than almost all of us with her twice handicap. She was involved in the suffrage movement besides. Her accomplishments are phenomenal. She learned not only how to speak, but how to speak different languages. Her educational degrees are beyond impressive, especially since it was during a time when women weren't educated.
This book is written in the aura of a gifted writer. Her words are eloquent and her perspective is intelligence. Just the magic of how she weaves the language is a distraction as you read through it because you never leave the fact behind that she is both deaf and blind. In a way it is a distraction, but that is to its credit.
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