The Story of My Life (Dover Large Print Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: Helen Keller
Publisher: Dover Publications
Category: Book
List Price: $8.95
Buy New: $4.17
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Avg. Customer Rating:  67 reviews
Sales Rank: 961267
Format: Large Print
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 158
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 9 x 5.9 x 0.4
ISBN: 0486422496
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.41092
EAN: 9780486422497
ASIN: 0486422496
Publication Date: April 9, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: New. No dust jacket as issued. Slight shelf wear to cover. New book. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 158 p. Dover Large Print Classics. Audience: General/trade.
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Amazon.com Review
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
Product Description
Left blind, deaf, and mute after an illness in infancy, Helen Keller overcame her disabilities with the help of Anne Sullivan, her inspired teacher. Her classic autobiography, first published in 1903, covers her first 22 years. This deeply moving memoir offers an unforgettable portrait of one of the 20th century's most remarkable women.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 62 more reviews...
 more thoughtful than what one could imagine August 7, 2008
I'm astonished by the one star comments! These people should at least read a story about the way human language emerged and evolved to writing and reading. Maybe "How Writing Came About" by Denise Schmandt-Besserat and perhaps they would start understanding the unimaginable effort done by Helen and the uniqueness of her testimony, as so well expounded by Konrad Lorentz.
Some time ago I had the great opportunity to exchange some emails about this subject with prof. Harold Bloom. Prof. Bloom, who knows very well the story of Helen, suggest that we have not only an internal ear but even an internal eye that allowed Helen to deeply understand the classics she read: her comments are short but so deep. One last remark, a recent book " Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain" by Maryanne Wolf could be very useful to better understand the key role of Helen Keller (and Anne Sullivan!).
Excellent bio on Hellen Keller May 19, 2008
Great book about a great lady who was blind and deaf. She had many struggles but became a speaker and a writter. I received the book right away without any problem, and it great condition.
One of the greatest books of all time February 15, 2008
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 September 3, 2007
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. May 20, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
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