Introduction.
Helen was born in June of 1880 in a tiny town in northem Alabama, She was nineteen months old and
hha just begun to talk when she contracted an unnamed disease, described by her doctor only as “acute congestion of
the stomach and brain.” The doctor's prognosis was that Helen would not live. She pulled through, but not before the
disease had robbed her of her sight and hearing.
Helen was fortunate to have been born to loving and patient (and apparently well-to-do) parents who made every effort
to stimulate the senses left to Helen and to seek help when it was time to educate her. At the suggestion of a family
fiend, Alexander Graham Bell, the family contacted Boston's Perkins Institute for the Blind, which sent Anne Sullivan
to tutor Helen. Anne Sullivan would later be called “The Miracle Worker," and a movie by the same name would reflect
the story in this book (and win an Oscar for a very young Patty Duke.)
Blossoming under Anne's insightful instruction, Helen went on not only to pass the entrance exams for Radcliffe
college but to graduate from this prestigious educational institution in 1904. Finishing Radcliffe alone was quite an
accomplishment for a woman of that time, but for a deaf and blind woman, the accomplishment was nothing less than
wu Helen Keller probably needs no introduction, but if perchance you have not heard of her, here is a briefsuper human. Modestly, in her life story, she gives all the credit to her family, Alexander Graham Bell and Anne
Sullivan,
‘The most surprising thing about Helen Keller's autobiography is how literate she is. The most enjoyable aspect of The
Story of My Life is her passion for books. She discusses her favorite classics which she read in English, Greek, Latin,
French and German. She mentioned that it was difficult to get books in Braille, and when she was required by a course
to read a certain work that was not yet published in Braille, Anne Sullivan would have to spell out the book in the palm
of Helen's hand so that she could keep up with her class. When Helen did get hold of a Braille book, she devoured it.
What a joy it must have been to read to herself, possibly 50 times faster than Anne could communicate the words to her
through finger signing, Helen also mentions her other "best friend," the typewriter, which allowed her to write her school
Papers and later her book.
Another enjoyable aspect of The Story of My Life is that if you ever feel sorry for yourself for what you don 't have or
what you are currently struggling with, your deficiencies and struggles may suddenly seem minor in comparison to
Helen's.
‘The version of The Story of My Life offered by Girlebooks includes selected letters and reports that demonstrate Helen
's gradual mastery of the English language, including punctuation. If you do not have time to read all of them, |recommend that you scan them to see her journey from minimally literate to accomplished writer. A third section
includes the reports aiven by Anne Sullivan, which will aive further insiaht into Helen's proaress as a student. —