Helen Keller's story is truly remarkable. I first heard about her from one of my teachers in school and also from the world-renowned lecturer Dr. Ibrahim Al-Faqih. I searched for her story for a long time, but I could only find an electronic version of it. In my opinion, it is a very interesting story. What's strange is that as a reader, you may not notice that the story was written by a blind and deaf girl because she feels and sees things with her heart. You may also not notice the time difference between Helen Keller's era and ours because she completed her university education and became a well-known and socially active person despite her visual and hearing impairments. Perhaps the women of her time did not have such ambition.

Helen was born on June 27, 1880, and passed away in 1968. She wrote this book with her own hands when she was a university student.

I was impressed by the translation because it was accurate as I had hoped. I wanted to know more about her personal life after her university studies. I was able to learn some other information from YouTube and watched some short documentaries about her. From my research on her personality, I also learned that she loved a person named Peter, who became her personal assistant and private secretary when Anne Sullivan left her and went to Puerto Rico. During that time, feelings of love developed between them, but her family and guardians were watching her closely, so her dream of marrying her beloved Peter did not come true. Poor Helen.

There is also an animated film that tells the story of her life. For those who are interested in knowing her inspiring story, they can watch this movie.

The third book for the 2016 challenge.

When the impossible becomes possible...

This is a concept that has the power to inspire and amaze. It challenges our preconceived notions and makes us question what we thought was truly achievable.

Throughout history, there have been countless examples of the impossible becoming possible. From the first flight to the landing on the moon, humans have continuously pushed the boundaries of what was once considered unthinkable.

When we face seemingly insurmountable challenges, it is important to remember that the impossible is often just a matter of perspective. With determination, creativity, and a willingness to take risks, we can find ways to turn the impossible into the possible.

So, the next time you are faced with a situation that seems impossible, don't give up. Instead, look for new solutions, think outside the box, and believe that anything is possible.

Because when the impossible becomes possible, it is a moment that can change the world.

I remember vividly reading this memoir during my childhood and thoroughly relishing every moment of it. So, when I came across it as a Classic, my eagerness to revisit Helen's astonishing life knew no bounds.

I had completely forgotten that she was merely 18 months old when a mysterious illness cruelly deprived her of both hearing and sight. However, the frustration, anger, and the fits of rage that she would fly into, those details I can recall with great clarity.

Helen Keller was an extraordinary child, driven by an unwavering determination to learn everything within her reach. And with the arrival of her teacher, Miss Sullivan, when she was approximately seven years old, her journey of learning truly began. Miss Sullivan was undoubtedly a remarkable woman, possessing seemingly endless patience and a calm demeanor when dealing with a child who was lost in her dark and silent world. As Miss Sullivan started teaching her words by spelling them into Helen's hand with her own, one could witness her world gradually expanding. The significance of her first learned word, "water," had such a profound impact on Helen and, consequently, on the reader as well. Her only remaining senses, touch and smell, developed with great intensity. With these, along with the feeling of vibration in the air (during a thunderstorm, for example) and on the ground (when a door slammed), and her teacher's "words," her learning and growing knowledge accelerated.

Helen had an innate passion for language and mastered German, French, and Latin in addition to English. Truly remarkable indeed! The account of the years she spent with Miss Sullivan, traveling to schools for the blind, her friends who supported her, and her mentors throughout her childhood and into adulthood make this memoir an absolute delight to read. Helen Keller was not only an amazing child but also a remarkable woman who, despite her afflictions, triumphed over them and discovered a profound love for life and for the people around her.

The series of letters she wrote, which are published at the end of the memoir, vividly showcase her progress with words as time elapsed. From the simple letters of a very young child to the more sophisticated ones, one can clearly observe the knowledge and joy she derived from words.

I wholeheartedly recommend "The Story of my Life" by Helen Keller to everyone. It is a captivating and inspiring read that will leave a lasting impression.

Helen Keller had a severe illness at 19 months old, which left her deaf and blind. It is truly hard to imagine losing just one of those senses, but to lose both must have been an unbearable sensory deprivation.

It is understandable that Helen felt the need to lock her mother in her room. Luckily for her, she had an understanding family that was wealthy enough to afford a tutor. This tutor helped her learn all the subjects a hearing and sighted child would learn and more.

The book is an inspiring one, full of evocative descriptions. I would have liked to have had more information on the teaching methods. I can understand how a doll could be passed and 'doll' written on Helen's palm, but I would have been very interested in learning how words involving concepts were taught.

There is a shocking episode involving a court case against Helen at the age of 12, which is unbelievable. She achieved an amazing amount in the period the book covered. I would love to read about how Helen's life progressed after her early 20's.

This was incredibly disappointing.

Ms. Keller's book is too lighthearted. It seems as if she has sugarcoated her entire experience.

I have an immense respect for people who live, learn, and succeed against all odds. However, Ms. Keller's account of her early years is all sunshine and daisies.

It is not believable or real. We all know that there must have been heartache, anger, and frustration in her daily life, but she fails to mention any of it.

Instead, she goes into way too much detail describing flowers, people, and books she likes. There is no substance to her story.

Uggh... and I really wanted to like it :(

It feels like she is not being honest about her true experiences. I was hoping for a more in-depth and emotional account of her life, but unfortunately, this book did not deliver.

I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a real and meaningful story.

I just wish I had half her eagerness to learn.

And even a smidgeon of her abilities, resilience, joie de vivre and determination.

While reading about her, I was constantly wondering.

How can a blind and deaf person exhibit such a rich vocabulary and such detailed images of the world around us?

It's truly astonishing.

I find myself comparing myself to her, and I hope nothing's wrong with me for being jealous of her.

Her achievements are remarkable, considering the challenges she has faced.

Maybe I should learn from her and strive to be more like her in terms of determination and a love for learning.

Rather than being jealous, I should use her as an inspiration to push myself further.

Who knows, perhaps one day I too can achieve great things.

This is my “Celebrity Memoir” book which I chose to fill the Book Riot Read Harder challenge for 2018.

Helen Keller was indeed rather famous in her era. She holds the remarkable distinction of being the first deaf-blind person to earn a BA degree. I firmly believe that she is still highly admired by numerous individuals within the deaf community.

I don't find it astonishing that she was an enthusiastic reader. Once her teacher, Miss Sullivan, achieved the breakthrough that enabled Helen's education to commence, reading became an activity she could engage in independently at her own pace. Just like all of us, she could gain knowledge on various subjects that piqued her interest.

However, I was truly surprised by her profound love for poetry. For me, poetry is closely associated with hearing it. I often read it aloud to fully appreciate its beauty. Since Helen couldn't hear it, she must have possessed an extremely refined sense of the rhythm of the words. Perhaps she could perceive many more subtleties in it than I can. I was also astounded by the number of languages she managed to master, including German, French, Latin, and Greek. I truly wish I had the same ease with languages. I struggle to maintain my limited knowledge of French and Spanish!

I couldn't help but notice how significantly the natural world and companion animals were an integral part of her life. The scents of the garden or the seaside served as means of opening up her world. Her pet cats, dogs, and horses provided unwavering and non-judgmental companionship.

I had hoped that this was the very story of Ms. Keller that I read during my childhood, but it turned out to be a different work. I think the book I was familiar with was based on the life of her teacher, Anne Sullivan. I earnestly hope to track it down someday for a nostalgic read. I vividly remember reading it numerous times as a child and having a deep affection for it.

The story of Helen Keller is an excellent example of overcoming and perseverance, and another great woman who participated in her achievements is her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Since I knew her story through its cinematic version, I was completely fascinated (the 1962 version, please). A little girl becomes blind and deaf due to an illness and grows up isolated and incommunicado from the world until her teacher, also with vision problems, manages to rescue her from the shadows and silence.

I don't know how much of what we can see in the movie The Miracle of Anna Sullivan is true because this book skims over the years before Helen's "awakening", focusing on everything that the movie doesn't tell, on what happens after the episode of the well.

I was surprised by the way Helen describes sounds and landscapes when she speaks. It's really as if she had seen or heard them herself through her senses. Again, her teacher, of whom she speaks with total and absolute adoration, is an important part of her learning and the acquisition of new knowledge and sensations. This first part of her biography is the one I liked the most.

The second part, on the other hand, didn't convince me as much. It is a compilation of letters written by the author in which we can appreciate the evolution of her pen, of her way of expressing herself: first very simple and basic and that evolves towards a much richer and more elaborate writing. The form is the most interesting because the content is quite simple and common, and it doesn't provide any especially relevant data.

After reading, I wanted to give it only two stars because I expected much more. Maybe I came with preconceived ideas from the movie and all the feelings it gave me, or maybe the second part deflated me as much as a balloon, and I usually keep the final feeling it leaves me with. But I can't give it less than three stars, it's fair.

That's for sure, Helen and Anne deserve all the stars that can be given.

Miss Sullivan hugged me affectionately and wrote in my hand "I love Helen". "What is love?", I asked. She pulled me towards her and, putting her hand on my heart, which I had never felt beating before, she said: "This that is happening here". ♥

It is a truly charming story.

Moreover, if I hadn't been aware that it was a true story, I might not have necessarily believed it.

Yes, indeed, it is a beautiful book on the surface. However, as I was reading it, I gradually got bored.

This book has a certain length, but the way the author tells his or her life is not especially interesting.

The latter part also lacks a particular style that could make us feel close to the characters, thus making the story less moving.

It's such a pity because she had the potential to turn it into a book filled with life and emotions, a book that could give us hope and bring tears to our eyes.

Yes, it's really too bad that it didn't reach its full potential.

**"A Story of Persistence and Struggle"**

This story is truly inspiring. It calls for perseverance and acceptance of what is written. Rarely do you find a person who is deaf, blind, and mute! Her words about hardships and the education system in the university amazed me. She thought that readers would laugh at her opinion and mock her. But no, it is the truth, and she has expressed it better than many of us. It made me feel ashamed on a personal level. She has mastered German and knows French to a great extent. She also has an understanding of Latin and Greek. While I only master English and can't even read it well (in fact, not very well at all), and I'm only familiar with the basics of German.

I highly recommend this story.

Is there a danger that one day you will have to learn pronunciation again and be happy with every letter that comes out of your throat?
Has the idea crossed your mind to feel all things or have a feeling in your heart that you sense they are filled with a life full of spirit?
Have you longed to seek beauty in a fallen leaf from a tree or in those flowers that bloom on the branches of trees in spring or in the flow of cold water on both your hands?!!
Do you lack patience or consider yourself a very patient person to learn new things and want to see that there are still many lessons of patience and of will and passion to teach a person or assist him to release him from his prison to freedom to the fullness of knowledge and dream?!
Do you long to remember how you break down the walls of the impossible with will and how you allow yourself to paint your dream above the stars despite the circumstances, despite any obstacle?!
Do you need to know the joy of true passion to expand your capabilities, enduring hardships, conquering everything that opposes your path?!!
If you, all you have to do is read the story of Helen Keller, not just her story but the story of her teacher Anne Sullivan as well, which caught my attention and admiration for her courage, her breadth of heart, and her ability to give without limit and her iron will to help Helen, who proved that the impossible is in front of a person's desire. But I hope from you that you do not read this story with your eyes only but with your heart and with all your senses as if you were Helen and you were the teacher and you lived through its events and feelings.

A lovely, quotable book, similar to the writing of L.M. Montgomery.

However, this is also what bothers me about it.

When I first read this, many years ago, I was deeply impressed by all the poetic imagery. And it is truly remarkable that she was so proficient in the language of sight and sound. But reading the book now? All those bells, crickets, and clouded, blue skies... they just make me feel sad. She wasn't meeting us halfway. She was meeting us all the way.

She herself touches on the problem: At that time I eagerly absorbed everything I read without a thought of authorship, and even now I cannot be quite sure of the boundary line between my ideas and those I find in books. I suppose that is because so many of my impressions come to me through the medium of others' eyes and ears.

But more than that, she had merged with her caretakers. The "story of [her] life" is essentially the story she'd been told: Helen, the burdensome invalid; Helen, the grateful student; Helen, under the bright, blue sky.

This passage details her family's reaction upon hearing her speak for the first time: My eyes fill with tears now as I think of how my mother pressed me close to her, speechless and trembling with delight, taking in every syllable that I spoke, while little Mildred seized my free hand and kissed it and danced, and my father expressed his pride and affection in a big silence.

The implications are truly heartbreaking. In fact, learning to utter a single phrase required hours upon hours of grueling repetition. Pleasing her family often seemed to be her only motivation.

She could never truly express what she, alone, knew for the simple reason that there was no language for what she knew. She had no culture of her own. And so, ultimately, she had no voice.

[Miss Sullivan] put the crab in a trough near the well where I was confident he would be secure. But next morning I went to the trough, and lo, he had disappeared! Nobody knew where he had gone, or how he had escaped. My disappointment was bitter at the time; but little by little I came to realize it was not kind or wise to force the poor dumb creature out of his element, and after a while I felt happy at the thought that maybe he had returned to the sea.