I've never before read such a sweetly-worded, lovely memoir.

Helen Keller was truly a remarkable and great writer.

Her creative and masterful use of the English language is simply astonishing.

Moreover, the way she reassures us that she lived a full and exciting life despite her disabilities brought a profound sense of peace to my heart.

This memoir comprehensively encompasses most of her life up until the time she attended Radcliffe College.

It vividly tells about the tragic injury that left her unable to see or hear, and then carefully explains how she managed to emerge from that dark situation and demonstrate great intelligence, all thanks to the unwavering dedication of her teacher, Anne Sullivan.

I especially found chapter 21 to be extremely interesting. It was all about the books she liked to read.

Reading and books were of utmost importance to her, but education, pets, and sports were also highly significant in her life.

There is an abundance of valuable lessons to be learned about Helen Keller from this memoir.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an inspiring and thought-provoking read.

Wow, what an inspiring person!

Helen was an incredibly brilliant woman. She had to overcome numerous obstacles that most people would never encounter in their entire lives. However, she not only overcame these difficulties but also achieved great success. She was able to learn multiple languages, including German, French, and even Latin, in addition to being an avid reader of English literature. Her achievements are truly remarkable and serve as an inspiration to us all. This is an amazingly well-written story that showcases Helen's determination and perseverance in the face of adversity. It is a story that will stay with us and remind us that anything is possible if we set our minds to it.

Disabled

I was reading the book and I felt that it was me who had a disability, not the author.

Her autobiography proves that there is no such thing as impossible.

If you want something badly enough, the whole universe will conspire to help you achieve your dreams.

Really.

I really enjoyed it and was really amazed.

I would forget about the disability and immerse myself with it, and then it would come back and remind me as if it wanted to tell us not to forget that I carry a disability.

Of all the things I've read.

Where I got the book: purchased from Amazon. A Book Wizards book club read.

This was one of those books I managed to miss reading during my childhood years. I wonder what impression it would have made on me then? It is, of course, Helen Keller’s own story. It tells how her teacher Annie Sullivan helped her escape the dark and silent world that an early illness had thrust her into. Annie taught the deaf and blind girl to communicate via touch and, eventually, speech.

I found many aspects of Helen’s story fascinating. Although I wasn’t entirely sure I would have liked Helen had I met her. She admits to being a tyrant in her early years. She bullied the little black girl who was assigned to serve her and vented her frustration on all those around her. I suspect that the amount of attention she received as she grew up probably left its mark. Despite the sugary-sweet language she uses in the style of her era. In an age where disability is seen as no bar to being out in the community, to employment and to acceptance, it’s hard to imagine how limited Helen’s prospects must have seemed when she was a child. And that was an aspect of things much discussed by the Book Wizards, who are all themselves cognitively disabled. And yet, then as now, the solution was money. Helen’s parents had the resources to employ a full-time, live-in teacher. This, combined with Helen’s high level of intelligence, determination and the gift of study, ensured that she was able to live up to her full potential. Teachers of the twenty-first century might note that Helen became proficient in several languages, both ancient and modern. How much we’ve lost!

The edition I’m reviewing (the “Restored Edition” from Modern Library) is an excellent one. It has plenty of photos. It’s amazing how many celebrities of the day Helen met. Another indication of her privileged life. And there are supplemental materials such as letters and a piece written by Annie Sullivan. I didn’t get round to reading them, but I’m hoping to at some point.

When I first heard that this was the book that served as the inspiration for The Miracle Worker, I truly believed that it would center around Anne Sullivan and the arduous process of surmounting the barriers of blindness and deafness to reach Helen Keller. I can recall only hazy details of the play (and the movie) from my middle school days, but I remember thinking at that time how fascinating it all was.

However, this was not the case with this particular book. What this book delves into is Keller's life subsequent to all the events depicted in The Miracle Worker. And that is entirely acceptable. I completely understand why Keller desired to share these moments of her life. It's just that it wasn't what I had initially anticipated it to be about, and as a result, it couldn't really capture and hold my attention. I'll confess that it is indeed challenging for a non-fiction book to truly engage me and maintain my focus, and this book simply wasn't the right fit for me.

Perhaps for others who are more interested in Keller's life after the well-known events, this book might prove to be a captivating read. But for me, it fell short of my expectations and failed to keep me thoroughly engrossed.

Well, I'm back at work at home!

Spreadsheets are on the agenda, which means I have the luxury of listening to a book while I'm working.

Helen Keller - I adored the film "The Miracle Worker." It's an incredible story, but it's just a fraction of the whole picture, a very small part indeed.

The real story is truly remarkable. The intelligence of Helen Keller, her unwavering eagerness to learn - not just to understand and talk, but to master German and French, spending countless hours of extra work to do so.

Her teacher, Mrs Sullivan, dedicated hours and had infinite patience in teaching her to understand. She worked with her for so many years, attending numerous classes and painstakingly spelling countless different and difficult words onto Helen Keller's hand.

The teachers, her friends, and her sheer determination in learning all contributed to her leading a happy and fulfilling life.

Overall, the book is brilliant. However, many of the later chapters are a bit cumbersome, as they explain the books she had read in English, French, and German. There are chapters on the books she loved, but not enough about the life she led outside of school and college.

Nevertheless, you can't help but admire this amazing woman. I managed to listen to the whole book in one day.

The book was composed of her own story that she wrote, along with the dialogues she wrote either for her teachers or her family, and also some words from people about her like Mark Twain and others.

Her story was surely fascinating, but the other parts were long and boring for me.

After a while, I came across a video of her where she was talking and interacting in a certain way, and there were also two films about her life and a documentary as well.

I found the video quite interesting as it gave a different perspective on her. It showed her personality and how she engaged with others. The films and the documentary also added to my understanding of her life and the events that shaped her. Overall, although the book had its dull moments, the additional resources like the video and the films made me more interested in her story.

I think it's important to explore different mediums when learning about someone or something, as each one can offer unique insights and details. In this case, the video and the films enhanced my appreciation for her work and her life.

I'm looking forward to seeing if there are any other materials available that can further expand my knowledge of her.

Helen Keller is an incredibly inspiring figure. She was a courageous, audacious, and strong woman. Her story is one of great determination and perseverance.

She had an amazing friend and teacher, Ann, who helped her break free from the dark prison of her disabilities.

It is truly difficult to imagine what it would be like to be blind, deaf, and mute all at the same time. Just thinking about it makes one realize how precious our senses are.

Helen Keller is the embodiment of the famous expression "thinking outside the box." She was able to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and achieve great things.

She even had the ability to teach normal people valuable lessons. Her story is a reminder to us all to appreciate what we have and to never give up.

Rest in peace, Helen Keller. Your legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.

This is a sweet and inspiring thin book. It has just over 100 pages, excluding the Letters portion, and I finished it in just two days. Despite being both deaf and blind, Helen was able to receive a good education and assist those in the same plight as she was.

This autobiography was penned by Helen in 1903, yet its powerful message - that physical deformity need not be an obstacle to fulfilling one's dreams - still holds true for generations to come. In my view, a book can be considered a classic if it imparts a lesson that can transcend time and generations. I don't simply read for entertainment; rather, I always strive to glean something from the hours spent immersed in a book.

Helen may not be the greatest female writer (thus far, Ayn Rand and Louisa May Alcott are my favorites), but I firmly believe that at some point in our lives, we should set aside some time to read this sweet and inspiring thin book. Fortunately, I don't have any blind relatives, but I just can't bear to think that if someone close to me were in the same situation as Helen, it would be truly heartbreaking.

Review and Evaluation

My Life Story

Helen Keller

Autobiography

Translated by Dr. Anwar Youssef

Published by Al-Rafidain Publishing House

459 pages with a photo appendix

Evaluation: 4.5 / 5

Preface:

Often, suffering, especially that which occurs at the beginning of life, is one of the reasons for shaping a person's personality. It either makes them resilient and strong or makes them extremely fragile. But is the reason only due to the nature of that person's personality or to the factors that may be in their hands?!

Helen Keller, the girl who was born healthy like any other child, enjoying full health and well-being until she was 19 months old. Then, she was struck by scarlet fever, which took away her sight and hearing after a few days!!

Helen was an extremely stubborn, difficult-to-handle, and wild girl, even with her playmates, constantly temper tantrums and crying. Then, Anne Sullivan came to be her personal teacher and made a huge change in Helen's personality. But as for her excellence, to whom does the credit go?!

This book will take us to learn about that and more. You will see how Helen's skills developed, how she started reading, the role that Anne Sullivan played, and how she simplified things for her as much as possible. We will also see how Helen began writing and the shock she experienced at that time and how she coped with it.

Evaluation:

I had previously read the author's book #IfICouldSeeForThreeDays, and it was truly influential.

As for this book, it is really wonderful. I was impressed by Helen's perseverance and tenacity, her beautiful messages, and also the spirit and faith that Anne Sullivan had towards Helen and her ideas that were ahead of her time. Regarding the translation, it was extremely beautiful. I liked it very much and it left me with this question: "Would Helen have been a great personality if Anne Sullivan had not been with her?" Was one of them more credited than the other, or were they both complementary to a great success project... I leave it to you to judge that when reading the book.

Have you read this book before or watched the movie about this personality?!

The review and quotes are on the Instagram page

I have always held Helen Keller in the highest regard. How could one not? She is an extraordinary woman. I did a report on her in grade school, and although I have forgotten many details of her life over the years, what I learned about her perseverance and strength of spirit left a profound and lasting impression on me.

Helen Keller's spirit truly shines through in this short yet beautifully written memoir, which she penned at the tender age of 22 while attending Radcliffe College. It is truly remarkable.

Most people are aware that Helen lost her sight and hearing at a very young age, before she was even 2, after suffering from a mysterious illness that her doctors didn't think she would survive. It wasn't until several years later, when she was almost 7, that her beloved teacher, Miss Sullivan, arrived and introduced her to the world of language and, by extension, the world at large.

I found it utterly fascinating to learn about Helen's memories of those many years after she first became blind and deaf and before she learned language. How does one make sense of a world she cannot see or hear before she even has the words to conceptualize it? It was amazing to me that she was able to understand so much about her surroundings at such a young age, relying essentially only on touch, smell, and vibration.

I was also intrigued to discover how Miss Sullivan was able to patiently and thoroughly introduce Helen to all the many complexities of language, including even abstract thoughts such as love, to a child who, up until that point, had no real idea that such things existed. Even more remarkable is that Helen not only fully mastered English but also French, German, and Latin.

Helen's love of language is clearly evident in her rich, descriptive writing. While one reviewer may have called it "too flowery," I thought her words were often poetic and evocative.

Perhaps what I found most remarkable of all was Helen's incredible sense of awe and wonder for the world. At times, her joy for life seemed to radiate from the pages. Although she admits to moments of extreme isolation and sadness, she writes, "Is it not true then, that my life, with all its limitations, touches at many points the light of the world beautiful? Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content." And later, "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."

This is ultimately a story of her life, as the title aptly suggests, so those looking solely for a book on what it is like to be deaf and blind may be disappointed. But after all, that is truly Helen's legacy - that she led such a rich and fulfilling life despite being blind and deaf.

This is an interesting book

in that it exactly fails to answer the question that you wish it would answer: what is it like to be both blind and deaf?

Of course her education was marvelous and it is amazing that a young woman with those disabilities was able to overcome them and become a productive member of society. However, I found that the book focused much more on "how I became normal" instead of on "how my life is different."

I found the prose to be a bit flowery (perhaps a product of the era? Perhaps a product of an over-eager Anne Sullivan? Perhaps a product of an over-eager editor?). And, well, completely unfocused.

I'm genuinely sorry that I did not like this book better. Such an amazing accomplishment should be commended--writing your autobiography as a blind and deaf woman. It's truly a remarkable feat. But unfortunately, the book didn't quite meet my expectations. I was hoping for a more in-depth exploration of her unique experiences and perspectives. Instead, it seemed to gloss over some of the more interesting aspects and focus on more mundane details. Maybe it was because of the time period in which it was written, or maybe it was due to the influence of those around her. But whatever the reason, I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.