The Story of my life; with her letters (1887-1901) and a supplementary account of her education, including passages from the reports and letters of her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan by Helen Keller

The Story of my life; with her letters (1887-1901) and a supplementary account of her education, including passages from the reports and letters of her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan Reviews

• 
  T. R.

  I very much loved reading this, especially learning about her childhood and her love of writing. I felt deeply connected to Helen in many ways. I've always loved hearing her story of how she learned to communicate, but never knew how much of a writer she truly was until I read this book. If you want to get to know Helen more, this provides it.
• 
  Lori

  This memoir by Helen Keller spans over the first 21 years of her life. She writes about getting ill at 19 months and losing both her hearing and sight. She is trapped in her world and lashing out trying to communicate. Annie Sullivan comes to their home hired to get through to the child. She starts finger spelling but it takes weeks almost months before Helen makes the connection of that these letters mean words and stand for something. when that spark hits it opens up a whole new world for her. This book is in Helen's own words. she writes about learning quickly and her eagerness to learn to communicate learn languages and different subjects. very interesting to read her own words and where she went to be educated for school and then college at Radcliff. Very impressive. there are also letters written by Helen she sent to people she knew. I just wish she came back and added on more years. If you want to learn more about Helen Keller's first 21 years, this is a good one.
  
• 
  Elsa K

  I didn't get to finish all the extra material because someone had it on hold at the library, so I had to return it. Isn't that weird? Some of the reading was a little boring. But overall I enjoyed hearing her triumph. I especially enjoyed the entries by Anne Sullivan and seeing her love and dedication for Helen. I can't even imagine all they accomplished. I found this book inspiring- working hard amidst suffering and overcoming obstacles through education and love. A very interesting life!
• 
  Danielle

  Ms. Keller's autobiography (the first part of this book) was wordy and sometimes tedious to read (lists of her favorite literature, lists of people who have helped or influenced her). However, her account of her childhood was interesting. Most fascinating though were the letters written by her, as her skill with language developed, and written about her by Ms. Sullivan.
  
  Anne Sullivan was a teacher to be admired. Her methods should be studied and considered by every person who finds themselves guiding young people through education. I found her account especially relevant to my work as a kindergarten ESL teacher. It was exciting to read things that rang so true to my experience, and so well articulated! I highlighted a zillion passages.
• 
  Jennifer

  I have finished this, except for her letters.
  
  Helen Keller was an amazing woman who overcame so many difficulties. Just as amazing, if not more so, was her dedicated teacher Anne Sullivan. I find it impressive that Helen could learn so many things, especially abstract concepts. I can't even begin to imagine how isolating her life was before she could communicate.
  
  About this book, I wish there was a follow up later in life, as this was written when Keller was only 22 years old, and she still had much to experience and from which to grow. I'd recommend reading a biography as a companion book to her autobiography.
  
  Favorite quotes:
  
  "Just as the wonder-working mantle of the Nautilus changes the material it absorbs from the water and makes it a part of itself, so the bits of knowledge one gathers undergo a similar change and become pearls of thought."
  
  "In a word, literature is my Utopia. Here I am not disfranchised. No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious discourse of my book-friends. They talk to me without embarrassment or awkwardness. The things I have learned and the things I have been taught seem of ridiculously little importance compared with their "large loves and heavenly charities."
  
  ". . . One painful duty fulfilled makes then next plainer and easier." (life lesson Keller learned from Mrs. Hutton)
  
  "Thus it is that my friends have made the story of my life. In a thousand ways they have turned my limitations into beautiful privileges, and enabled me to walk serene and happy in the shadow cast by my deprivation."
• 
  Ela

  “Knowledge is love and light and vision.”
  
  Excerpt From
  The Story of My Life (1887-1901)
  
  She is one to look up to.
• 
  Christina

  This book includes
  The Story of My Life, followed by a collection of letters written by
  Helen Keller, then a collection of reports and letters written by Helen's teacher, Anne Sullivan. I found Anne's letters by far the most interesting part of the book. The letters and autobiography written by Helen herself give interesting insights into her mind, and she has accomplished amazing things, but Anne is able to give more insight into Helen's education and how she was able to accomplish amazing things.
  
  I reviewed Helen's autobiography separately, and will just say here that I was disappointed because I was hoping for more insights into her disabilities.
  
  Her letters, again, seemed to simply show her personality. She is a charming young woman, but the letters could have been written by any young woman with a her education and writing ability. She does not go into much detail about her experiences. Because they are written to a variety of people, the letters are often redundant.
  
  The third section of the book was completely fascinating. Anne Sullivan is such a commendable teacher. She goes into detail about how she was able to work with Helen.
• 
  Mei

  This book needs to be broken into 3 parts, the first being Helen Keller's account of her life up until college and her letters, the second being Anne Sullivan's letters regarding Helen's early education and the third being a rather lengthy editorial of an external view (John Macy's) of Helen and parts of her education, finally dwelling on a particular issue that occurred during her school years ("The Frost King", which gives nothing away, but should give enough detail to anyone who has read the story!).
  
  If this book only had the first two parts, I would have given it four stars. With the final part of Macy's addendum, it is LONG, and a large amount of it unnecessary to me. Perhaps it was necessary at the time? Or maybe Macy felt left out? I have no idea.
  
  In either case, Helen Keller's writing is attractive and she clearly provides a window into her life and details only she could provide. It's incredibly interesting, too, to read her letters and see the growth and improvement and finally to read Anne Sullivan's letters and consider her teaching method and how wonderfully it worked for Helen and really, how wonderfully it might work for all children, compared to current schooling.
  
• 
  Mike

  Very interesting book. Today we focus on Helen Keller's disabilities and ignore the person. Contrary to popular conception she wasn't some sort of simpleton, but highly intelligent and opinionated. She was well spoken (yes she learned to speak), could write very well, and fluent in several languages. We also overlook the contribution her teacher made to education and how devoted Miss Sullivan was to Helen. Both were remarkable women.
  
  The book is in three parts: Her autobiography, a collection of her letters, and observations from her teacher and the books editor. All were interesting but her letters were the slowest part for me as they recapitulated some of the autobiography and the early ones were (understandably) very disjointed. That being said, they did shed light onto how she lived her life and the methods she used to get by in the world.
  
  My only disappointment with the book is that it only covered her life through her second year at college. In other books I've read I learned she became involved in "radical politics" (socialism) and I'm curious as to the details on that part of her life. I'll have to find a book about this part of her life.
• 
  Jessica López-Barkl

  I finished this book awhile ago when I was playing Annie Sullivan in THE MIRACLE WORKER. It was a lovely read. I think that we so often get Helen Keller's perspective, but there were some amazing letters that Anne Sullivan sent to her benefactress in Cape Cod that gave a very different perspective on Helen and how she worked with her. I openly laughed several times in the recounting of Helen's discoveries. One in particular still stands out, I'll paraphrase...Helen was reading some Grimm's Fairy Tales and she came across the word "Grandfather". She wasn't sure what it was so she asked Annie, and then Annie told her. Helen asked if she had a "Grandfather" and Annie wasn't sure so she told her to ask her mother. She went to ask her mother and she said that he was "dead". Well, Helen really didn't understand anything about death except that her father killed deer and the like for dinner. So...Helen said, "I will eat grandfather."
• 
  Amy

  A remarkable true story!
  
  Helen Keller’s writing has a very poetic and introspective quality to it. I really enjoyed hearing her voice. This story puts flesh and blood to a hero of almost mythical proportions. Her determination in the face of physical opposition was amazing and her humbleness in admitting trials and the occasional defeat honest. She has no sense of entitlement only gratitude, which is truly incredible to see.
  
  Reading this book puts into sharp relief what Miss Sullivan must have given up and makes me even more curious about Anne Sullivan herself. Reading her letters and reports was my favorite part of the book. It gave a more complete picture of the sacrifice and love Miss Sullivan had for Helen.
  
  I am only giving the book three stars, because it just couldn’t keep my attention for any real length of time. I really got bogged down in the letters by Helen section. While they show her progress over time, there were just too many of them.
  
• 
  Orna

  Incredible. This is one of my favorite reads. It is an enjoyable read, but it also gives me so much food for thought! I had to rethink all my previous assumptions about the human mind and what is innate/ what is learned. It seriously challenged a lot of arguments psychologists make for nature vs. nurture, and whether or not humans are born w/ certain natural instincts and behaviors.
  
  I would have to agree that Anne Sullivan's letters are one of the best parts of this book. Although Helen's writing is incredible, she does not remember as many stories about her education as Ms. Sullivan does, and the battles between these two made me laugh. They were both so stubborn! I fell in love w/young Helen and how cunning and devious she was.
  
  I definitely recommend reading this one, rather than just the biography.
• 
  Debbie

  Ms. Keller led an impressive life despite her disabilities. While I take issue with her remembrance of her earliest years (simply because I don't know many people who have vivid memories of 18 mos. of age), it was refreshing to read her account of her life. This is quite different than what I was taught in grade-school.
  
  She became an accomplished woman, attending college and learning multiple languages. Quite inspiring!
• 
  Beth

  Ok, so the book was written in the early 1900's. It was a bit slow to get through. I was facinated with Helen Keller's life, I never knew how much she accomplished. Quite amazing, she actually went to college, and became a national speaker (even though I'm wondering how well she could actually verbally speak!)
• 
  Suzanne

  The life of Helen Keller was amazing. The things that she was able to accomplish in her life was phenomenal despite all the obstacles she faced. The reason I lowered the star score was because it repeated the same instance multiple times. Granted they were from different view points, but it still drug the storyline out.
• 
  Joan

  By far the best section was the part when Annie Sullivan described her methods, which were brilliant, and sadly remained under-used today. All children should be educated by her precepts, and our level of literacy and creativity would be much improved.
• 
  Brenda Miles

  Such a great book. Really made me think about how I would process the world if the only input I had was touch, smell, and the written word or what was told to me by others. And the utter frustration of not being able to communicate at all. She led such an incredible life.
• 
  Michael P.

  A rare story of frustration and final victory. May I never have to overcome so much. I'm glad that I finally got around to reading it. You should read it too.
• 
  Crafty Lady

  Interesting to learn about her life and how she was able to get past the result of a childhood illness and live life to it's fullest.
• 
  Toshiro

  i have mixed feelings about this collection- Keller's narrative was a good and absorbing read, as was the section with all of the excerpts of Anne Sullivan's writings. the letters were interesting historical documents. however, John Macy's musings on Keller's experience were split between just okay and deeply tedious, and he has a lot to say. i'd still recommend reading this version over the autobiography alone, but i'll note that some sections are extremely skippable.
  
  for the most part, it's a great story. Keller is sharp and observant. she's still pretty young when she wrote her section- around 22 i think, so you get to see the seeds of her later, more radical views. she grew up with great priviledge, but instead of becoming entitled, fundamentally she wants everyone else to be treated with the same generousity. however, her loyalty makes it hard for her to question the beliefs of those who are kind to her, especially at this point in her life. she's an eugenicist who doesn't believe in the use of sign language after Alexander Graham Bell, and she has a lot of internalised ableism. she's clearly also shaped by growing up on a former plantation and has little idea of racial justice.
  
  some of my favorite parts came from the excerpts of Sullivan's letters. she did not write the letters to be shared, so her writing is frank and personal, and often very moving, or very funny. she also was a very insightful, inspired educator, and totally ahead of her time.
  
  "Sewing and crocheting are inventions of the devil, I think. I'd rather break stones on the king's highway than hem a handkerchief."
  
  "I know the education of this child will be the distinguishing event of my life, if I have the brains and perseverance to accomplish it."
  
  "The other day Helen came across the word grandfather in a little story and asked her mother, 'Where is grandfather?' meaning her grandfather. Mrs. Keller replied, 'He is dead.' 'Did father shoot him?' Helen asked, and added, 'I will eat grandfather for dinner.' So far, her only knowledge of death is in connection with things to eat." (this from when Helen was about 8 yrs old and had been with Sullivan for less than a year)
• 
  Jim Lavis

  This book shares what an extraordinary individual Hellen Keller was, and her life’s story needs to be told. She accomplished much more than many of us with full abilities could even dream of. There are so many lessons to be learned from her persistence, determination, and the training she received.
  
  I was amazed to learn that Hellen Keller grew up to be such an accomplished writer and avid reader. Here is one quote, out of one of her letters, that touched me so and caught me by surprise "I have thus far sketched the events of my life, but I have not shown how much I have depended on books not only for pleasure and for the wisdom they bring to all who read, but also for that knowledge which comes to others through their eyes and their ears. Indeed, books have meant so much more in my education than in that of others, that I shall go back to the time when I began to read."
  
  She also enjoyed swimming and rowing, and she took classes in multiple languages and found German to be her favorite. She even talked about how she loved canoeing when there was a full moon and comments like that amaze me in showing how sensitive her senses were, or should I say how wonderfully she embraced the senses she had.
  
  She also loved to knit and crochet and even played checkers and chess. At that time, in the early 1900’s, she was the only educated blind and deaf person in the world with a college degree. Naturally, her parents were affluent, which helped make this possible, but the true credit needs to go to her teacher Miss Sullivan. Miss Sullivan also experienced blindness in her youth , but was lucky enough to be cured and this insight helped her communicate with Hellen and through the years these two were inseparable.
  
  The layout or structure of this book wasn’t your typical biography, but the content of it made it worth my time. It’s a wonderful story.
  
• 
  Ann

  I changed my rating from three to four stars when I realized I kept thinking about this book.
  
  At first I could not believe that Hellen Keller could have written this book due to her use of a language - how could a blind an deaf person possibly understand adjectives, learn syntax and adverbial complement, etc.
  
  I also went into it thinking that it would be a biography of the challenges, struggles and obstacles she faced and how she tried to overcome them, both successfully and unsuccessfully.
  
  What it actually is is a story of how she saw beauty and love in everything around her and how she truly enjoyed life and learning. If you’re looking to read horror stories of her throwing tantrums and stumbling through life like a wild animal (like I did) before Anne Sullivan you will not find it here.
  
  Admittedly, I had trouble reading it without rolling my eyes and saying ‘Oh please, “the ice was gleaming?”, and “The sun shone brightly?” How could she write those lines, how could she possibly understand ‘gleaming’?
  
  So, to all of you that are reading these reviews and not sure what to think…may I make a suggestion? Read the back of the book first! It contains two sections, the first are letters written by Helen starting at eight years old, the second part is by Anne Sullivan explaining how Helen learned to read, write and understand concepts and syntax, along with her difficulties and failures. Read Anne Sullivan first, then her letters and then her bio.
  
  In the end both Helen and Anne were truly amazing people.
  
  One note though, we seem to forget that there were others like Helen that were both deaf and blind either from birth or sickness (like Helen) and how lucky Helen was to have parents that not only loved her, but had money and contacts so that Anne was able to get the help she needed, travel and met people that helped her although her life that in turn helped her to show the world that people with disabilities can function in society - sadly, most were institutionalize to live like animals and die alone.
• 
  Elanna

  This goes straight to the Should be Read in Schools shelf, for so many reasons.
  First, Helen Keller has always been one of my favourite people. A deaf-blind person becoming the first to earn a degree, and a woman, on top of that. Wow. Becoming a committed activist and intellectual. Double wow. Becoming a socialist activist. Triple wow. In the USA. WOW elevated to the fourth potency of wow.
  Second, when I was a child I fell in love with the movie, starring Ann Bancroft.
  
  
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mir...
  
  The teacher who helped Helen overcome her physical limitations and blossom to the outside world was a great personality on her own.
  Third, one of the many qualities of Helen Keller was her natural communicative gift. Not something a deaf-blind person manages to see acknowledged easily, yet she did manage. After having read this autobiography, it is easy to understand why: a deeply personal narrative and, at the same time, a broader testimony in the name of the voiceless, vibrant with the urgency of a fight for the rights of people who are not always in the best position to fight for themselves. I often reflected that this must have been the factor that pushed Helen Keller towards socialism.
  Yes, I would have it taught in school (if I didn't think that pretty much any school system would manage to make even Terry Pratchett unpalatable).