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Product Description
From Library Journal
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
—Winston Churchill
“Helen Keller is fellow to Caesar, Alexander, Napoleon, Homer, Shakespeare, and the rest of the immortals. . . . She will be as famous a thousand years from now as she is today.”
—Mark Twain
From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A STORY WORTH TELLING,
By
This review is from: The Story of My Life (Mass Market Paperback)
I first read this book in 6th grade. I have read it several times in the intervening years, the most recent time being within the past one year.Helen Keller, blind and deaf since the age of 1 1/2 has offered, in her own words an accounting of her life experience. It is incredible to imagine how this woman, unable to see or hear can give such a strong voice to descriptions of nature. The book is replete with beautiful, articulate metaphors that draw the reader into the world as Helen knew it. One wonders how a person with no language can "think," and Helen provides some clues. During these "dark days," prior to the arrival of her "Teacher," Annie Sullivan, Helen's life was a series of desires and impressions. She could commnicate by a series of crude signs she and her parents had created. She demonstrated early on that she could learn. I like the way Helen herself takes her readers past that water pump when she learned that "all things have a name." Instead of getting stuck there, Helen takes her readers on the journey of her life to that point. In addition to having a good linguistic base, Helen also demonstrates having a phenomenal memory. When she was twelve, she wrote a story she believed to be her own. Entitled "The Frost King," it bore a strong resemblance to one written by a Ms. Canby called "The Frost Fairies." Many of the sentences are identical and a good number of the descriptions are paraphrased. In relating this devasting incident, Helen and Annie recall that Annie had exposed Helen to the story some three years earlier and Helen had somehow retained that information. This plainly shows intelligence. Both the "Frost" stories are reprinted in full, thus giving the reader a chance to see just how amazing being able to remember such a work really was. Helen describes her work raising money for other deaf-blind children to attend the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston and in so doing, embarks upon her lifelong mission as a crusader for multiply challenged individuals.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Many had to read this,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Story of My Life (Mass Market Paperback)
Many had to read this book in school, along with other great and inspiritationl reads such as "The Diary of Anne Frank" or even great fiction like "To Kill a Mockingbird." And the reason I didn't have to read it is probably the one that causes me to like it so much. I came to this book while an adult, after reading something on the Internet about Keller. Fascinated, I delved into her life and all that was around it. Hence, my first foray into her past was "The Story of My Life." This is a remarkable little book regardless of who wrote it, but consider the source and it's absolutely amazing. The sheer precision and depth this book has is just astounding. Yes, it's inspiritational, but besides that, it's one heck of a well-put-together book!Also, if you are interested in Helen Keller's life, please try two other great reads: The first is a bio by Herrmann which delves more into the minutae of Keller's life, and the second is a work of fiction which has quotes from "The Story of My Life" at the beginning of each of its chapters. This book is called "The Bark of the Dogwood," and while it's pretty shocking and steamy in places, it ultimately takes it's inspiration from Keller, along with a host of other southerners.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Who could not be inspired!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Story of My Life (Mass Market Paperback)
If this book had been written by a "regular" person it would be remarkable, but given the fact that Ms. Keller wrote it after having lived the difficult life she had, it's remarkable. And she wasn't that old when it was written. This is truly an amazing story of an amazing woman. It's an easy read, full of insight and thought-provoking comments. On an interesting note, I recently read a book titled "Bark of the Dogwood" which uses quotes from this book at the beginning of each chapter. Do yourself a favor and buy this one. It rank right up there with "Diary of Anne Frank" and "To Kill a Mockingbird."
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