LIGHT IN MY DARKNESS. Revised and edited by Ray Silvermann. Foreword by Dorothy Herrmann.

by Helen Keller

TIME's woman of the century, Helen Keller, reveals her mystical, ecstatic aspect in this best-selling spiritual autobiography. What shines through is her optimism, her absolute belief in a spiritual dimension, and the importance of doing useful work. She tells how her first reading of Emanuel Swedenborg at age fourteen gave her truths that were "to my faculties what light, color, and music are to the eye and ear." Keller explains how Swedenborg's works sustained her throughout her life.ABOUT THE Helen Adams Keller was born a normal, hearing-sighted infant on June 27, 1880. A severe illness when she was nineteen months old left her deaf, blind and mute. With the help of her teacher, Annie Sullivan, and her own unquenchable enthusiasm for life and learning Helen Keller was able to transcend her severe disabilities. She became a highly educated woman, graduating from Radcliffe College in 1904 the first deaf-blind woman to graduate from college. She loved to read, knew several languages and was an accomplished writer. A week before her seventy-fifth birthday in 1955 Harvard University bestowed on her an honorary degree, the first woman to be so honored. Helen Keller died on June 1,1968.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Religion, Biography Memoir, Memoir

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Blind and deaf since infancy, American memoirist and lecturer Helen Adams Keller learned to read, to write, and to speak from her teacher Anne Sullivan, graduated from Radcliffe in 1904, and lectured widely on behalf of sightless people; her books include Out of the Dark (1913).

Conditions bound not Keller. Scarlet fever rendered her deaf and blind at 19 months; she in several languages and as a student wrote The Story of My Life . In this age, few women then attended college, and people often relegated the disabled to the background and spoke of the disabled only in hushed tones, when she so remarkably accomplished. Nevertheless, alongside many other impressive achievements, Keller authored 13 books, wrote countless articles, and devoted her life to social reform. An active and effective suffragist, pacifist, and socialist (the latter association earned her a file of Federal Bureau of Investigation), she lectured on behalf of disabled people everywhere. She also helped to start several foundations that continue to improve the lives of the deaf and blind around the world.

As a young girl, obstinate Keller, prone to fits of violence, seethed with rage at her inability to express herself. Nevertheless, at the urging of Alexander Graham Bell, Anne Sullivan, a teacher, transformed this wild child at the age of 7 years in an event that she declares "the most important day I remember in all my life." (After a series of operations, Sullivan, once blind, partially recovered her sight.) In a memorable passage, Keller writes of the day "Teacher" led her to a stream and repeatedly spelled out the letters w-a-t-e-r on one of her hands while pouring water over the other. This method proved a revelation: "That living world awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free! There were barriers still, it is true, but barriers that could in time be swept away." And, indeed, most of them were.

In her lovingly crafted and deeply perceptive autobiography, Keller's joyous spirit is most vividly expressed in her connection to nature:

Indeed, everything that could hum, or buzz, or sing, or bloom, had a part in my education.... Few know what joy it is to feel the roses pressing softly into the hand, or the beautiful motion of the lilies as they sway in the morning breeze. Sometimes I caught an insect in the flower I was plucking, and I felt the faint noise of a pair of wings rubbed together in a sudden terror....

The idea of feeling rather than hearing a sound, or of admiring a flower's motion rather than its color, evokes a strong visceral sensation in the reader, giving The Story of My Life a subtle power and beauty. Keller's celebration of discovery becomes our own. In the end, this blind and deaf woman succeeds in sharpening our eyes and ears to the beauty of the world. --Shawn Carkonen

Reviews

[R.K. Goff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written piece on Helen Keller's love and devotion to her religion. She explains the basic beliefs of Swedenborg Christianity, and then in her own lyrical style talks about how it has touched her, and how wonderful it is.

I read a lot of religious books from many different religions. This one is amazingly approachable, even if you disagree with her religion. She writes from a completely personal "I" perspective, and is never offensive or exclusionary. Honestly it was just a highly pleasant read. You feel good when you're done reading it.

[Lee Woofenden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read Light In My Darkness several times. Each time I enjoy it more.

Helen Keller is known as an inspirational figure, an author, an activist, even a socialist. She is less known as a Christian mystic and avid reader of the spiritual writings of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Light In My Darkness is more than Keller's exposition of her religion and tribute to Emanuel Swedenborg. It stands on its own as a personal expression of Keller's own spirituality and mystical experience. Yes, you will learn something about Swedenborg's teachings in this book--and those teachings are beautiful enough in themselves. But more than that, you will be touched by a soul who reached out to the spiritual level of reality, and found it to be her true home.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

At my first dinner in Heaven, I will be seated between Eleanor Roosevelt and Helen Keller. So many beautiful ideals and life positions.

[~LAURA~ ~Jones~]

I would like to read this book because Id like to see how a blind and deaf person writes.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helen Keller traces her spiritual development. Swedenborgianism, with its concepts of a universal spiritual reality and brotherhood, a loving God, and an afterlife in which no one would suffer from limitations and handicaps, appealed to Helen.

You have got to think that someone with the handicaps that Helen Keller dealt with was searching for answers and meaning. She was an amazing woman who thought deeply.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen Keller is one of my heros. It's interesting to read of her religious affiliation - Swedenborg's philosophy.

[Sharon Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically a rewrite of My Religion. A very approachable introduction to Swedenborg's views on religion which formed the basis on which HK based her lifetime of work

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to know how to read religious writing, especially when you don't share the writer's convictions. Keller was often criticized for the "literary-ness" of her writing, and that is certain true here, where she is writing in the devotional-writing genre which by its nature seeks to use words to capture emotion and reflection about the spiritual world.

This re-ordered edition starts with a biography of Helen Keller written by Dorothy Hermann, whose longer biography I reviewed here. It then moves through a series of chapters where Keller writes first, about her own religious development, and then about Swedenborg's life and writings. I must confess that I found these Swedenborg chapters heavy going. They were fairly lengthy and wordy, and I was not particularly comfortable with her full-throated adulation of Swedenborg's ideas. I wondered if the context in which I was reading them was wrong, so I decided to read them after my morning meditation, when I'm in a more contemplative mood. They still remained turgid and flat. However, I did enjoy the shorter chapters near the end of the book, which did lend themselves to 'devotional'-type reading.

For my complete review, please visit:
https://residentjudge.com/2020/08/22/...

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keller's observations are ever fresh and pertinent, and I will begin again on this one again very soon, though I don't think I finished it completely. I was pleasantly surprised with Keller's insights and presentation.

[Shivani Loka-Laksmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful, incredible spirit. None other like her in this realm. However, I found it a bit antiquated, naturally. Maybe I was a bit distracted, I was reading it along with many other modern memoirs.

[D Steven Ledingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into the thinking of Helen Keller

[Lee Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started going to the New Church again, and someone there handed us this book. It is a very powerful book, as I never new how Helen Keller was a Swedenborg. Keller is extremely intelligent, and makes a captivating case for the new church. Her explanation of Swedenborg's thoughts and ideas are something I've never heard articular this well before, and makes me think I'll try to read some of Swedenborg next.

Some of the background on Swedenborg's life in Chapter 2 is just astonishing. He went from writing books such as "The Brain", "The Economy of the Animal Kingdom", etc... all the way to "Heaven and Hell". Indeed, part of the major appeal of Swedenborg is that fact that he is a scientist, and tries to explain things as powerful parables, opposed to dogma.

[Brianna Aracely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up because I love Helen Keller and I just think she was such an remarkable women and her views on life were amazing but I was in a reading slump I actually read about 20 pages been in my slump and just knocked out the rest of the book today. The fact someone Helen Keller has such a beautiful view on religion, on abled bodied people,
and writing in general, I will say this felt like some essay styles together but it definitely makes sense given the fact this is a revised version because Helen was never fond of her original structure. This book was very beautiful, had me in tears.

[Phil Calandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Helen Keller's life is an inspiration and she is a true icon; however, this book seemed to more about the life of Emmanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish scientist, philosopher and mystic, than that of Helen Keller. Furthermore, the book never makes the connection of how there was such a strong connection between the two and how Helen Keller benefitted from it. This book was a nebulous slog that was difficult to get through. I would not recommend it.

[Dides · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is misleading. Only about 20% of the book is actually about Helen Keller. An apt title would have been something like "Ode to Swendonborg". While I do champion her views and her admiral life of service, I would not recommend this book as a book about Helen Keller, it is about the esteemed Swendonborg. A man undoubtedly ahead of his time.

[Danielle Cozzola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is it cool that a woman who was blind and deaf wrote a book with such depth? Yes! 100%. Is it okay that I didn't love the book? Also, yes! Obviously, having any disability can be a challenge, but Helen had more than one disability and lived during a time with little to no technological advancement, yet she still became a published author. What an AMAZING accomplishment! 👏🏻

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting to see this alongside D.T. Suzuki's work on Swedenborg.

[Ratna]

i want detected her life story

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to Swedenborgianism by a wonderful woman. It is an easy read, and entertaining. You learn some about Helen Keller, but the book is mostly about her beliefs.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

©1927 Parent Collection

This is the first time I have heard of Emanuel Swedenborg. I hope to find his book "Heaven and Hell" and see if I can read it. (He lived in the 1700's.)

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen Keller speaks in a beautiful, touching, inspiring way about her faith, which was influenced profoundly by the Swedish scientist, philosopher, and visionary, Emmanuel Swedenborg. Many of Swedenborg's teachings resonate with gospel truths restored through Joseph Smith. I believe Swedenborg was one of the forerunners who helped prepare the way for the gospel to be restored. He knew & understood so much, though not the fulness.

[Shellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to read of her spiritual journey. Not her biography.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing woman she was.

[Mario-sp40]

Very interesting religious experience.

[Marge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

[WSL Library]

X3

[Megan]

Very good book!

[Ferds Nesus-Makulit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting Story of her life