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Helen Keller: A Life
Dorothy Herrmann's powerful biography of Helen Keller tells the whole story of the controversial and turbulent relationship between Helen and her teacher, Annie Sullivan. Herrmann also chronicles Helen's doomed love affair, her struggles to earn a living, her triumphs at Radcliffe College, and her work as an advocate for the disabled. Helen Keller has been venerated as a saint or damned as a fraud, but Herrmann shows her to have been a beautiful, intelligent, high-strung, and passionate woman whose life was transformed not only by her disabilities but also by the remarkable people on whose help and friendship she relied.
"Fascinating. . . . Stripping away decades of well-meaning sentimentality, Herrmann presents a pair of strong-willed women, who struggled to build their own lives while never forgetting their dependence on each other."—Ron Charles, Christian Science Monitor
"We meet an entirely unexpected Helen Keller—a woman with deep if concealed ambivalence toward her self-sacrificing teacher; a political radical; and a woman longing for romantic love and the fulfilled sexual life of a woman."—Joan Mellen, Philadelphia Inquirer
"Herrmann's portrait of Keller is both fully embodied and unflinchingly candid."—Mary Loeffelholz, Boston Sunday Globe
"This well-proportioned biography of the deaf and blind girl who became a great American crusader rescues its subject from the shackles of sainthood without destroying her as an American hero."—Dennis Drabelle, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Herrmann's engrossing biography helps us see beyond the public's fascination with how Keller dealt with her disabilities to discover the woman Keller strived to be."—Nancy Seidman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Perhaps the most intimate biography [of Helen Keller]. [Herrmann] gives her back her sexuality [and] imbues her with a true humanity. . . . Helen Keller: A Life has some of the texture and the dramatic arc of a good novel."—Dinitia Smith, New York Times
"Fascinating. . . . Stripping away decades of well-meaning sentimentality, Herrmann presents a pair of strong-willed women, who struggled to build their own lives while never forgetting their dependence on each other."—Ron Charles, Christian Science Monitor
"We meet an entirely unexpected Helen Keller—a woman with deep if concealed ambivalence toward her self-sacrificing teacher; a political radical; and a woman longing for romantic love and the fulfilled sexual life of a woman."—Joan Mellen, Philadelphia Inquirer
"Herrmann's portrait of Keller is both fully embodied and unflinchingly candid."—Mary Loeffelholz, Boston Sunday Globe
"This well-proportioned biography of the deaf and blind girl who became a great American crusader rescues its subject from the shackles of sainthood without destroying her as an American hero."—Dennis Drabelle, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Herrmann's engrossing biography helps us see beyond the public's fascination with how Keller dealt with her disabilities to discover the woman Keller strived to be."—Nancy Seidman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Perhaps the most intimate biography [of Helen Keller]. [Herrmann] gives her back her sexuality [and] imbues her with a true humanity. . . . Helen Keller: A Life has some of the texture and the dramatic arc of a good novel."—Dinitia Smith, New York Times
414 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
July 15, 2017
This detailed and informative biography of Helen Keller has proven to be very much an eye-opener for me, presenting and detailing not only her many accomplishments, but also focusing on Helen Keller's political and religious beliefs, her advocacy for the disabled, her life-long commitment to combatting racism and bigotry.
Now that all being said, while the narrative of Dorothy Hermann's Helen Keller: A Life does indeed read easily and is for the most part engaging enough to hold one's interest, the text also has the unfortunate tendency to become rather plodding and overly minutely descriptive and detailed at times, which does have the tendency to produce and create a rather heavy and massive potential emotional distance to the characters and episodes described. And thus, while I did discover and learn much about Helen Keller, her teacher Annie Sullivan and late 19th, early and middle 20th century America, I also was and still remain unable too feel all that emotionally and psychologically connected to the characters, to the events, and thus more like a a calculating dispassionate scientific or anthropologic observer than an active and personally affected participant.
And I do so very much appreciate the fact that Dorothy Herrmann has endeavoured to portray Helen Keller realistically; often described as a "saint" by her supporters and a "fraud" by her detractors, Helen Keller was in fact neither. She was a remarkable, strong-willed and intelligent woman, and should not simply be regarded as an icon for the disabled (or as a fraud, a cheater, as a number of mean-spirited individuals have nastily and angrily claimed repeatedly and vehemently). Helen Keller was a real, a flesh-and-blood person with ideas, beliefs, feelings, a zest for life, but also an individual with faults and foibles, like everyone. The reader is allowed to get to know who Helen Keller really was, her personality, her spirit, her very being (for above and beyond her public image, Helen Keller was a woman who lived life to the fullest, who loved, who yearned and who also made her share of mistakes, like everyone, like humans in general have the tendency to do).
Now that all being said, while the narrative of Dorothy Hermann's Helen Keller: A Life does indeed read easily and is for the most part engaging enough to hold one's interest, the text also has the unfortunate tendency to become rather plodding and overly minutely descriptive and detailed at times, which does have the tendency to produce and create a rather heavy and massive potential emotional distance to the characters and episodes described. And thus, while I did discover and learn much about Helen Keller, her teacher Annie Sullivan and late 19th, early and middle 20th century America, I also was and still remain unable too feel all that emotionally and psychologically connected to the characters, to the events, and thus more like a a calculating dispassionate scientific or anthropologic observer than an active and personally affected participant.
And I do so very much appreciate the fact that Dorothy Herrmann has endeavoured to portray Helen Keller realistically; often described as a "saint" by her supporters and a "fraud" by her detractors, Helen Keller was in fact neither. She was a remarkable, strong-willed and intelligent woman, and should not simply be regarded as an icon for the disabled (or as a fraud, a cheater, as a number of mean-spirited individuals have nastily and angrily claimed repeatedly and vehemently). Helen Keller was a real, a flesh-and-blood person with ideas, beliefs, feelings, a zest for life, but also an individual with faults and foibles, like everyone. The reader is allowed to get to know who Helen Keller really was, her personality, her spirit, her very being (for above and beyond her public image, Helen Keller was a woman who lived life to the fullest, who loved, who yearned and who also made her share of mistakes, like everyone, like humans in general have the tendency to do).
July 22, 2016
I enjoyed this book immensely and learned SO MUCH! Herrmann's prose is engaging, and the book moves along quickly. I got so angry with all of Helen's "protectors" who insisted on smothering and isolating her, even Annie Sullivan. I think, despite how much the people around Helen loved her, they all still saw her as less than human and NEVER as an adult. In fact, Annie addressed Helen as "dear child" in letters--even when Helen was in her 40s!
The story that angered me the most was how Helen's family prevented her from marrying Peter Fagan, her fiance. They all treated her like she was 13--even though she was 36 years old! Herrmann recounts this incident, among so many others, with skill and provides all sides.
The one issue she seems ambivalent about is whether Helen actually was a genius. I think she was; she accomplished far more than any hearing-sighted person I've ever met, all despite her disabilities. Yet, there were many (including Annie Sullivan and the author) who felt Helen's intelligence was not remarkable at all and that she never really knew hardship or had any intellectual depth. I found this argument offensive and quite stupid. As if being deaf and blind are not in themselves hardships. This was part of the book I disagreed with, hence the demotion from five stars to four.
In spite of this issue, this book is well worth reading. It is an absorbing biography that will make you really reconsider how our society views people with disabilities, particularly women.
The story that angered me the most was how Helen's family prevented her from marrying Peter Fagan, her fiance. They all treated her like she was 13--even though she was 36 years old! Herrmann recounts this incident, among so many others, with skill and provides all sides.
The one issue she seems ambivalent about is whether Helen actually was a genius. I think she was; she accomplished far more than any hearing-sighted person I've ever met, all despite her disabilities. Yet, there were many (including Annie Sullivan and the author) who felt Helen's intelligence was not remarkable at all and that she never really knew hardship or had any intellectual depth. I found this argument offensive and quite stupid. As if being deaf and blind are not in themselves hardships. This was part of the book I disagreed with, hence the demotion from five stars to four.
In spite of this issue, this book is well worth reading. It is an absorbing biography that will make you really reconsider how our society views people with disabilities, particularly women.
March 19, 2018
I have to give this a 5 star mainly because Helen Keller's life was truly amazing. She is forever etched in my mind as the character Patty Duke played in the 1962 movie "The Miracle Worker" with Anne Bancroft playing Annie Sullivan. Most of us don't realize or remember that Helen lived a long life (1880-1968) and was transformed from a blind/deaf mute child into a woman who grew up to be a life-long learner, somewhat political activist, national hero, and a beacon of hope for other blind and deaf people. Dorothy Herrmann does a remarkable job in this biography. It's a great book.
October 21, 2015
Excellent bio which I highly recommend. I knew there was much more to the Helen Keller story than what I'd learned from the movie The Miracle Worker. The first chapter of Lies My Teacher Told Me tells what a dynamic and controversial woman Helen really was. This book delivers the story I've been longing to know, from Helen's radical politics, to a secret, but brief love affair.
"In 1913 Helen had published Out of the Dark, a series of essays in which she examined the forces that had impelled her to socialism and why the socialists' beliefs - universal brotherhood, peace, and education - stirred and influenced her. This little book, which seems so innocuous today, practically destroyed her angelic image. No longer was she viewed by the public as a virginal young woman with a braille book on her lap as she savored the sweet smell of a rose, but as a fierce revolutionary who kept a large red flag in her study and who marched in suffrage parades . . ."
"Yet Helen now secretly yearned to fall in love and marry like her teacher. Ever since she was a child, she was more drawn to men than women, and by her own admission later in life, was possessed of a strong sex drive. But Annie and especially her puritanical, guilt-ridden mother has succeeded in convincing her that a romance with anyone was strictly forbidden.. Disabled persons must refrain from sex. Although there were some handicapped men who enjoyed an active sex life, then, as now, disabled women continued to be victims of a double standard, stemming from society's view of the female role as primarily one of a caregiver and nurturer, a role that a gravely handicapped woman such as Helen felt she could not fulfill."
There is a fascinating section that mentions Oliver Sacks book, An Anthropologist on Mars, with it's descriptions of people who have been blind but are suddenly able to see for the first time.
"Reportedly, these cases have not numbered more than twenty over the past ten centuries. But for all these newly sighted people, vision was painful.The dark world in which they had been formerly comfortable was now a dazzle of patches of color that they could not make sense of..."
The book ends with a section on some extraordinary, though not famous, deaf-blind people of today.
"In 1913 Helen had published Out of the Dark, a series of essays in which she examined the forces that had impelled her to socialism and why the socialists' beliefs - universal brotherhood, peace, and education - stirred and influenced her. This little book, which seems so innocuous today, practically destroyed her angelic image. No longer was she viewed by the public as a virginal young woman with a braille book on her lap as she savored the sweet smell of a rose, but as a fierce revolutionary who kept a large red flag in her study and who marched in suffrage parades . . ."
"Yet Helen now secretly yearned to fall in love and marry like her teacher. Ever since she was a child, she was more drawn to men than women, and by her own admission later in life, was possessed of a strong sex drive. But Annie and especially her puritanical, guilt-ridden mother has succeeded in convincing her that a romance with anyone was strictly forbidden.. Disabled persons must refrain from sex. Although there were some handicapped men who enjoyed an active sex life, then, as now, disabled women continued to be victims of a double standard, stemming from society's view of the female role as primarily one of a caregiver and nurturer, a role that a gravely handicapped woman such as Helen felt she could not fulfill."
There is a fascinating section that mentions Oliver Sacks book, An Anthropologist on Mars, with it's descriptions of people who have been blind but are suddenly able to see for the first time.
"Reportedly, these cases have not numbered more than twenty over the past ten centuries. But for all these newly sighted people, vision was painful.The dark world in which they had been formerly comfortable was now a dazzle of patches of color that they could not make sense of..."
The book ends with a section on some extraordinary, though not famous, deaf-blind people of today.
May 18, 2015
In this biography of Helen Keller written by Dorothy Herrman I've been seen a new perspective on life which I wouldn't think was possible. Herrman does a great job of providing enough information on Helen’s life, political and religious beliefs, and her stand on racism whereas it feels as though you were living in that era and could relate to her problems. She also reveals facts about Helen’s teacher Annie Sullivan who helped Helen learn to talk. What I also appreciate about the book is that she doesn't provide simply irrelevant facts.
After graduating Radcliffe College with honors Helen Keller went on to become a world- famous author and motivational speaker. She traveled the world promoting the cause of education and normal treatment of all disabled people, on top of that she appeared in a few silent movies and dedicated much of her time in raising funds for the American Foundation for the Blind. Because of her hard work she awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on September 14, 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Then later in 1965, she was elected to the National Women's Hall of Fame at the New York World's Fair.
Helen Keller was described as an inspiring, strong-willed and intelligent woman. What Dorothy did well was she help show the world that Helen not just an icon for disabled people, she was a normal human who had faults and shortcomings like everyone else. Helen Keller: A Life allowed me to understand Helen beyond her public image; it helped me learn about who she really was and how she learned to overcome adversity.
January 16, 2012
An excellent, readable, insightful biography that quotes from primary sources without getting bogged down in them. Analysis and historical factual information coexist easily.
While Herrmann certainly endeavours to create a well-rounded picture of Helen and, by extension, Annie Sullivan, by going beyond the "perfect" picture one is apt to find in any introductory or juvenile level biography, at times this results in suppositions and speculations about their personal lives. As something of an expert on Helen Keller, the author (or any biographer) perhaps at some point, needs to speculate when there is simply a lack of concrete information, but much of Herrmann's speculation seems to circle on the sexual lives of Helen and Annie, and I would have preferred more "proof" - the lack of proof is generally excused because a fire did burn many primary sources (i.e. letters).
Herrmann attempts to negotiate the challenging task of reconciling or bringing together the various accounts of Helen Keller - original printed sources of the time period, Annie Sullivan's letters, and Helen's later recollections from her published autobiographies and biography of Annie Sullivan. She tries to explain/hint at how young Helen might have felt at the time and how she might subsequently view an incident (i.e. as recorded in her autobiography) coupled with what might have actually happened (i.e. Annie guarded Helen's access to information).
While Herrmann certainly endeavours to create a well-rounded picture of Helen and, by extension, Annie Sullivan, by going beyond the "perfect" picture one is apt to find in any introductory or juvenile level biography, at times this results in suppositions and speculations about their personal lives. As something of an expert on Helen Keller, the author (or any biographer) perhaps at some point, needs to speculate when there is simply a lack of concrete information, but much of Herrmann's speculation seems to circle on the sexual lives of Helen and Annie, and I would have preferred more "proof" - the lack of proof is generally excused because a fire did burn many primary sources (i.e. letters).
Herrmann attempts to negotiate the challenging task of reconciling or bringing together the various accounts of Helen Keller - original printed sources of the time period, Annie Sullivan's letters, and Helen's later recollections from her published autobiographies and biography of Annie Sullivan. She tries to explain/hint at how young Helen might have felt at the time and how she might subsequently view an incident (i.e. as recorded in her autobiography) coupled with what might have actually happened (i.e. Annie guarded Helen's access to information).
February 24, 2024
I loved this book because it allowed Helen to be seen as a whole. Helen was many things beyond her awareness of water for the first time. She was an ardent socialist, an abolitionist, friends with Mark Twain, and Alexander Graham Bell. Exchanging letters with and visiting every President in office from the age of six to the year she died in her 80s. She made friends with others no matter their views, but never compromised her own.
She was sarcastic, and hugely aware of her dependence on those around her. She lived to see a film and several stage plays about her life. She was not perfect, even making friends with Alexander Bell, who while he invented the telephone, believed in eugenics.
Helen shares many of the fears I have, namely that if she is difficult, all her support with be withdrawn. But she is still difficult, which I loved. She’s stubborn and willful, but above all, flawed.
So why do we not teach this in schools? We are not monoliths, we are not perfect, we should not be put on a pedestal. We are not and do not have to be grateful, polite, mild mannered or even happy. She was not perfect, and that’s incredibly important.
She was sarcastic, and hugely aware of her dependence on those around her. She lived to see a film and several stage plays about her life. She was not perfect, even making friends with Alexander Bell, who while he invented the telephone, believed in eugenics.
Helen shares many of the fears I have, namely that if she is difficult, all her support with be withdrawn. But she is still difficult, which I loved. She’s stubborn and willful, but above all, flawed.
So why do we not teach this in schools? We are not monoliths, we are not perfect, we should not be put on a pedestal. We are not and do not have to be grateful, polite, mild mannered or even happy. She was not perfect, and that’s incredibly important.
August 11, 2007
This is a biography of Helen Keller's Life. It is well written and interesting to read. Dorothy Herrman does an excellent job of sharing information that helps paint the scene of what was going on in that time period, so we have a setting for Helen's life, without getting lost in digressions and irrelevancies.
There is so much more to Helen Keller's life than I ever knew! If all you are familiar with is the story portrayed in the Miracle Worker, then I would suggest this book to help round out your knowledge of Helen's life. It includes many pictures of Helen throughout her life and makes heavy use of quoting Helen and Annie Sullivan's own words from their correspondence with friends and benefactors.
Helen graduated from Radcliffe college with Honors. In her later years (when she was 60-75 years old) she traveled the world- making nine world tours that included 35 countries on 5 continents- promoting the cause of education and normal treatment for blind and deaf people. She knew many famous people personally- including Alexander Graham Bell, Mark Twain, Eleanor Roosevelt, and every U.S. President from the time she was 8 years old until she died (including Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Eisenhower, among others).
This book did a good job of helping me to not only learn about Helen's accomplishments, but also get to know who Helen was. She was a person just like the rest of us. She learned to take adversity and turn it into an opportunity to do good. She was a firm believer in a life after this one where she would be able to see and hear.
For anyone who wants to learn more about Helen's life, I recommend this book as thorough, insightful, and interesting reading.
There is so much more to Helen Keller's life than I ever knew! If all you are familiar with is the story portrayed in the Miracle Worker, then I would suggest this book to help round out your knowledge of Helen's life. It includes many pictures of Helen throughout her life and makes heavy use of quoting Helen and Annie Sullivan's own words from their correspondence with friends and benefactors.
Helen graduated from Radcliffe college with Honors. In her later years (when she was 60-75 years old) she traveled the world- making nine world tours that included 35 countries on 5 continents- promoting the cause of education and normal treatment for blind and deaf people. She knew many famous people personally- including Alexander Graham Bell, Mark Twain, Eleanor Roosevelt, and every U.S. President from the time she was 8 years old until she died (including Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Eisenhower, among others).
This book did a good job of helping me to not only learn about Helen's accomplishments, but also get to know who Helen was. She was a person just like the rest of us. She learned to take adversity and turn it into an opportunity to do good. She was a firm believer in a life after this one where she would be able to see and hear.
For anyone who wants to learn more about Helen's life, I recommend this book as thorough, insightful, and interesting reading.
July 27, 2014
There's much to more to the story than The Miracle Worker, which barely scratches the surface. What an intellect. What a sensitivity, especially heightened olfactory, taste and touch senses. Helen Keller wrote many books and other works - she was much more prolific than anyone today really discusses. Wow.
July 27, 2019
Herrmann's book was thorough, extremely well researched and enlightening.
November 11, 2008
Very engaging and interesting book about Helen Keller's long and distinguished life, not just the events portrayed in The Miracle Worker. My favorite part was when Herrmann described in depth what Keller's dark and silent world was like and how she perceived the world. I truly admire Keller's politics, her accomplishments, and her zest for life. It's likely that many of the advances for handicapped people would not have come about without her activism.
My only complaint was I felt Herrmann was quick to "dish" or gossip about the "dirt". She was attempting to create - rightly so - a holistic view of Keller instead of the saintly image portrayed by her handlers. But she seemed very quick to sensationalize the less saintly areas of Keller's life for dramatic effect. At the same Herrmann herself seemed to fall into the "saintly image" trap, so that her descriptions were polarized and not well-rounded as she intended. I also would have liked more information on how deaf-blind people are educated in the 21st century.
Because of this, the book started off at four stars but ended at three. It's definitely worth reading but it has some limitations.
My only complaint was I felt Herrmann was quick to "dish" or gossip about the "dirt". She was attempting to create - rightly so - a holistic view of Keller instead of the saintly image portrayed by her handlers. But she seemed very quick to sensationalize the less saintly areas of Keller's life for dramatic effect. At the same Herrmann herself seemed to fall into the "saintly image" trap, so that her descriptions were polarized and not well-rounded as she intended. I also would have liked more information on how deaf-blind people are educated in the 21st century.
Because of this, the book started off at four stars but ended at three. It's definitely worth reading but it has some limitations.
March 19, 2017
A well written and thorough book on this remarkable woman, Hellen Keller. Though she has long since passed most people would probably have heard of Hellen Keller but how much is really known about the life she led and the struggles and triumphs she endured and ascended to. This book covers many aspects of her life from the early struggle to comprehend and communicate with her beloved "Teacher", Annie Sullivan, to her beliefs and causes.
It is hard to understand what it would be to experience life with no hearing or sight but to function and thrive is what this woman did and along with the daily obstacle she had to reckon the emotional strains it imposed along with the struggle to control her by a number of people. Herrmann does a good job in delving into the complexities of these challenges and also covers the spiritual and political leanings of Hellen which gives us a complete picture of this captivating human being.
It is hard to understand what it would be to experience life with no hearing or sight but to function and thrive is what this woman did and along with the daily obstacle she had to reckon the emotional strains it imposed along with the struggle to control her by a number of people. Herrmann does a good job in delving into the complexities of these challenges and also covers the spiritual and political leanings of Hellen which gives us a complete picture of this captivating human being.
December 5, 2012
This book was certainly very touching to me and very inspiring. Heller Keller's biography is a very detailed and very informative biography. This book is also very eye opening. She faced so many challenges that it makes you compare your struggles as suppose to hers. This book was great but at moments it tends to be a hard book to read due to the very detailed scenarios. In this book Helen Keller's personality, her spirit, her very being beyond her public image, Helen Keller was a woman who lived life to the fullest, who loved, who yearned and who also made her share of mistakes. Now she is a great role model in my life. It makes me think, wow she was deaf and couldn't see. How much frustration, how much tougher life was for her. I would be careful into who I'd recommend this book, because it can be quite sad at times. Other than that I really loved this book.
June 19, 2015
well written and we'll researched. I'm fascinated by the science of the senses. it was interesting to learn about Laura bridgeman?...so Helen wasn't the first successful dead blind person, but she was far more accomplished than the average person with all senses intact. it was sad that Helen wasn't allowed to marry and that she was more or less imprisoned by her "keepers". Based on the book's description of her, Anne Sullivan was decidedly unlikeable in many respects. there were a lot of surprising and disturbing (to me) parts of the story...Helen's political views for one. I'm intigued enough to go on and read one of her early books...and maybe watch one or both movies.
December 23, 2008
An interesting and unsentimental look at one of the 20th century's most famous women. Helen Keller is often portrayed as a "plaster saint". This book looks at her realistically. Helen Keller was a strong and intelligent woman, but she was often manipulated by those around her (American Federation of the Blind, the press, her school teachers and so on) and often had to struggle to be recognized as something other than a blind and deaf icon.
February 1, 2013
I cannot conceive of the challenges, nor of the overcoming of challenges in Hellen Keller's life. Often the subject of speculation and even ridicule, Hellen should serve for all of us as a reminder that a setback is simply an opportunity to grow, to gain strength and to deepen one's self. This account is well written and sensible.
July 23, 2017
I remember reading Helen Keller's story when I was in my early 30s and it left me completely inspired. Not just her personal triumph over the dark and silent place she had been sentenced to, but the combined effort of her and her teacher.
Her quote about the worst thing in the world being....to have full eye-sight, but no vision for life....has accompanied me ever since.
Her quote about the worst thing in the world being....to have full eye-sight, but no vision for life....has accompanied me ever since.
July 22, 2020
This biography deals with Helen Keller's whole life, right from birth until death, and it is not overtly written from a particular theoretical perspective. It draws heavily on the many works that Keller herself wrote, previous biographies, and correspondence between Keller and many correspondents, and between that network of correspondents themselves. Herrmann points out that a fire in 1946 destroyed much of Keller's correspondence, which is of course unavailable to later biographers.
Although the focus is on Keller, this biography also examines her relationship with the two women who were the most important in tethering Keller to the sighted/hearing world: Anne Sullivan and Polly Thompson, and to a lesser degree Nella Braddy Henney, who herself wrote a biography of Anne Sullivan. While these relationships are without question fundamental to understanding Keller, Herrmann at times is distracted by telling their stories at some length, to the extent that you wonder as a reader quite where she is going with this.
I like how 'rounded' this biography is. She explores Keller's sexuality, her politics, her financial situation and her spirituality. She follows through the full length of Keller's long life, which demonstrated to me Keller's resilience once she emerged from her grief at the death of Anne Sullivan, and later Polly Thompson. It is clear that Keller had her own politics and her own religion, quite distinct from the opinions of her companions. Perhaps because I'm getting older myself, I'm increasingly interested in the way that people embrace aging, and Keller certainly was active until she was quite old, and I'm glad that Herrmann has stayed with her to the end.
Although the focus is on Keller, this biography also examines her relationship with the two women who were the most important in tethering Keller to the sighted/hearing world: Anne Sullivan and Polly Thompson, and to a lesser degree Nella Braddy Henney, who herself wrote a biography of Anne Sullivan. While these relationships are without question fundamental to understanding Keller, Herrmann at times is distracted by telling their stories at some length, to the extent that you wonder as a reader quite where she is going with this.
I like how 'rounded' this biography is. She explores Keller's sexuality, her politics, her financial situation and her spirituality. She follows through the full length of Keller's long life, which demonstrated to me Keller's resilience once she emerged from her grief at the death of Anne Sullivan, and later Polly Thompson. It is clear that Keller had her own politics and her own religion, quite distinct from the opinions of her companions. Perhaps because I'm getting older myself, I'm increasingly interested in the way that people embrace aging, and Keller certainly was active until she was quite old, and I'm glad that Herrmann has stayed with her to the end.
March 3, 2025
(Reread.) From a readability standpoint, this is the definitive Helen Keller biography. I love that Herrmann does not shy away from the otherwise hidden controversies of Keller’s life. I also find it fascinating that Keller‘s life might have been perfectly ordinary and conventional if not for the illness that took her hearing and sight as a toddler; with the right teacher, her brilliance emerged, and she became one of the most famous and well-traveled women in the world, far away from the small Alabama town where she was born in the late Victorian/post-Civil War period.
(Speaking of ‘Teacher,’ I look forward to reading more about Annie Sullivan, Keller’s first and most remembered (but not longest-serving) companion. She is at least as fascinating as her famous charge. )
I believe that much of the lasting appeal of Helen Keller lies in her image: a smiling, beatific-looking woman smelling flowers and touching the faces of world leaders and bodies of dancers, writing flowery prose (she was a prolific writer) and being quoted for her statements on peace and shared humanity. Herrmann’s book takes us behind the headlines and articles to witness Keller’s passions that, while not exactly held secret, were definitely not meant for mass consumption at the time: She was a feminist; a member of the Industrial Workers of the World; almost certainly believed in free love; caught the attention of the FBI and the HUAAC; and lived in an intimate (although not necessarily sexually consummated) ménage à trois household with Sullivan and her onetime husband, noted socialist academic John Macy.
As I said, it was the fact of Keller‘s disability and subsequent breakthroughs that enabled her to live a life far more extraordinary than most any of her peers. She is known, first and foremost, for that, but it is the combination of the physical and intellectual Helen Keller that makes her story—forever entwined with Teacher’s—worth further looking into.
(Speaking of ‘Teacher,’ I look forward to reading more about Annie Sullivan, Keller’s first and most remembered (but not longest-serving) companion. She is at least as fascinating as her famous charge. )
I believe that much of the lasting appeal of Helen Keller lies in her image: a smiling, beatific-looking woman smelling flowers and touching the faces of world leaders and bodies of dancers, writing flowery prose (she was a prolific writer) and being quoted for her statements on peace and shared humanity. Herrmann’s book takes us behind the headlines and articles to witness Keller’s passions that, while not exactly held secret, were definitely not meant for mass consumption at the time: She was a feminist; a member of the Industrial Workers of the World; almost certainly believed in free love; caught the attention of the FBI and the HUAAC; and lived in an intimate (although not necessarily sexually consummated) ménage à trois household with Sullivan and her onetime husband, noted socialist academic John Macy.
As I said, it was the fact of Keller‘s disability and subsequent breakthroughs that enabled her to live a life far more extraordinary than most any of her peers. She is known, first and foremost, for that, but it is the combination of the physical and intellectual Helen Keller that makes her story—forever entwined with Teacher’s—worth further looking into.
February 1, 2025
This book gives a dense, linear accounting of the complex existence and origins of Helen and Annie. The first 40 pages detail other blind and deaf women before we enter the story the book is about which is a little frustrating. Its thoroughness eclipses the readers ability to keep players, people and places straight. There’s so much time spent on seemingly minor characters and though she pulls many firsthand accounts and excerpts to prove her points I can’t help but feel her bias perpetuates the infantilization and deification of Helen - which is what everyone got wrong and was her fucked up legacy. There’s a lot of attention and time spent worshipping physical appearance - toward the second half of the book the author fat shames Annie over and over - how is this relevant? I skimmed the last 100 pages which should have been the juiciest but I couldn’t commit to the density of it or more descriptions of their physical degradation.
December 19, 2021
Started reading this maybe 20 years ago and picked it up again recently. It's certainly fascinating to read a book that seemed pretty modern in its treatment of disability back then (though I'm not even close to being an expert on the subject) from a 2021 lens.
I kept looking for at least one thing widely known about Keller that Herrmann doesn't seem to touch here. This strikes me as a little odd since Herrmann doesn't seem to shy away from much.
That one omission aside, this is a pretty nuanced portrait of a woman that few people know about outside some extremely limited media portrayals. Some people, I hear, don't believe she existed. Wider knowledge of work like this could help there.
I kept looking for at least one thing widely known about Keller that Herrmann doesn't seem to touch here. This strikes me as a little odd since Herrmann doesn't seem to shy away from much.
That one omission aside, this is a pretty nuanced portrait of a woman that few people know about outside some extremely limited media portrayals. Some people, I hear, don't believe she existed. Wider knowledge of work like this could help there.
February 15, 2025
This is a detailed, thoroughly researched book with a comprehensive bibliography. Dorothy spent years interviewing Helen’s family and people in the organisations that were bequeathed her work. Dorothy has produced an amazing biography of an amazing woman and her teacher. Helen, with her teacher Annie’s amazing help, earned her degree at Radcliffe, learned to speak and gave a huge number of talks, mixed with the rich and famous and counted them her friends - Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Mark Twain and so many others. She wrote books, studied and read prolifically, and was in a movie. Her story is an incredible testament to what perseverance and loyalty can bring.
July 20, 2020
Helen Keller lead an amazing life, but this biography drove me crazy. The author often made assumptions about how she was feeling or thinking when the writing she left did not necessarily express the same view. Also, the author jumped around chronologically which made me frustrated. Nevertheless, Helen had an interesting history.
January 30, 2019
Interesting. Learned a lot more than the Miracle Worker portion. Sadder than I knew and complex. Stunning to imagine the sacrifice of a couple women who would live with her for 40 years as their work and personal life.
March 14, 2021
Well-written, pulling in multiple perspectives from those in Helen's inner circle. Author's tone felt slightly cynical throughout. Interesting how Helen's socialist politics are conveniently forgotten by the America who enjoyed her as a symbol and curiosity.
June 8, 2021
Wonderful biography of Helen Keller and how our society views disabled people. I now truly appreciate what a trailblazer she was with her advocacy of acceptance not pity.
"The highest result of education is tolerance" -Helen Keller
"The highest result of education is tolerance" -Helen Keller
August 18, 2025
This was an interesting read overall, and I learned a lot about Helen Keller's life and her politics, but the author would sometimes insert her own guesses and suppositions that weren't necessarily based on evidence or facts, which was frustrating.
September 1, 2020
I wanted to read about Helen Keller after learning she helped found the ACLU. What in interesting life! I liked how simply the author told her story. Recommended.
October 19, 2023
Decent
May 31, 2008
I enjoyed learning more about Helen Keller. After having read this author's perspective on Keller's life, I didn't come away thinking she was a genius; she seemed like a good-natured, hard-working person, who could have been a lot better at standing up for herself but whose stances on social issues are all-around impressive.
I didn't care much for many of the author's perspectives, but she wrote well enough that I was able to form my own opinions of Helen Keller that differed from those of the author. I probably wouldn't spend time reading another biography of Keller (there are just too many books to read and not enough time), but I'd probably encourage someone else to read one written by someone else.
I didn't care much for many of the author's perspectives, but she wrote well enough that I was able to form my own opinions of Helen Keller that differed from those of the author. I probably wouldn't spend time reading another biography of Keller (there are just too many books to read and not enough time), but I'd probably encourage someone else to read one written by someone else.
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