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The Imprisoned Guest: Samuel Howe and Laura Bridgman, The Original Deaf-Blind Girl
The resurrected story of a deaf-blind girl and the man who brought her out of silence.
In 1837, Samuel Gridley Howe, director of Boston's Perkins Institution for the Blind, heard about a bright, deaf-blind seven-year-old, the daughter of New Hampshire farmers. At once he resolved to rescue her from the "darkness and silence of the tomb." And indeed, thanks to Howe and an extraordinary group of female teachers, Laura Bridgman learned to finger spell, to read raised letters, and to write legibly and even eloquently.
Philosophers, poets, educators, theologians, and early psychologists hailed Laura as a moral inspiration and a living laboratory for the most controversial ideas of the day. She quickly became a major tourist attraction, and many influential writers and reformers visited her or wrote about her. But as the Civil War loomed and her girlish appeal faded, the public began to lose interest. By the time Laura died in 1889, she had been wholly eclipsed by the prettier, more ingratiating Helen Keller.
The Imprisoned Gues t retrieves Laura Bridgman's forgotten life, placing it in the context of nineteenth-century American social, intellectual, and cultural history. Her troubling, tumultuous relationship with Howe, who rode Laura's achievements to his own fame but could not cope with the intense, demanding adult she became, sheds light on the contradictory attitudes of a "progressive" era in which we can find some precursors of our own.
In 1837, Samuel Gridley Howe, director of Boston's Perkins Institution for the Blind, heard about a bright, deaf-blind seven-year-old, the daughter of New Hampshire farmers. At once he resolved to rescue her from the "darkness and silence of the tomb." And indeed, thanks to Howe and an extraordinary group of female teachers, Laura Bridgman learned to finger spell, to read raised letters, and to write legibly and even eloquently.
Philosophers, poets, educators, theologians, and early psychologists hailed Laura as a moral inspiration and a living laboratory for the most controversial ideas of the day. She quickly became a major tourist attraction, and many influential writers and reformers visited her or wrote about her. But as the Civil War loomed and her girlish appeal faded, the public began to lose interest. By the time Laura died in 1889, she had been wholly eclipsed by the prettier, more ingratiating Helen Keller.
The Imprisoned Gues t retrieves Laura Bridgman's forgotten life, placing it in the context of nineteenth-century American social, intellectual, and cultural history. Her troubling, tumultuous relationship with Howe, who rode Laura's achievements to his own fame but could not cope with the intense, demanding adult she became, sheds light on the contradictory attitudes of a "progressive" era in which we can find some precursors of our own.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 11, 2021
Like most people, I came to Laura Bridgman's story by way of Helen Keller, and I wanted to know more about her. Like Helen Keller, Bridgman had lost her sight and hearing very young.
Teaching the deaf-blind to communicate was not only an interesting educational challenge; Laura was a scientific curiosity because she was a human without language. People wondered if babies were born with innate knowledge or was Laura's mind a blank slate?
Samuel Gridley Howe, the charismatic but self-centered manager of the Perkins School for the Blind, also knew Laura's value for publicity and fundraising purposes. He portrayed her as the picture of innocence and purity. Howe, like so many men of his age, believed in the "science" of phrenology--the idea that the shape of your head revealed your personality attributes. Howe was especially interested in how Laura would develop her moral and religious thought. Laura turned out to have a distinctive personality of her own which refused to conform to the submissive feminine ideal. She was bright and highly inquisitive, but also tended towards angry, violent outbursts. She also developed anorexia nervosa. Like a child star who can't find work when she grows up, Laura's fame dwindled away as she grew older. She became a Baptist and her religion brought her the consolation she needed to live out a lonely life--her family was too busy to have anything much to do with her and Howe basically lost interest her as she grew older.
Howe's personality and his rocky relationship with his wife, Julia Ward Howe, form a fascinating part of this story. Gitter examines the way Howe justified his later neglect of Bridgman; he was angry that his plans to control the amount of religious knowledge she received had been thwarted. In his eyes, she was an experiment that her teachers had spoiled.
I enjoyed and appreciated Gitter's discussions of 19th century social, philosophical, scientific, religious, and literary thought. Some reviewers of the book didn't like those sections. Reader cans safely skim past the part about Descartes and Locke if they want to focus on Bridgman, but I think Gitter illuminates Laura Bridgman's story by explaining what she represented to people in terms of then-current thinking about science and religion. Laura's voice is included in the book, Gitter quotes her letters throughout.
I very much appreciated Gitter's subtle, sarcastic asides, especially about the Howes.
Recommended for readers of 19th century social history, and of course anyone interested in the evolution of education of the blind and deaf.
Teaching the deaf-blind to communicate was not only an interesting educational challenge; Laura was a scientific curiosity because she was a human without language. People wondered if babies were born with innate knowledge or was Laura's mind a blank slate?
Samuel Gridley Howe, the charismatic but self-centered manager of the Perkins School for the Blind, also knew Laura's value for publicity and fundraising purposes. He portrayed her as the picture of innocence and purity. Howe, like so many men of his age, believed in the "science" of phrenology--the idea that the shape of your head revealed your personality attributes. Howe was especially interested in how Laura would develop her moral and religious thought. Laura turned out to have a distinctive personality of her own which refused to conform to the submissive feminine ideal. She was bright and highly inquisitive, but also tended towards angry, violent outbursts. She also developed anorexia nervosa. Like a child star who can't find work when she grows up, Laura's fame dwindled away as she grew older. She became a Baptist and her religion brought her the consolation she needed to live out a lonely life--her family was too busy to have anything much to do with her and Howe basically lost interest her as she grew older.
Howe's personality and his rocky relationship with his wife, Julia Ward Howe, form a fascinating part of this story. Gitter examines the way Howe justified his later neglect of Bridgman; he was angry that his plans to control the amount of religious knowledge she received had been thwarted. In his eyes, she was an experiment that her teachers had spoiled.
I enjoyed and appreciated Gitter's discussions of 19th century social, philosophical, scientific, religious, and literary thought. Some reviewers of the book didn't like those sections. Reader cans safely skim past the part about Descartes and Locke if they want to focus on Bridgman, but I think Gitter illuminates Laura Bridgman's story by explaining what she represented to people in terms of then-current thinking about science and religion. Laura's voice is included in the book, Gitter quotes her letters throughout.
I very much appreciated Gitter's subtle, sarcastic asides, especially about the Howes.
Recommended for readers of 19th century social history, and of course anyone interested in the evolution of education of the blind and deaf.
November 7, 2008
Laura Bridgman, born in 1829, was the first deaf-blind person to learn English. This book tells of her life, and is also an interesting look at scientific and philosophical views in the mid-1800s and how these affected perceptions about language acquisition and personality development.
Laura’s teacher was Samuel Howe, who viewed her primarily as a study subject. Howe was an activist who was deeply committed to a wide range of causes, including care and education of the disabled. He was also committed to self promotion, though, and Laura’s education helped to turn him into a celebrity. He lost interest in Laura once she grew to adulthood and lost some of her own celebrity status, and, especially, after he married and had a family. Although Howe remained steadfast in terms of her basic care, Laura was often isolated and desperately lonely, and sometimes fearful about her future.
This is a remarkable story, very well researched and written, offering insight into two very complex personalities as well as some fascinating historical context.
Laura’s teacher was Samuel Howe, who viewed her primarily as a study subject. Howe was an activist who was deeply committed to a wide range of causes, including care and education of the disabled. He was also committed to self promotion, though, and Laura’s education helped to turn him into a celebrity. He lost interest in Laura once she grew to adulthood and lost some of her own celebrity status, and, especially, after he married and had a family. Although Howe remained steadfast in terms of her basic care, Laura was often isolated and desperately lonely, and sometimes fearful about her future.
This is a remarkable story, very well researched and written, offering insight into two very complex personalities as well as some fascinating historical context.
May 3, 2018
really interesting and well written, not a novel but definitely a story
July 10, 2011
The Imprisoned Guest provides a detailed account of Laura Bridgeman's life before arriving at Perkins School for the Blind in Boston as well as her life at Perkins.
The author also provides information regarding issues of importance during the mid 19th century that are related to education, disability rights, and others. At times, the author became overly concerned with the facts of the historical topic under discussion, to the point that the main topic of the book, Laura's life, was overshadowed by what seemed to be unrelated material. History is important to understand the past and present, but her thorough description of various historical issues and events took away from the main topic of the book.
As I was reading the author's description of how people with disabilities were treated in the mid 19th century, I needed to continually remind myself that we are at a totally different place in history. I frequently became upset at the depiction of women as "victims" and people coming into save the "victim" from her plight.
I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in disability history and the history of the education of people who are deafblind.
The author also provides information regarding issues of importance during the mid 19th century that are related to education, disability rights, and others. At times, the author became overly concerned with the facts of the historical topic under discussion, to the point that the main topic of the book, Laura's life, was overshadowed by what seemed to be unrelated material. History is important to understand the past and present, but her thorough description of various historical issues and events took away from the main topic of the book.
As I was reading the author's description of how people with disabilities were treated in the mid 19th century, I needed to continually remind myself that we are at a totally different place in history. I frequently became upset at the depiction of women as "victims" and people coming into save the "victim" from her plight.
I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in disability history and the history of the education of people who are deafblind.
January 1, 2013
Before Helen Keller, there was Laura Bridgeman, the first blind and deaf girl who learned not just to spell out words for objects, but to actually learn a language, to write in sentences not just in braille but to also put her thoughts down on paper with a pen. This biography of her life, how she was taught, her family and their challenges with a child who lost her sight and hearing as a result of scarlet fever, and her relationship with Dr Samuel Howe, the man who 'rescued' her and made her his lifelong project.
The biography is based on letters she wrote to friends and family,the journals she kept, and from letters written by Dr Samuel Howe and some of her teachers.
It's a fascinating insight into a remarkable woman who should not be forgotten.
The biography is based on letters she wrote to friends and family,the journals she kept, and from letters written by Dr Samuel Howe and some of her teachers.
It's a fascinating insight into a remarkable woman who should not be forgotten.
December 4, 2014
I picked this up after reading (and being both intrigued and disappointed by) Kimberly Elkins' novel "What Is Visible." "The Imprisoned Guest" is a factual biography of Laura Bridgman and her teacher and benefactor, Samuel Gridley Howe. Elkins clearly drew on it heavily for her fictionalized story. Unfortunately, it's overly dry and scholarly; although it conveyed the essence of Bridgman's life and her relationship with Howe, it failed to inspire and "sing." I found it worthwhile if just to discern between reality and Elkins' inventions, and learned a lot, but it was more of a chore than pleasure.
June 16, 2013
It takes some courage, and strong references, to say anything less than glowing about the education of Laura Bridgman. Fortunately, Gitter has both. A compelling narrative that challenges the reader to take, and change, sides often on what was best for Bridgman, and who was ultimately served.
March 25, 2020
When I was a kid, I was fascinated by Helen Keller. I had a book on her in my collection, and I remember reading it over and over again. It was amazing to me that Anne Sullivan was able to break through to Helen Keller and teach her how to communicate, she who had before lived in a world where she couldn’t hear or see anything.
But before there was Helen Keller, there was Laura Bridgman. Perhaps there wouldn’t have been a Helen Keller without Laura Bridgman, as it was she who taught a young Anne Sullivan how to finger-spell. Laura had been a sighted, hearing child at birth, but lost her sight and her hearing after contracting scarlet fever when she was two years old. Her parents, farmers in Hanover, VT, didn’t really know what to do with her, and when Samuel Howe offered to bring her to the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston, they gladly accepted.
Entering the school a couple of months before she turned 8, Laura was under the tutelage of Lydia Drew, with whom she spent all of her time. Like Helen Keller, there was a bit of a eureka moment when Drew was able to break through to the little girl inside and teach her how to communicate. Howe believed that American Sign Language was actually a detriment to the deaf community, so he refused to allow Laura to learn ASL. Instead she was taught how to finger sign. Based on what I know of ASL, had Howe not been so prejudiced against it, Laura may have been able to communicate even more effectively with ASL instead of the tedious finger-spelling.
Once Laura learned to communicate, she was thirsty for information and kept Drew busy nearly around the clock. At this time Howe was very excited for her progress, and she began to achieve some fame, especially once Charles Dickens met with her and wrote about her. But at the same time, she was getting older every day, and eventually was no longer the sweet and adorable little girl that people would be interested in. She grew into a thin and somewhat frail woman, and was not shy about making her opinions and her complaints known. After marrying his wife, Julia Ward Howe, Howe had pretty much lost all interest in his pupil, though he allowed her to remain at the Perkins School for the rest of her life.
This is a very comprehensive and interesting account of Laura Bridgman’s life, as well as an investigation on why Howe chose the methods he did to educate her, and what he hoped to accomplish with such a “pure” specimen of a person, someone who wouldn’t have had the influence of society to push or pull them in various directions. At times, the writing becomes a bit dry during the sections on philosophy, but the reader gets enough of a gist to understand why Howe made the decisions he did. I appreciate that Gitter tried to give the reader as realistic a portrait of both Laura Bridgman and Howe as possible; historically Howe had always been portrayed as a knight in shining armor who rescued Laura, and Laura was shown as a sweet and malleable young girl just waiting to be rescued.
I also found the epilogue to be very interesting. Gitter points out that America’s love affair with Helen Keller causes some very unrealistic expectations of the disabled members of our society. Just because Keller was cheerful and hardworking and wanted to assimilate as much as she could into “normal” society doesn’t mean that every single person who is differently abled wants to do the same. Not every member of the Deaf community wants a cochlear implant (if it’s even an option) so as to become hearing; the Deaf community has a flourishing culture all its own, and it’s not one that requires hearing. Not every Deaf person wants to learn English (ASL is not English that’s simply signed; ASL has its own syntax and vocabulary, and is such a separate language from English). Helen Keller’s choices and experiences don’t speak for all deaf/blind people, and she should not be taken as a spokesperson for all.
This is a fascinating book, and I’d encourage anyone who has an interest in Helen Keller and people like her to read this.
But before there was Helen Keller, there was Laura Bridgman. Perhaps there wouldn’t have been a Helen Keller without Laura Bridgman, as it was she who taught a young Anne Sullivan how to finger-spell. Laura had been a sighted, hearing child at birth, but lost her sight and her hearing after contracting scarlet fever when she was two years old. Her parents, farmers in Hanover, VT, didn’t really know what to do with her, and when Samuel Howe offered to bring her to the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston, they gladly accepted.
Entering the school a couple of months before she turned 8, Laura was under the tutelage of Lydia Drew, with whom she spent all of her time. Like Helen Keller, there was a bit of a eureka moment when Drew was able to break through to the little girl inside and teach her how to communicate. Howe believed that American Sign Language was actually a detriment to the deaf community, so he refused to allow Laura to learn ASL. Instead she was taught how to finger sign. Based on what I know of ASL, had Howe not been so prejudiced against it, Laura may have been able to communicate even more effectively with ASL instead of the tedious finger-spelling.
Once Laura learned to communicate, she was thirsty for information and kept Drew busy nearly around the clock. At this time Howe was very excited for her progress, and she began to achieve some fame, especially once Charles Dickens met with her and wrote about her. But at the same time, she was getting older every day, and eventually was no longer the sweet and adorable little girl that people would be interested in. She grew into a thin and somewhat frail woman, and was not shy about making her opinions and her complaints known. After marrying his wife, Julia Ward Howe, Howe had pretty much lost all interest in his pupil, though he allowed her to remain at the Perkins School for the rest of her life.
This is a very comprehensive and interesting account of Laura Bridgman’s life, as well as an investigation on why Howe chose the methods he did to educate her, and what he hoped to accomplish with such a “pure” specimen of a person, someone who wouldn’t have had the influence of society to push or pull them in various directions. At times, the writing becomes a bit dry during the sections on philosophy, but the reader gets enough of a gist to understand why Howe made the decisions he did. I appreciate that Gitter tried to give the reader as realistic a portrait of both Laura Bridgman and Howe as possible; historically Howe had always been portrayed as a knight in shining armor who rescued Laura, and Laura was shown as a sweet and malleable young girl just waiting to be rescued.
I also found the epilogue to be very interesting. Gitter points out that America’s love affair with Helen Keller causes some very unrealistic expectations of the disabled members of our society. Just because Keller was cheerful and hardworking and wanted to assimilate as much as she could into “normal” society doesn’t mean that every single person who is differently abled wants to do the same. Not every member of the Deaf community wants a cochlear implant (if it’s even an option) so as to become hearing; the Deaf community has a flourishing culture all its own, and it’s not one that requires hearing. Not every Deaf person wants to learn English (ASL is not English that’s simply signed; ASL has its own syntax and vocabulary, and is such a separate language from English). Helen Keller’s choices and experiences don’t speak for all deaf/blind people, and she should not be taken as a spokesperson for all.
This is a fascinating book, and I’d encourage anyone who has an interest in Helen Keller and people like her to read this.
June 18, 2018
"The Imprisoned Guest" by Elisabeth Gitter is the life story of Laura Bridgman, a girl from the 1800s who was left Deaf and Blind after a fever that she contracted when she was only a couple years old. Coming from a poor farm family in New Hampshire, her parents had little hope that she would become anything more than a nuisance, despite her mothers love. Then comes Samuel Howe. Howe was a man of many talents and ventures, his school for the blind being one of them. He took Laura in as a personal project. He wanted to find a way to teacher her to communicate, to prove that humans have an imbedded ability to understand language. With the help of his hired teachers, he managed to teacher Laura, not only how to communicate with others through finger spelling and brail, but to understand complex concepts, including religion, manners and math. The Perkins School for the Blind, located in Boston, Massachusetts changed not only Laura's life, it also changed how students with disabilities were treated and taught around the world. Laura went from being a house hold name and possibly one of the most famous women in the world during her time, only to be later over shadowed in history by the well known Helen Keller. Despite Laura's sometimes unpleasant personality, she accomplished amazing feats and overcame incredible obstacles. Both Howe and Laura were amazing individuals and their stories are ones that everyone should know. Gitter did a great job at writing an engaging biography that had me excited for the next chapter of her life. I honestly picked this book up because the cover intrigued me, and now I leave the book knowing the fascinating story of Laura Bridgman, the original Deaf-Blind girl.
July 30, 2021
I first learned about Laura Bridgman when I was in about fifth grade, and I read Child of the Silent Night for a book report. When I learned about this book, I wanted very much to read it, so I could learn more about the deaf-blind woman who was educated before the more enduringly famous Helen Keller.
After finishing it, I found that I became rather annoyed by Samuel Howe and his self-centered, self-aggrandizing behavior. But maybe that's just me projecting some twenty-first century ideas on people from the past. However, I think the thing that upset me most was the belief at the time (a belief, I know, still exists today) that Sign Language isn't a legit language. Which is garbage, of course. Sign is just as legit a language as any other.
After finishing it, I found that I became rather annoyed by Samuel Howe and his self-centered, self-aggrandizing behavior. But maybe that's just me projecting some twenty-first century ideas on people from the past. However, I think the thing that upset me most was the belief at the time (a belief, I know, still exists today) that Sign Language isn't a legit language. Which is garbage, of course. Sign is just as legit a language as any other.
January 22, 2018
I was thrilled to finally find a biography about Laura Bridgeman, however, this book disappointed on a variety of levels. While it does give some insight into Laura's life prior to meeting Samuel Howe, it's difficult to follow. The book almost seems to be more about Samuel Howe than Laura herself and I found myself hunting through it to find Laura's story threads between Howe's larger than life portrayal. It does give some interesting insights to Laura's life and personality, there are some wonderful images and what I am assuming are contents of actual letters and diary entries. But for the most part, the voice in which the book is written was tough to wade through at some points. It mirrors the more florid style of works written a century ago. Which to a modern eye can be a bit off putting. I was glad to have discovered more of Laura's story, and am aware that her life was indeed woven through Samuel Howe's. I was just expecting the book to be more weighted on her life and not his.
May 26, 2018
As a person who has background in what it means to be deaf or deafblind and who has read books by and about Helen Keller I found this book to fit very well with what I know, to be very informative and highly readable. It's not a novel and not for every reader, but if you are interested in the beginnings of education for deafblind children, indeed in the thinking in the "science of education" of this period, it's a must read.
September 25, 2021
Well-researched account, fully focused on the relationship between them, as well as Howe’s wife Julia Ward.
March 1, 2010
The author does a wonderful job of explaining the worlds of Dr. Howe and Laura. One of my favorite things is the author’s use of the word “normal”. There is no instance of the word occuring without the quotation marks around it. I hate the word “normal”. I avoid using it whenever possible for a more accurate alternative. I took many classes in college in Disability Studies. What I learned there turned me off to the word. It was wonderful to see another person using the word like that.
This book is an amazingly well-written account of two figures that have been mostly forgotten by those of us today despite their huge impact on history. Dr. Howe went on to do many other historical things during his life, but to me, this was the greatest. He was one of the first people, along with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, to see the disabled as people with minds to be nourished and not just things to be taken care of.
This book is an amazingly well-written account of two figures that have been mostly forgotten by those of us today despite their huge impact on history. Dr. Howe went on to do many other historical things during his life, but to me, this was the greatest. He was one of the first people, along with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, to see the disabled as people with minds to be nourished and not just things to be taken care of.
April 17, 2011
Story of Samuel Howe (founder and director of the Perkins School for the Blind) and Laura Bridgman. Masterfully written account of two fascinating lives. Much pedagogy of the deaf is included, especially the acquisition of language and the controversy of learning signing vs. standard written language.
The strange and ever changing relationship of Howe and Bridgman is discussed with good psychological profiles presented. There is plenty of depth but it is easy to follow. I probably enjoyed this so much because these are topics which I've been previously exposed to (not including the biographical aspects). I even learned 4 or 5 totally new words - always a plus in my book!
The strange and ever changing relationship of Howe and Bridgman is discussed with good psychological profiles presented. There is plenty of depth but it is easy to follow. I probably enjoyed this so much because these are topics which I've been previously exposed to (not including the biographical aspects). I even learned 4 or 5 totally new words - always a plus in my book!
August 7, 2012
In order to better understand someone's life you must to some extent come to grips with the time period that life was lived in. This is something the author is very sucessful at. The sections of the book that deal with 19nth century societal attitudes toward the disabled ,are well done and very interesting.
However I do agree with a previous reviewer who suggested that the book pays insufficient attention Laura Bridgman. The figure of Samuel Howe very much overshadows her. Still all in all a good book for those who have an intest in the history of disability.
However I do agree with a previous reviewer who suggested that the book pays insufficient attention Laura Bridgman. The figure of Samuel Howe very much overshadows her. Still all in all a good book for those who have an intest in the history of disability.
November 30, 2014
Highly recommend! Provides an interesting cross section of American history regarding disability, education, and gender - I read this book after being disturbed by the fictionalized account of Laura's life in "What is Visible". I wanted to know more factual information about her and her contemporaries, and I got more information than I was initially looking for that I found very helpful and fascinating. The final chapter provided a very thought-provoking comparison with the education and achievements of Hellen Keller. Very absorbing and informative read.
July 17, 2012
Fascinating account--it is well-researched and excellently contexualized within the historical period. I also enjoyed Gitter's writing--it's accessible and scholarly at the same time, much like Erik Larson's work. If you have any interest in disability culture and history or want to know about Helen Keller's predecessor, check this book out!
March 10, 2013
Yet another of my fascinations/obsessions are with Helen Keller (who everybody knows) and Laura Bridgman (who most people do not). I just loved this book, but make no assertions to being unbiased. . . .
February 15, 2016
Definitely a good book for anyone interested in the life of Laura Bridgman, or in the life of Helen Keller and/or Annie Sullivan. Not that there's much about Helen and Annie in this book, but if you want to know about them, you should know about the woman who came before them.
October 17, 2008
Facinating story.
December 5, 2008
I probably would have found this book more compelling if the editor had had a heavier hand. The writing was a bit too academic for my taste.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews