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Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille
A biography of the modest Frenchman who, after being blinded at the age of three, went on to develop a system of raised dots on paper that enabled blind people to read and write.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
97 people are currently reading
848 people want to read
About the author
Russell Freedman
90 books132 followersRussell A. Freedman was an American biographer and the author of nearly 50 books for young people. He may be known best for winning the 1988 Newbery Medal with his work Lincoln: A Photobiography.
He grew up in San Francisco and attended the University of California, Berkeley, and then worked as a reporter and editor for the Associated Press and as a publicity writer. His nonfiction books ranged in subject from the lives and behaviors of animals to people in history. Freeedman's work has earned him several awards, including a Newbery Honor each for Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery in 1994 and The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane in 1992, and a Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal.
Freedman traveled extensively throughout the world to gather information and inspiration for his books. His book, Confucius: The Golden Rule was inspired by his extensive travels through Mainland China, where he visited Confucius' hometown in modern day QuFu, in the Shantung Province.
He grew up in San Francisco and attended the University of California, Berkeley, and then worked as a reporter and editor for the Associated Press and as a publicity writer. His nonfiction books ranged in subject from the lives and behaviors of animals to people in history. Freeedman's work has earned him several awards, including a Newbery Honor each for Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery in 1994 and The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane in 1992, and a Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal.
Freedman traveled extensively throughout the world to gather information and inspiration for his books. His book, Confucius: The Golden Rule was inspired by his extensive travels through Mainland China, where he visited Confucius' hometown in modern day QuFu, in the Shantung Province.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
April 27, 2011
He was a bubbly and curious four-year old boy when an awl (pruning knife) accidentally punctured his left eye. He was playing a pretend game in his father's saddle and harness workshop in Coupvray, France. The eye bled. Since Coupvray was far from the city and his parents were poor, only a woman known to have healing powers was called. She dabbed some lily water on the eye and after few days, the infection spread to the other eye. The year was 1812 and there was no known way to control such an infection. The 4-y/o boy became totally blind.
This is the story of Louis Braille (1809-1852). Blind at the age of 4. National Institute for Blind Youth scholar at 10. Started working on raised-dot system, substituting raised dots for each letter in the alphabet at 12 and demonstrating it to Louis-Philippe, the King of France at 20. Became one of the teacher in the same school at 21. Also dabbled in music and became famous with his piano skills. Dead from tuberculosis at 43.
A life well spent considering that his system is still very much in use up to now.
But what really struck me while reading this book was: how did his father feel at the time when the accident happened? how did he feel to be a father of a 4-y/o boy who became blind because of his negligence? Surely, it must have been unthinkably sad. The guilt must have killed him inside.
I bought this book with my 16-y/o daughter last Sunday from a second-hand bookshop just beside a chapel. Right after buying it, she read the first two chapters and left the book with my wife who chose to stay in the chapel instead of going with us for another book hunting in a nearby store. It was 10 mins before the start of the mass when we came back and saw her teary-eyed. My daughter asked why. She said she read the book and she felt sad for the boy who got blind. So, while the communion was happening, I grabbed the book and read those two chapters too. We could not stop discussing the book on our way home. Some wonders indeed come to us in small packages.
The book is well-written in simple yet exact words. Definitely not a single word wasted. Something that I truly appreciated because since late last week, I have been reading David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas and its first chapter uses old-fashioned English and hifalutin words. Out of Darkness became a quick relief as it is easy to understand yet full of emotion. The fact that it is a non-fiction makes it more inspiring: that no matter what the odds are, if we believe in our dreams, nothing is impossible.
We all have heard about the Braille system but it is still nice to know the story of the teenager/young man who almost single-handedly developed it and convinced the King of France to adapt it as the official way of teaching the blind on how to read and write.
This is the story of Louis Braille (1809-1852). Blind at the age of 4. National Institute for Blind Youth scholar at 10. Started working on raised-dot system, substituting raised dots for each letter in the alphabet at 12 and demonstrating it to Louis-Philippe, the King of France at 20. Became one of the teacher in the same school at 21. Also dabbled in music and became famous with his piano skills. Dead from tuberculosis at 43.
A life well spent considering that his system is still very much in use up to now.
But what really struck me while reading this book was: how did his father feel at the time when the accident happened? how did he feel to be a father of a 4-y/o boy who became blind because of his negligence? Surely, it must have been unthinkably sad. The guilt must have killed him inside.
I bought this book with my 16-y/o daughter last Sunday from a second-hand bookshop just beside a chapel. Right after buying it, she read the first two chapters and left the book with my wife who chose to stay in the chapel instead of going with us for another book hunting in a nearby store. It was 10 mins before the start of the mass when we came back and saw her teary-eyed. My daughter asked why. She said she read the book and she felt sad for the boy who got blind. So, while the communion was happening, I grabbed the book and read those two chapters too. We could not stop discussing the book on our way home. Some wonders indeed come to us in small packages.
The book is well-written in simple yet exact words. Definitely not a single word wasted. Something that I truly appreciated because since late last week, I have been reading David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas and its first chapter uses old-fashioned English and hifalutin words. Out of Darkness became a quick relief as it is easy to understand yet full of emotion. The fact that it is a non-fiction makes it more inspiring: that no matter what the odds are, if we believe in our dreams, nothing is impossible.
We all have heard about the Braille system but it is still nice to know the story of the teenager/young man who almost single-handedly developed it and convinced the King of France to adapt it as the official way of teaching the blind on how to read and write.
July 31, 2018
Sometimes, you're curious about a subject or a person and want just enough information to know if it's a topic or person you'd like to delve into learning about more deeply. When that happens for me, I often turn to children's books to start. :-)
This short biography is a great source for learning not just the bare-bones facts of Louis Braille's life, but also the motivations behind why he did what he did. The author provides little examples from his life to illustrate the character of this man, who, come to find out, was not only creative, but also extremely determined, persevering, generous, respectful, and intelligent. The illustrations aid in moving the story along and work well as an accompaniment to the articulate and well-researched text.
I highly recommend this for upper-elementary and middle-school readers, as well as adults, who, like me, are curious about the man who created the Braille alphabet.
This short biography is a great source for learning not just the bare-bones facts of Louis Braille's life, but also the motivations behind why he did what he did. The author provides little examples from his life to illustrate the character of this man, who, come to find out, was not only creative, but also extremely determined, persevering, generous, respectful, and intelligent. The illustrations aid in moving the story along and work well as an accompaniment to the articulate and well-researched text.
I highly recommend this for upper-elementary and middle-school readers, as well as adults, who, like me, are curious about the man who created the Braille alphabet.
July 25, 2024
Really good, short book about Louis Braille. Read aloud with the kids. It was very interesting to learn more about Louis’ accident when he became blind, the system of embossed books that were used before Braille, and the process of creating the new and better system of Braille. It brought up good conversations of suffering, perseverance, and purpose.
January 4, 2023
Louis Braille was born on this day, Jan. 4, 1809. In his memory, I reread this wonderful little book by one of my favorite authors, Russell Freedman. The inspirational true story of a young boy whose courage and determination changed the world for so many.
October 9, 2024
We absolutely loved this narrative non-fiction book. I read it to my older boys (ages 9, 8, and 6) and they all gave it 5 stars. I highly recommend it for families who enjoy inspirational non-fiction stories.
February 23, 2025
Good bio in Sonlight kindergarten! Both A and L sat and listened and A kept asking for “one more chapter!” Which was (pleasantly!) surprising to me with it being a fairly detailed biography (for a children’s book.)
April 22, 2015
Louis braille is the person who invented braille. Want to know more about him? read this book!!!
July 18, 2023
Really enjoyed this biography of Louis Braille that I read to my 10 and 8 year old. We learned a lot about his life and how he came up with his system as well as the opposition he faced to get it implemented at the school for the blind where he taught. It gave us a lot of compassion for people who are blind and how they have to find other ways to live in our sighted world. And we ended up watching lots of videos about how the system works which was really fascinating.
The only reason I give it four stars is that the second chapter outlines in detail Braille’s childhood accident that led to his blindness. It was a bit too descriptive of the way the tool pierced his eye and of bloody and infected eyeballs. I skimmed and summarized most of the chapter for my kids. It could have easily been dealt with in a shorter and less descriptive way.
The only reason I give it four stars is that the second chapter outlines in detail Braille’s childhood accident that led to his blindness. It was a bit too descriptive of the way the tool pierced his eye and of bloody and infected eyeballs. I skimmed and summarized most of the chapter for my kids. It could have easily been dealt with in a shorter and less descriptive way.
June 17, 2022
I can't remember where I bought this book (it was used, so could have been anywhere). But when I saw it, I immediately wanted to get it and read, because while I've obviously heard of Braille as the method that blind and visually impaired people read and write, that was it. I hadn't known for certain that it was named for a person, although I think I might have assumed that. This was a nice introduction into the life of Louis Braille and the obstacles he had to overcome to create this method and also to get it be widely accepted.
December 23, 2024
Read aloud with our 9 year old. Simply told, the story of so many painful times that resulted in the liberating six dot system of Braille, allowing blind people to read and write.
We both had greater appreciation for our sight and the ease with which we can pick up a book and read, after sharing this book.
We both had greater appreciation for our sight and the ease with which we can pick up a book and read, after sharing this book.
May 15, 2017
This was a quick read, telling the life story of Louis Braille, one of France's greatest heroes, for elementary-age children. I read a similar book when I was younger, but it was nice to hear it again. He was truly an inspiring person.
March 25, 2021
This was beautiful living book. My elemtary age boys loved it! I had trouble reading it outloud because I kept crying through it as it was such a touching story despite all the odds.
July 5, 2022
L'incredibile biografia di un genio
January 13, 2024
This was a really good book, a tragic accident that leads to millions of people being able to read in a more efficient way. He was truly ahead of his time.
January 13, 2023
Great biographical work; lots of French names I struggled to pronounce
June 21, 2010
This is such a good book about the life of Louis Braille. It is a very quick read. I learned so much about his life that I didn't know before. He was such a remarkable young man and accomplished the most important task for blind people, in such a short time. I was so impressed with him while I read. My son needed to read this book for school and write a report on it, so I decided to read it so that I could help him. I am so glad I did. I am thrilled to know the story of the person that made such a great accomplishment!
January 7, 2016
I really liked this book.
January 9, 2025
Out of Darkness is about Louis Braille, the creator of the braille system that is used all around the world for the blind. Born to a modest French family, young Louis suffered an injury that would leave him blind for the rest of his life. After seeing the young boy's interest in learning, a local priest persuaded Louis' parents to let him attend the Royal Institute for the Blind. Though eager to learn, the method of teaching blind students was heavily flawed. Louis sought to find a new way, efficient to teach others like himself on how to read and write.
Relatively decent in its length, Freedman records Louis' timeline from his birth up to his death. And through these chapters, we see a boy turned man who was determined to not let his disability stop him from obtaining the education he sought for. The idea for braille didn't come overnight, nor did it become an instant success, Louis had done numerous trials & errors on his idea before it caught interest with the school's administrator. With much patience and improvements to his original concept, the use of braille became the new standard that is used to teach blind people to this day. The illustrations are done in pencil & grayscale, but captures perfectly the essence of Louis' story very well. For a children's biography, I think it could've gone more in-depth. It is written not only as a biography, but a story of determination of a blind boy who sought a way to change the way the blind were perceived and created a system that touched millions.
Relatively decent in its length, Freedman records Louis' timeline from his birth up to his death. And through these chapters, we see a boy turned man who was determined to not let his disability stop him from obtaining the education he sought for. The idea for braille didn't come overnight, nor did it become an instant success, Louis had done numerous trials & errors on his idea before it caught interest with the school's administrator. With much patience and improvements to his original concept, the use of braille became the new standard that is used to teach blind people to this day. The illustrations are done in pencil & grayscale, but captures perfectly the essence of Louis' story very well. For a children's biography, I think it could've gone more in-depth. It is written not only as a biography, but a story of determination of a blind boy who sought a way to change the way the blind were perceived and created a system that touched millions.
January 4, 2022
found Louis Braille’s story fascinating.
Born in 1809 in a small town near Paris, France, Louis was sighted until an accident at the age of 3 in his father’s workshop. Determined not to live helplessly as a beggar, a fate that happened to most blind people, and with the support of his teachers and village, Louis left his family home at the age of 13 to attend the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris – a revolutionary school at the time -- where he was surrounded by other blind or otherwise visually impaired students. He excelled there in many subjects, including piano, but was unsatisfied with the idea that blind people may never have the opportunity to read and write, so he invented a new system that was superior to the “embossed” system that was the current standard. His same system is still used today, almost 200 years later, and has been adapted to suit languages worldwide.
Today, January is celebrated as Braille Literacy Month in honor of the birth month of Louis Braille, and his actual birthday of January 4th is now recognized as World Braille Day.
Born in 1809 in a small town near Paris, France, Louis was sighted until an accident at the age of 3 in his father’s workshop. Determined not to live helplessly as a beggar, a fate that happened to most blind people, and with the support of his teachers and village, Louis left his family home at the age of 13 to attend the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris – a revolutionary school at the time -- where he was surrounded by other blind or otherwise visually impaired students. He excelled there in many subjects, including piano, but was unsatisfied with the idea that blind people may never have the opportunity to read and write, so he invented a new system that was superior to the “embossed” system that was the current standard. His same system is still used today, almost 200 years later, and has been adapted to suit languages worldwide.
Today, January is celebrated as Braille Literacy Month in honor of the birth month of Louis Braille, and his actual birthday of January 4th is now recognized as World Braille Day.
July 2, 2018
A very recent interest in braille sprung up in me only a few days ago when an online friend announced on January 4th that she was celebrating Louis Braille’s 203rd birthday.
It got me thinking about that wonderful system which enables those who cannot ‘see’ to read & write with their eyes to ‘see’ to read & write through their fingers. All of a sudden I felt I HAD TO learn more joining my friend in the celebration of that amazing man.
“Out Of Darkness” is a wonderfully written book that everyone should read.
It got me thinking about that wonderful system which enables those who cannot ‘see’ to read & write with their eyes to ‘see’ to read & write through their fingers. All of a sudden I felt I HAD TO learn more joining my friend in the celebration of that amazing man.
“Out Of Darkness” is a wonderfully written book that everyone should read.
May 17, 2024
Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille is about a boy named Louis Braille who is born in a French town in 1809. At three years of age he poked himself in his eye with an awl causing an infection which then spread to both eyes. Before he was four he was completely blind. His parents sent him to a school called The Royal Institute for Blind Youth. While he was there he made a dot system representing letters and symbols for blind students which is now called braille. Today lots of people use braille to help them read and write.
August 21, 2018
I read this to my sons because I realized they had no idea about who Louis Braille was, yet they knew about the writing form for the blind and have been to the Seeing Eye in Morristown, NJ. This book gives the full history of the life of Louis Braille in a way that is easy to follow for children and keeps them interested as well. Definitely glad I read it to them! We got through it rather quickly.
March 7, 2022
I read another short book, Out of Darkness, The Story of Louis Braille, for the Battle of the Books. This is a simple and to the point nonfiction book with the history of Louis Braille, the inventor of the Braille system, of writing for the blind. I found it to be very interesting to read. I learned a lot. It is one of those books you are either interested in reading a biography or you are not.
May 23, 2019
I read this book aloud to my kids as part of their curriculum. I was pleased to learn about the life of this well-known figure, and enjoyed how the information was presented. While the writing style is a bit simple, it is thorough and enjoyable to read. I am glad it was in our curriculum, and don’t hesitate to recommend it.
February 22, 2022
A fantastic mini chapter book biography about Louis Braille and the hurdles he had to overcome to have his inclusive way of communicating for the Blind be recognized on a larger scale. Russel Freedman did a great job of making readers want to learn more about Louis Braille and I'm sure students will walk away from this spouting random facts while desiring to learn even more.
March 1, 2022
Fantastic biography of Louis Braille written for children. Has a pencil drawing picture or two in each chapter that add to the story. Read aloud to 6 yo boy as part of Sonlight’s HBL A. He enjoyed learning about Braille (as did I!). We are going to get some Braille books from the library to feel and “see” how the letters work.
July 11, 2023
I listened to this as an audiobook. I teach 3rd grade and we did cow eye dissections for science after learning about the human eye. It was fascinating to learn about the life of Louise Braille, a young French boy who invented Braille in his teens after being exposed to a similar code that stood for sounds. I am impressed that his Braille code has been used for years and spread worldwide.
April 11, 2024
This is a wonderful short book!
This book about the invention of Braille by a 15 year old boy named Louis Braille brought tears to my eyes when I realized how much he has done for the world! I highly recommend this book to anyone that's interested in in remarkable people and remarkable inventions!
This book about the invention of Braille by a 15 year old boy named Louis Braille brought tears to my eyes when I realized how much he has done for the world! I highly recommend this book to anyone that's interested in in remarkable people and remarkable inventions!
June 10, 2017
A biography on Louis Braille recounting his life: from the time of his accident which blinded him, to his days at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, to his invention of the Braille cell at age 15, to his adulthood as a teacher and mentor.
Easily accessible information for early readers.
Easily accessible information for early readers.
June 21, 2017
A sweet, informative story of Louis Braille. Sometimes a bit slow, but eye-opening (terrible pun) about the lives of the blind in the 1900's. I read this to my first grader, and suspect he was a bit young to be appreciative. Maybe he'll enjoy it more when he's older.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews