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lnluck13 's review for:
The Story of My Life
by Helen Keller
Read as an audiobook.
This was such a neat insight into one of the most famous historical figures, Helen Keller. It was so hard as a kid to imagine how she could live and thrive being blind AND deaf, so her stories and explanations fixed that confusion. She worked quite hard and achieved so much, and this book only covers her life until her college years (she appears to have still been a college student whilst writing this), so I cannot even imagine the successes and experiences she had not yet had at the completion of this book. The book is also filled with history and famous names, some of which have been lost to time, making the book a unique look at an extraordinary person's life as well as at life during the turn of the century (1875s-1900s).
There are some strange parts, of course. For the reader, she tries to include visual and sound imagery that we as readers know she has not experienced herself. Some moments it is clear that the description of the world and sights that she cannot personally experience are skewed to whomever was the one describing it. This story, her life, takes place after the Civil War in the South and during Reconstruction, so some moments are imbued with a picturesque, slightly off-putting version of the South at that time. I do not fault her for having some skewed version of the lives of black people in the South, especially since she lacks an easy way to experience or witness what was more likely going on at the time. So, in addition to idealized social circumstances, she has many an idealized perception of much of the world. She has kind philosophies toward oneness with nature, human goodness and connection, and equality, all well and good for sure.
However, you at times may find yourself wondering what may have occurred had she no support or access to resources. I am happy that she was privileged with such things, especially a dedicated teacher. Her own ability in combination with her support system of people and accessibility allowed her to achieve things that people probably thought would be insurmountable for her. It is certainly a feel-good story in that sense.
I only give it 4☆ because, although the story was interesting and informing, there was not much more. I recommend it to readers who want a unique insight into history and an incredible individual. I also recommend it to people who want to read a good success story because everyone likes to read those now and again.
4☆ Recommended
This was such a neat insight into one of the most famous historical figures, Helen Keller. It was so hard as a kid to imagine how she could live and thrive being blind AND deaf, so her stories and explanations fixed that confusion. She worked quite hard and achieved so much, and this book only covers her life until her college years (she appears to have still been a college student whilst writing this), so I cannot even imagine the successes and experiences she had not yet had at the completion of this book. The book is also filled with history and famous names, some of which have been lost to time, making the book a unique look at an extraordinary person's life as well as at life during the turn of the century (1875s-1900s).
There are some strange parts, of course. For the reader, she tries to include visual and sound imagery that we as readers know she has not experienced herself. Some moments it is clear that the description of the world and sights that she cannot personally experience are skewed to whomever was the one describing it. This story, her life, takes place after the Civil War in the South and during Reconstruction, so some moments are imbued with a picturesque, slightly off-putting version of the South at that time. I do not fault her for having some skewed version of the lives of black people in the South, especially since she lacks an easy way to experience or witness what was more likely going on at the time. So, in addition to idealized social circumstances, she has many an idealized perception of much of the world. She has kind philosophies toward oneness with nature, human goodness and connection, and equality, all well and good for sure.
However, you at times may find yourself wondering what may have occurred had she no support or access to resources. I am happy that she was privileged with such things, especially a dedicated teacher. Her own ability in combination with her support system of people and accessibility allowed her to achieve things that people probably thought would be insurmountable for her. It is certainly a feel-good story in that sense.
I only give it 4☆ because, although the story was interesting and informing, there was not much more. I recommend it to readers who want a unique insight into history and an incredible individual. I also recommend it to people who want to read a good success story because everyone likes to read those now and again.
4☆ Recommended