In her moving account of how she came to understand the world around her despite being blind and deaf since childhood, Helen Keller confirms that no physical obstacle can hinder the achievements of the human mind. Included with Keller's poignant autobiography are her letters, spanning fifteen years, which reveal her remarkable intellectual growth and empathic soul. Commentary by her teacher, Anne Sullivan, and the book's original editor is also featured, providing illuminating insight from two of Keller's closest companions. The Story of My Life not only transformed societal attitudes toward those living with a disability, it inspired everyone who felt daunted by restrictions to dream big. Keller was eloquent proof of that dream-and of her belief that everything in life, even darkness and silence, held liberating possibilities and wonder. AmazonClassics brings you timeless works from iconic authors. Ideal for anyone who wants to read a great work for the first time or revisit an old favorite, these new editions open the door to the stories and ideas that have shaped our world.

Author Biography

Helen Keller (1880-1968) was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the first child of Kate Adams and Confederate Army captain Arthur Keller. At age nineteen months, she was stricken with an illness that left her permanently blind and deaf. Anne Sullivan was appointed as Keller's teacher in 1887; their powerful bond and Sullivan's determination to break through the child's barriers by means of manual sign language is famously depicted in the film and play The Miracle Worker and other dramatic interpretations. After her early education in New York and Boston, Keller graduated from Radcliffe College in 1904. She went on to a lifetime of world-changing achievements as a prolific author, renowned lecturer, celebrated advocate for the disabled, and stalwart activist. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964.