Book # 16

Hellen Keller: A Photographic Biography

By Leslie Garrett

This is a biography published by DK Books. If you aren't familiar with DK it is basically an children's educational publisher. I have been mildly interested in Hellen Keller and bought this book some years ago for my sons so that they could read about someone who achieved success against great odds. I liked the book because it had pictures and facts about the subject, and when they used a word that a young reader would probably not be familiar with, they would have the definition in a little box on the same page. There were also small by-lines about historical facts and people that would help the reader understand the life of the subject better.

Things I learned about Helen Keller, and about her teacher Annie Sullivan.

Annie Sullivan was born in Massachusetts on April 14, 1866. She contracted Tracoma, an eye infection  when she was 3 years old. Her family didn't have money for treatment and so her eyes became very weak. Her mother died of Tuberculosis when Annie was about 10 and her father was an alcoholic and so Annie and her 5 year old brother went to live in the poorhouse, where they were the only children, except for the newborns in the orphans ward.  Her brother passed away there. Annie eye sight was so poor that eventually she received admission to Perkins Institution for the Blind when she was 14. Annie had a terrible temper and was almost sent away from the school but a teacher took her under her wing and taught her manners and how to control herself. She became one of the best students and graduated as class valedictorian. The summer after graduation, she was asked to become the teacher for a Hellen Keller. She spent many months studying how to teach a blind, deaf and mute child, before she accepted the position. On March 3, 1887 she arrived in Tuscumbia, Alabama to teach Hellen Keller. She was 20 years old. She remained as Hellen's teacher, friend and companion for the rest of her life. She died on October 20, 1936 at the age of 70. She was totally blind by then.

Helen Keller was born June 27, 1880 in Alabama. When she was 3 years old, she developed a high fever and as a consequence lost her hearing and sight. She became a wild, uncontrollable child. When Helen was about 5 or 6, her mother read a book by Charles Dickens called "American Notes." He spoke about meeting a blind and deaf woman who lived at the Perkins Institute for the blind and noted that she had learned to communicate. Kate Keller hoped that the same could be accomplished for Hellen. They took Hellen to a noted eye doctor, who admitted that nothing could be done for Helen's eyesight or hearing, but that she was obviously intelligent and could be educated. He recommended that they meet with Dr. Alexander Graham Bell who (among other things) was an expert on teaching speech to the deaf. Dr. Bell recommended that ask the Perkins Institute for a recommendation of a teacher for Hellen. Annie arrived about 7 months later.

Other notable facts:

• Helen was taught to speak but she was difficult to understand by most people.

• Helen learned to lip read by placing one hand on the speakers throat and the other on their lips.

• Helen was a Socialist, but received much financial support from several notable, wealthy capitalists.

• Helen was once charged with Plagiarism.

• Helen graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College when she was 24 years old. 

• Annie Sullivan married a man 11 years her junior and he lived with both women for many years, until he and Annie separated.

• Helen was courted by a man named Peter Fagan. Her mother disapproved, and so they made secret plans to elope. Peter never showed up. Helen was disappointed but decided that it was for the best. She referred to that time when love entered her life as her "little island of joy."

• Helen supported suffragists and workers striving to create unions.

• A silent picture called "Deliverance" was made of Helen's life in 1918. It was not very successful.

• Helen and Annie created a Vaudeville act which was highly successful.

• Helen became quite religious and followed the teachings of Religious philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg. She especially likes his idea of heaven. She came to believe that "death is no more than passing from one room to another." She said that for her though, "In that other room I shall be able to see."

• Helen wrote 2 autobiographies, "The Story of my life" and "Midstream: My Later Life". 

• Helen lectured all over the country for the American Foundation for the Blind.

• In 1954 a documentary was made about Helen, featuring Helen and was called "Helen Keller in Her Story."

• Helen traveled extensively and met many famous and powerful people. She was a very famous person in her time.

• Helen visited the wounded during WWII. 

• In 1959 a play called "the Miracle Worked" was presented on Broadway. It was very successful and was later made into a movie and tells the story of Helen when Annie first came to be her teacher.

• Helen died of a heart attack in June 1, 1968 in Westport, Connecticut.