Helen Keller: Selected Writings

by Kim E. Nielsen

Overview

“[My life] is so rich with blessings—an immense capacity of enjoyment, books, and beloved friends. . . . Most earnestly I pray the dear Heavenly Father that I may sometime make myself far more worthy of the love shown to me than I am now.”
—April 22, 1900 letter from Helen Keller to John Hitz, AFB
When Helen Keller died in 1968, at the age of eighty-eight years old, she was one of the most widely known women in the world. The overnight success of her biography, The Story of My Life, written at age twenty-three, made it obvious to Keller that she was endowed with a gift for writing and speaking. As she got older, she increasingly began to do both on a variety of subjects extending beyond her own disability, including social, political, and theological issues.
Helen Keller: Selected Writings collects Keller’s personal letters, political writings, speeches, and excerpts of her published materials from 1887 to 1968. The book also includes an introductory essay by Kim E. Nielsen, headnotes to each document, and a selected bibliography of work by and about Keller. The majority of the letters and some prints, all drawn from the Helen Keller Archives at the American Foundation for the Blind in New York, are being published for the first time.
Literature, education, advocacy, politics, religion, travel: the many interests of Helen Keller culminate in this book and are reflected in her spirited narration. Also portrayed are the individuals Keller inspired and took inspiration from, including her teacher Annie Sullivan, her family, and others with whom she formed friendships throughout the course of her life.
This often charming collection revels in and preserves Keller’s public and private life, coming to us in the year which marks the 125th anniversary of her birthday.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814758298
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	06/01/2005
Series:	The History of Disability , #2
Pages:	317
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	15 - 18 Years

About the Author

Kim E. Nielsen is Associate Professor of History and Women’s Studies in the Department of Social Change and Development at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She lives in Green Bay, WI.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction One 1889–1900
Growing Up

Two 1900–1924
Major Works
Politics
Friendships, Intimacies, and the Everyday
Three 1924–1945
A Major Works
Politics
Travel
Friendships, Intimacies, and the Everyday

Four 1946–1968
Travel
Friendships, Intimacies, and the Everyday
Major Works

Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Editor

Editorial Reviews

"These words written so long ago are as lively and relevant as if they were just typed. . . . Editor Kim Nielsen has compiled a treasure trove of Helen Kellers letters, speeches, and other writings that provide a glimpse into Keller's friendships; her views about disability, politics, and social justice; and her affection and respect for her teacher, Anne Sullivan Macy. . . . Because of the breadth of topics addressed, this book will be of significance to a wide variety of people.... As evidenced by her own words, Helen Keller was a deeply spiritual person with high regard for the dignity of each person and a desire for social justice. My admiration for her as a woman and as a citizen has increased by reading this book."

Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness

"With the help of the American Foundation for the Blind, editor Nielsen has compiled an outstanding collection, including many letters and photos that are being published for the first time."

DallasNews.com

"Here is Helen Kellers endlessly fascinating life in all its variety: from intimate personal correspondence to radical political essays, from autobiography to speeches advocating the rights of disabled people. All are illuminated by Nielsens insightful introductory essays. The wealth of photos is equally delightful. This is a treasure trove for Keller enthusiasts and scholars alike."

Douglas C. Baynton

"Helen Keller: Selected Writings allows a fresh reassessment of one of the extraordinary figures of the twentieth century. Helen Keller was more than just a blind and deaf woman who learned to communicate, she was an acute intelligence exploring and explaining the world to those with all five senses. This astute selection from her writings enables us to read her public and private words over the many decades of long and productive life."

Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz

Here is Helen Keller’s endlessly fascinating life in all its variety: from intimate personal correspondence to radical political essays, from autobiography to speeches advocating the rights of disabled people. All are illuminated by Nielsen’s insightful introductory essays. The wealth of photos is equally delightful. This is a treasure trove for Keller enthusiasts and scholars alike.”
-Douglas C. Baynton,author of Forbidden Signs: American Culture and the Campaign Against Sign Language

“[This] makes a fine companion to The Radical Lives of Helen Keller. . . . A useful addition to academic libraries supporting literature programs and larger public libraries.”
• Library Journal

“With the help of the American Foundation for the Blind, editor Nielsen has compiled an outstanding collection, including many letters and photos that are being published for the first time.”
-DallasNews.com

“These words written so long ago are as lively and relevant as if they were just typed. . . . Editor Kim Nielsen has compiled a treasure trove of Helen Keller’s letters, speeches, and other writings that provide a glimpse into Keller's friendships; her views about disability, politics, and social justice; and her affection and respect for her teacher, Anne Sullivan Macy. . . . Because of the breadth of topics addressed, this book will be of significance to a wide variety of people.... As evidenced by her own words, Helen Keller was a deeply spiritual person with high regard for the dignity of each person and a desire for social justice. My admiration for her as a woman and as a citizen has increased by reading this book.”

- Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness

From the Publisher

Keller (1880-1968) has too often been "merely" the subject of juvenile fiction-a highly romanticized child heroine overcoming tremendous adversity whose story is told only through young adulthood. In this latest addition to the "History of Disability" series (other titles include Mental Retardation in America and Nielsen's own The Radical Lives of Helen Keller), Nielsen (history & women's studies, Univ. of Wisconsin, Green Bay) reveals a woman with wide-ranging interests who was often frustrated by the pigeonholing effects of her own fame. This anthology of letters, articles, speeches, and book excerpts, including private material, makes a fine companion to Radical Lives. Arranged chronologically, the writings are grouped around Keller's primary interests and concerns at various periods of her life. Nielsen pays the most attention to the third (1924-45) and fourth (1945-60) periods, when Keller focused on advocacy for the disabled around the world. A useful addition to academic libraries supporting literature programs and larger public libraries.-Felicity D. Walsh, Emory Univ., Decatur, GA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal