My Life

When she was 19 months old, Helen Keller (1880–1968) suffered a severe illness that left her blind and deaf. Not long after, she also became mute. Keller mounted a tenacious struggle to overcome these handicaps with the help of her inspired teacher, Anne Sullivan. Here is one of the greatest stories of human courage ever committed to paper. In this classic autobiography, Miss Keller recounts the first 22 years of her life, including the magical moment at the water pump when she recognized the connection between the word "water" and the cold liquid on her hands. Subsequent experiences were equally noteworthy: her joy at eventually learning to speak, her friendships with Oliver Wendell Holmes and other notables, her education at Radcliffe, and extraordinary relationship with Miss Sullivan.