Helen Keller

Margaret Davidson’s Helen Keller, a biography of the titular Helen Keller, is a middle grade book of nonfiction that was originally published in 1969. Helen, born in 1880, lost both her vision and her hearing after a bout of scarlet fever when she was a toddler. The book chronicles Helen’s plight to learn to communicate with the guidance of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, of the Perkins Institute in Massachusetts. The biography provides an overview of Helen’s life, beginning with her journey as a young child to learn to communicate via American Sign Language, to read via braille, and, eventually, to speak aloud in English. Davidson charts the Dedication and Perseverance Helen displays in overcoming the obstacles that her disabilities present. Through the unfailing guidance and support of Anne, Helen’s accomplishments defy her circumstances and solidify her role as an extraordinary woman in US history. Helen’s life has been the subject of numerous biographies and films, most notably The Miracle Worker, which was released in 1962.

Davidson is the author of multiple books for middle grade readers, especially biographies of well-known figures. These include Jackie Robinson, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell, Golda Meir, and Eleanor Roosvelt, to name a few. Davidson has also published under the names Mickie Compere (her given name) and Mickie Davidson.

This guide refers to the 1989 paperback edition published by Scholastic Inc.

Summary

When she is 18 months old, Helen Keller suffers from scarlet fever. She recovers from the illness, but it leaves her blind and deaf. Helen quickly loses the few words she had been able to speak. By the time she is five, Helen, though she can communicate to a degree via hand gestures, is prone to throwing temper tantrums. Her disabilities also put her at risk of injury, such as an instance in which her dress apron catches fire from a nearby fireplace. When an infant sister arrives in her household, Helen grows angry and often hurts the baby. Her parents fear that hospitalization is inevitable. However, when Helen’s father learns of a school called the Perkins Institute, which previously treated a student who was both blind and deaf, he writes them a letter.

When Helen is six, Anne Sullivan, an instructor from the Perkins Institute, arrives to live with the Kellers. She begins work with Helen by teaching her the finger signs for the letters of the alphabet. It is difficult work, made more challenging by Helen’s tantrums, which the Kellers have become accustomed to giving in to. Anne, however, will not allow Helen to continue this habit. She responds to Helen’s will with an equally strong one, even enduring Helen’s physical attacks. Recognizing the role that the Kellers have played in placating Helen, Anne proposes that Helen be removed from their care temporarily.

The Kellers allow Anne and Helen to live alone in a small cottage on their property. There, Helen learns to trust Anne, and the temper tantrums subside. Helen masters the American Sign Language alphabet, memorizing the hand signs for each letter, but she does not comprehend that the finger shapes have meaning beyond being part of a game that Anne plays with her. Finally, Helen experiences a breakthrough one day when, while playing in the stream of water from the pump in the garden, Helen realizes that the letters “W-A-T-E-R” correspond to the physical thing itself. From there, Helen’s learning occurs rapidly, and she swiftly acquires a vocabulary. Anne is then able to teach Helen to read using Braille. Once Helen comprehends a link between the finger signs, the bumps of Braille, and their meaning, her love of learning is unleashed.

In the latter part of her adolescence, Helen begins to live a full and meaningful life. Anne takes her on outings, and she spends a summer at the Perkins Institute, where her education deepens. Helen thrives, enjoying the time spent playing with other children and taking in several “firsts” with awe and joy. Helen and Anne then settle into a routine of being on the East Coast at the Perkins Institute and then returning to the Kellers’ home for the summer. Helen, eager for the ability to communicate with those who do not know American Sign Language, sets a personal goal of learning to speak aloud in English. With the help of an instructor named Sarah Fuller, Helen accomplishes this.

Anne is dubious when Helen announces her plan to attend college but supports her in the endeavor. Helen is admitted to Radcliffe College after convincing the president to allow her to at least try the courses. Helen earns a bachelor’s degree and then makes a career out of touring the nation as a lecturer. She inspires others with the adversity she has overcome and educates the audience about her disabilities. Helen writes and publishes essays and books, and her renown provides her with countless opportunities she would not have had otherwise. She lives a full and rich life and passes away at age 87.