This book was not only touching because of Helen Keller's fascinating story, but also an uplifting reassurance that life is worth living. Her ideas, those from and about Emanuel Swedenborg, strike me as poingantly true. Helen Keller's unique perspective on the world adds an amazing depth and reality to this work. I absolutly reccomend it for anyone and everyone.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It made me look again at what I believe and see it more clearly. This is a great introduction to the ideas of Emanual Swedenborg and the New Church.

The newly revised and updated second edition of Helen Keller's autobiography originally published in 1927 includes a substantial foreword by Keller biographer Dorothy Herrmann. The deaf, dumb and blind Helen Keller (1880-1968) became an internationally known spokesperson for the blind. Her amazing story of being taught to communicate by Annie Sullivan is very well know. But what is not so well known Keller's faith in the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg whose spiritual vision gave her "the light in my darkness, the voice in my silence". Light In My Darkness is wonderfully informative and inspiring reading and this splendid edition will re-introduce a most remarkable woman to a whole new generation of readers.

I found this an excellent biography...and it surprised me how much more disturbed I was by the life of Helen Keller and by her relationships with others, particularly Annie Sullivan, than I was before reading this book. I think anyone who previously thought Helen Keller was a happy and joyous woman would realize how mistaken that idea is. although the reality of her triumph over hardship can never be diminished, and for that she will always be a model of inspiration, she strikes me as having been an often extremely sad, emotionally shut down and isolated woman...but mostly someone who lived behind a major false front and "put on a happy face" to survive.

strong points: very well researched, clearly and carefully written, often insightful, not shying away from taboo topics (sexuality, alcoholism, child abuse), all in all quite readable

a quick gripe: I feel Herrmann could have been more interpretive about the relationship between Helen and Annie. while reading the book I often found myself feeling that Helen and Annie's relationship (and Helen herself) was far more disturbed - unbalanced - than even Herrmann was concluding.

I found this an excellent biography...and it surprised me how much more disturbed I was by the life of Helen Keller and by her relationships with others, particularly Annie Sullivan, than I was before reading this book. I think anyone who previously thought Helen Keller was a happy and joyous woman would realize how mistaken that idea is. although the reality of her triumph over hardship can never be diminished, and for that she will always be a model of inspiration, she strikes me as having been an often extremely sad, emotionally shut down and isolated woman...but mostly someone who lived behind a major false front and "put on a happy face" to survive. strong points: very well researched, clearly and carefully written, often insightful, not shying away from taboo topics (sexuality, alcoholism, child abuse), all in all quite readable

a quick gripe: I feel Herrmann could have been more interpretive about the relationship between Helen and Annie. while reading the book I often found myself feeling that Helen and Annie's relationship (and Helen herself) was far more disturbed - unbalanced - than even Herrmann was concluding.

Anne Sullivan (Helen Kellers teacher) is probably my biggest hero.
She endured a life of harsh physical pain from various ailments. Any direct exposer to sunlight caused her eyes agonizing pain. She was also plagued with intense emotional trauma, Orphaned, Anne and her younger brother both were shipped to an asylum where they played with rats as toys and frequently were housed in the room where they kept the dead bodies. The year Anne stayed there 70 babies were admitted, 60 died, as did Anne's brother. Anne had seen more death and pain by age 7 then many hardened solders. It was difficult for most people to understand her cantankerous personality and tendency to fly off the handle. It was said at the school she attended she would have been expelled many times, if they had someplace to expell her to. Despite these setbacks she saw Helen Keller, another girl people gave up on and showed her the world of language and communication. This new biography strips away all the well meaning sentimentality and shows us two souls, bruised and scared, but beautiful