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Dorothy Herrmann Helen Keller: A Life
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998.
It is difficult to be a hero in the 1990s. Recent biographies of such 20th-century icons as Charles Lindbergh and John F. Kennedy present a "warts and all" picture of people previously depicted glowingly as triumphant heroes. This can sometimes be a positive thing, if by presenting our heroes with the clear light of hindsight and historic context biographers can present a more human portrait of their famous subjects. Helen Keller: A Life by Dorothy Herrmann is one such biography. By stripping Helen Keller of the "plaster saint" image she herself abhorred, a picture of Miss Keller as a complex human being is presented that in no way diminishes her remarkable achievements.
Much of this story is familiar to us, and even to school children who still learn about Helen Keller thirty years after her death. Born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, on June 27, 1880, Keller lost her sight and hearing at the age of two after a serious illness that almost killed her. Her early life as an uncontrolled child who threw plates, pinched people, kicked, and screamed has been immortalized by Keller herself in The Story of My Life and in movie versions of her life. The well-known story of her epiphany at the well when the spelled letters in her hand suddenly became a meaningful message is presented here, as well as the more famous stories of Keller's travels around the world to promote the capabilities of people with disabilities. However, less familiar tales of Keller's struggles and achievements are also chronicled, ones that highlight the frustrations and accomplishments of her long life. Her strong socialist convictions and antiwar efforts have not been as widely reported but are important facets of her character, illustrating her independent thinking. Herrmann does an admirable job of revealing Keller's desire to be in touch with the lives of the "common man" even while she was sheltered and protected by her friends...