Synopses & Reviews
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Table of Contents. Read the
Introduction.
"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
"[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
"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
"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, Smith College
"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 "In this thorough collection...the rest of the world gets the gift of reading about a life lived in the service of one's dreams, as wonderful a gift as any."
Bitch
"[My life] is so rich with blessingsan 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.
Review
“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.”
“[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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
Synopsis
“[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 Kellers 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.
Synopsis
An intimate portrait of Helen Keller through her life's writing, some published here for the first time.
Synopsis
Debate on public issues--and where candidates stand on them-- have traditionally represented the focal point of presidential campaigns. In recent decades, however, rather than asking where candidates stand on the issues, the public increasingly wants to know who they are. The issue of character has thus come to dominate presidential elections.
While there is increasing public awareness that the psychology, judgment, and leadership qualities of presidential candidates count, the basis on which these judgments should made remains unclear. Does it matter that Gary Hart changed his name or had an affair? Should Ed Muskie's loss of composure while defending his wife during a campaign speech, or Thomas Eagleton's hospitalization for depression, have counted against them?
Looking back over the past 25 years, Stanley Renshon, a political scientist and psychoanalyst, provides the first comprehensive accounting of how character has become an increasingly important issue in a presidential campaign. He traces two related but distinctive approaches to the issue of presidential character and psychology. The first concerns the mental health of our candidates and presidents. Are they emotionally and personally stable? Is their temperament suitable for the presidency? The second concerns character. Is the candidate honest? Does he possess the necessary judgment and motivation to deal with the tremendous responsibilities and pressures of the office?
Drawing on his clinical and political science training, Renshon has devised a theory which will allow the public to better evaluate presidential candidates. Why are honesty, integrity, and personal ideals so important in judging candidates? Is personal and political ambition necessarily a bad trait? Do extra-marital affairs really matter? Finally, and most importantly, how can the public tell whether a candidate's leadership will be enhanced or impeded by aspects of his personality?
With this sweeping volume, Stanley Renshon has provided us with the most comprehensive account to date of how the public judges, and should judge, our future presidents.
About the Author
Stanley Renshon is Professor of Political Science at the City University of New York and developer and coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Program in the Psychology of Political Behavior at the CUNY Graduate School. He is the author and editor of several books, most recently the award-winning High Hopes: The Clinton Presidency and the Politics of Ambition.