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The Story of My Life is the inspiring autobiography of Helen Keller, a deafblind girl who rose to fame because of her sheer determination to learn how to communicate, through the help of her teacher Anne Sullivan. Summary of the Book When Helen was born on June 27, 1880, her family had no idea how she would change all of their lives. Helen contracted a disease at 19 months of age, which ruined her capacity to see or hear. She gradually started to develop her own signs to interact with people around her. Her mother, inspired by the life of another deafblind woman, Laura Bridgman, sought the help of physician J. Julian Chisolm - an eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist in Baltimore. Dr. Chisolm further directed the Kellers to Alexander Graham Bell, who then sent them to the Perkins Institute for the Blind. The family came to know about Anne Sullivan there, a woman who would change Helen's life forever. Anne began a relationship with Helen that would last for more than four decades, teaching her to read Braille. Helen soon joined the Perkins Institute, and her determination to connect with others as conventionally as possible led her to learn how to communicate. She then spent the rest of her life giving inspirational speeches in different places. She became a strong advocate for people with disabilities, a suffragist, a fundamental socialist, a pacifist, and a birth control supporter. This book offers a look into the life of a mesmerizing figure in recent history, a figurehead for hope in the face of overwhelming obstacles. About Helen Keller Helen Adams Keller was an American writer, political activist and lecturer, who was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Her story, especially the story of how she learned to communicate through the assistance and teaching of Anne Sullivan, resulted in her rise to fame and soon became the flagship story for hope for all deafblind children everywhere. Helen Keller was a prolific writer, touching upon various topics such as women's suffrage, labour rights, socialism, and other radical left causes. She has since become a symbol for the triumphs of deafblind people. Several schools for the deaf and blind have been dedicated to her memory.