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Beyond The Miracle Worker: The Remarkable Life Of Anne Sullivan Macy And Her Extraordinary Friendship With Helen Keller (2009)

by Kim E. Nielsen(Favorite Author)

3.76 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0807050466 (ISBN13: 9780807050460)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Beacon Press

review 1: Anne's family, along with 1.8 million Irish arrive in North America, travel from Ireland (Irish famine 1846-1855; tuberculosis) for a better life and ends up residing in Feeding Hills, MA. During this time, the marriage rate has decreased (85.5% of female immigrants ages 15 to 35 years were single). Her parents Thomas and Alice had three children -- Anne (1866), Ellen (1867), and James (1869). Between 1870-72 Ellen died and infant son John was born dead. In 1873 her mother Alice gave birth to Mary. Anne didn't attend school because she had difficulty with her vision - discovered it is a contagious disease known as trachoma - which is prevalent in impoverished communities. Anne was eight when her mom died from tuberculosis which was the leading cause of death in the US thr... moreough the nineteenth and into the twentieth century. It caused an astounding one out of every five deaths from 1800 to 1870. Her death affected her husband, an illiterate hired hand with three children. Eight year old Anne had vision issues; five year old Jimmie's hip caused him pain and mobility problems, and Mary was just a year old. Thomas couldn't handle the children, and drank himself until he fell apart. He lost his job, and house. Relatives in Springfield took in three year old Mary. Anne and Jimmie were sent to the state almshouse in Tewksbury, MA on Feb. 22, 1876. These almshouses brought numerous residents. But this facility was deteriorated rapidly. More than 900 residents lived in the institution (built for 500). Luckily, Jimmie and Anne were allowed to live together in the women's ward (and Jimmie wore a pinafore to aid the pretense.) They were able to "develop a life of their own that becomes meaningful, reasonable, and normal once you get close to it." In this space, part of it was partitioned off from the main room of the ward (for the placement of dead bodies awaiting pine boxes and transportation.) Jimmie's health declined and he died on May 31, 1876. In the dark, Anne reached out her hand and touched her little brother, under the sheet she could feel his cold little body. But someone came in and pulled her away. They dragged her away from his body, and she kicked and scratched and bit them until they dropped her upon the floor, and left her there, a heap of pain beyond words. One of the women -- a poor cripple -- hobbled to her, and bent down as far as she could to life her up; but the effort hurt her so that she groaned. Anne got up and helped her back into her bed. The cripple lady had her sit beside her, and spoke tender words of comfort to her. And so begins her story . . .
review 2: It's hard to separate Anne Sullivan from Helen Keller, but author Kim Nielsen does certainly try.Keller is kept on the periphery as much as possible in this biography, which pushes Annie's pedagogical accomplishments and tries to delve into her psychology. That Sullivan was argumentative and headstrong was probably what kept her alive and sane during her childhood years in the almhouse, and what pushed her to push young Helen Keller into communication. It also made her a difficult woman in many ways, and the book may rationalize, but doesn't apologize for her. less

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