Georgina Kleege

Daring format, interesting topic and thoughtful reflections. If you are looking for a biography, then no, this isn't it. This is Kleege's reading of all those other Hellen Keller books, her response to them, the ways in which she fills the gaps left by provable history and facts and comments on Keller's disability from the perspective of her own modern blind experience.

Kleege is really interested in Keller's romantic life, I'm not convinced it is entirely because officially Keller is so asexualized as part of the process of turning her into a saint but that is a decent reason. Although asexuality is real, can you think of a less likely candidate than someone for whom touch is a primary sense? Not to mention that while real, it is also quite rare and being deaf-blind is already a rarity indeed. Kleege's speculations were interesting, then she won me over by suggesting than Keller and Teacher (AKA Anne Sullivan) might have had a romantic relationship (a Boston marriage) and Teacher's own marriage to Macy might have been a cover up for that (or a threeway relationship!). Basically I'm about to start writing them fanfic now, since this feels quite like meta.

Many seem to find the second person narratative tedious, I love it. It's intimate and different, makes you think of the words. It also perfect for the game of 'what ifs' that this book ultimately is (it's reliance on actual facts is not the best, afaik, but that is also not the point).

I really liked the analysis of language (how dare a blind person speak of colours?) and Keller's explanation that no language existed to describe the variety of input she got through touch/smell/taste in the English language, and, if it did, it would not be understood by Normals. As well as the general criticism of abled-bodied people of the supposed capacities of those who lack one or more sense (the author gets corrected when she writes 'I was reading a book' instead of 'I was listening to a book'), I have considered whether it is accurate to use 'read' to refer to audiobooks and concluded that it is (it's actually *harder* for me to listen, tbh).

I really enjoyed this and you should know Hellen Keller's own books are available at Guttenberg Project for free. "The World I Live In" looks great!
… (more)

Daring format, interesting topic and thoughtful reflections. If you are looking for a biography, then no, this isn't it. This is Kleege's reading of all those other Hellen Keller books, her response to them, the ways in which she fills the gaps left by provable history and facts and comments on Keller's disability from the perspective of her own modern blind experience.

Kleege is really interested in Keller's romantic life, I'm not convinced it is entirely because officially Keller is so asexualized as part of the process of turning her into a saint but that is a decent reason. Although asexuality is real, can you think of a less likely candidate than someone for whom touch is a primary sense? Not to mention that while real, it is also quite rare and being deaf-blind is already a rarity indeed. Kleege's speculations were interesting, then she won me over by suggesting than Keller and Teacher (AKA Anne Sullivan) might have had a romantic relationship (a Boston marriage) and Teacher's own marriage to Macy might have been a cover up for that (or a threeway relationship!). Basically I'm about to start writing them fanfic now, since this feels quite like meta.

Many seem to find the second person narratative tedious, I love it. It's intimate and different, makes you think of the words. It also perfect for the game of 'what ifs' that this book ultimately is (it's reliance on actual facts is not the best, afaik, but that is also not the point).

I really liked the analysis of language (how dare a blind person speak of colours?) and Keller's explanation that no language existed to describe the variety of input she got through touch/smell/taste in the English language, and, if it did, it would not be understood by Normals. As well as the general criticism of abled-bodied people of the supposed capacities of those who lack one or more sense (the author gets corrected when she writes 'I was reading a book' instead of 'I was listening to a book'), I have considered whether it is accurate to use 'read' to refer to audiobooks and concluded that it is (it's actually *harder* for me to listen, tbh).

I really enjoyed this and you should know Hellen Keller's own books are available at Guttenberg Project for free. "The World I Live In" looks great!
… (more)