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After the miracle : the political crusades of Helen Keller  Cover Image Book Book

After the miracle : the political crusades of Helen Keller / Max Wallace.

Wallace, Max, (author.).

Summary:

In this powerful new history, New York Times bestselling author Max Wallace draws on groundbreaking research to reframe Helen Keller's journey after the miracle, vividly bringing to light her rarely discussed, lifelong fight for social justice across gender, class, race, and ability. Raised in Alabama, she sent shockwaves through the South when she launched a public broadside against Jim Crow and donated to the NAACP. She used her fame to oppose American intervention in WWI. She spoke out against Hitler the month he took power in 1933 and embraced the anti-fascist cause during the Spanish Civil War. She was one of the first public figures to alert the world to the evils of Apartheid, raising money to defend Nelson Mandela when he faced the death penalty for High Treason. She lambasted Joseph McCarthy at the height of the Cold War, even as her contemporaries shied away from his notorious witch hunt. But who was this revolutionary figure? She was Helen Keller. From books to movies to Barbie dolls, most mainstream portrayals of Keller focus heavily on her struggles as a deafblind child--portraying her Teacher, Annie Sullivan, as a miracle worker. This narrative--which has often made Keller a secondary character in her own story--has resulted in few people knowing that Keller's greatest accomplishment was not learning to speak, but what she did with her voice when she found it. After the Miracle is a much-needed corrective to this antiquated narrative. In this first major biography of Keller in decades, Max Wallace reveals that the lionization of Sullivan at the expense of her famous pupil was no accident, and calls attention to Keller's efforts as a card-carrying socialist, fierce anti-racist, and progressive disability advocate. Despite being raised in an era when eugenics and discrimination were commonplace, Keller consistently challenged the media for its ableist coverage and was one of the first activists to highlight the links between disability and capitalism, even as she struggled against the expectations and prejudices of those closest to her. Peeling back the curtain that obscured Keller's political crusades in favor of her "inspirational" childhood, After the Miracle chronicles the complete legacy of one of the 20th century's most extraordinary figures. -- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781538707685
  • ISBN: 1538707683
  • Physical Description: 403 pages, 8 pages of unnumbered plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Grand Central Publishing, 2023.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Pt. 1. Miracle vs. myth -- Before the miracle -- Teacher -- "The second Laura Bridgman" -- "A bold plagiarism" -- The story of my life -- "Mr. Clemens" -- pt. 2. The left-wing Joan of Arc -- Political epiphany -- "Industrial blindness and social deafness" -- Radical shift -- "A defective race" -- Helen vs. Jim Crow -- "A little island of joy" -- Helen vs. Teddy Roosevelt -- "The human wonder" -- The foundation -- Helen vs. the Fuhrer -- pt. 3. Helen and the reds -- "The spirit of revolt" -- Fellow traveler -- Gathering storm -- Red scare -- Helen vs. Apartheid -- Helen vs. Joe McCarthy -- pt. 4. Rewriting history -- The miracle worker -- Helen and teacher.
Subject: Keller, Helen, 1880-1968.
Keller, Helen, 1880-1968 > Political and social views.
Keller, Helen, 1880-1968 > Political activity.
Deafblind people > United States > Biography.
Deafblind women > United States > Biography.
Political activists > United States > Biography.
Women political activists > United States > Biography.
Deafblind women > Political activity > United States.
Genre: Biographies.

Available copies

  • 8 of 8 copies available at Missouri Evergreen. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at De Soto.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 8 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
De Soto Public Library 362.4 WALLACE Max (Text) 33858000016770 Adult Non-Fiction Available -

Summary: In this powerful new history, New York Times bestselling author Max Wallace draws on groundbreaking research to reframe Helen Keller's journey after the miracle, vividly bringing to light her rarely discussed, lifelong fight for social justice across gender, class, race, and ability. Raised in Alabama, she sent shockwaves through the South when she launched a public broadside against Jim Crow and donated to the NAACP. She used her fame to oppose American intervention in WWI. She spoke out against Hitler the month he took power in 1933 and embraced the anti-fascist cause during the Spanish Civil War. She was one of the first public figures to alert the world to the evils of Apartheid, raising money to defend Nelson Mandela when he faced the death penalty for High Treason. She lambasted Joseph McCarthy at the height of the Cold War, even as her contemporaries shied away from his notorious witch hunt. But who was this revolutionary figure? She was Helen Keller. From books to movies to Barbie dolls, most mainstream portrayals of Keller focus heavily on her struggles as a deafblind child--portraying her Teacher, Annie Sullivan, as a miracle worker. This narrative--which has often made Keller a secondary character in her own story--has resulted in few people knowing that Keller's greatest accomplishment was not learning to speak, but what she did with her voice when she found it. After the Miracle is a much-needed corrective to this antiquated narrative. In this first major biography of Keller in decades, Max Wallace reveals that the lionization of Sullivan at the expense of her famous pupil was no accident, and calls attention to Keller's efforts as a card-carrying socialist, fierce anti-racist, and progressive disability advocate. Despite being raised in an era when eugenics and discrimination were commonplace, Keller consistently challenged the media for its ableist coverage and was one of the first activists to highlight the links between disability and capitalism, even as she struggled against the expectations and prejudices of those closest to her. Peeling back the curtain that obscured Keller's political crusades in favor of her "inspirational" childhood, After the Miracle chronicles the complete legacy of one of the 20th century's most extraordinary figures. --

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