A Treatise on the Power of Optimism
Rendered deaf and blind by scarlet fever at the age of a year and a half, Helen Keller-- with the help of Anne Sullivan, other teachers, and her own determination-- learned to read, write, and speak several languages. Keller became an advocate for people with disabilities and fought for human rights her entire life. In 1903, while attending Radcliffe College-- she was the first deaf blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree-- she wrote Optimism Within. This short work is part of Applewood's American Roots series, tactile mementos of American passions by some America's most famous writers and thinkers.
