After the Miracle
The Political Crusades of Helen Keller
by Max Wallace
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Pub Date Apr 11 2023 | Archive Date May 11 2023
Description
Kirkus Best Nonfiction Book of 2023
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, and 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 her 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.
Advance Praise
“Wallace strips away the sentimental image of Helen Keller and reveals an astonishing woman who lectured, traveled, wrote books, and loved movies. A friend of Charlie Chaplin and of Martin Luther King, she was a radical and passionate political activist taking stands against war, racism, and inequality that brought her to the attention of Hoover and his FBI. Following Keller’s life, Wallace offers a bonus: a stunning overview of the brutal politics of the 20th century. I enjoyed the book very much.” —Rosemary Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation
“A penetrating vision into the life and times of Helen Keller . . . adds the needed dimensions, insights, and details to elevate this famous woman to the true historic pivot she created; and [Wallace] does so with exceptional clarity, immense grasp of subject, and compelling detail.” —Edwin Black, New York Times bestselling author of IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance Between Nazi Germany and America’s Most Powerful Corporation
“A riveting series of adventures with Helen Keller, from befriending Charlie Chaplin in Hollywood to calling out apartheid in South Africa. Helen’s delightful wit and fierce dedication to advocating for underrepresented people makes her a timeless role model.” —Haben Girma, disability justice advocate and author of Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law
“Max Wallace’s impeccably researched book lays out a fascinating epilogue to the familiar story of a blind-deaf girl at a water pump. After the Miracle paints a compelling portrait of a complicated, revolutionary woman who spent a lifetime advocating for peace and equal rights despite powerful forces pressuring her to adhere to the simplistic persona they had created.” —Liz Heinecke, author of Radiant: The Dancer, The Scientist, and a Friendship Forged in Light
“Deeply researched and gracefully written, Wallace's After the Miracle offers a compelling, nuanced portrait of Helen Keller as a passionate political activist and socialist crusader whose radical convictions were often at odds with her angelic public image. The lively pace and original approach make for an enjoyable read.” —Elisabeth Gitter, author of The Imprisoned Guest: Samuel Howe and Laura Bridgman, the Original Deaf-Blind Girl
“In this highly readable, deeply researched, and illuminating work, Max Wallace brings the full range of Helen Keller’s lifetime accomplishments to a new and contemporary level of clarity. After the Miracle dispels myths, carefully investigates and untangles erroneous narratives, and adds immeasurably to our knowledge of the multi-dimensional woman who became a fearless political activist, anti-racist, and radical socialist in her day.” —Elizabeth Emerson, author of Letters From Red Farm: The Untold Story of the Friendship between Helen Keller and Journalist Joseph Edgar Chamberlin
“An amazing insight into the life and mission of a genius.” —Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas Gandhi
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781538707685 |
| PRICE | $30.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 416 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Nancy A. B, Reviewer
I grew up watching The Miracle Worker on television. Anne Bancroft plays Annie Sullivan to Patty Duke’s Helen, blind and deaf since babyhood, an uncontrolled child who needs taming and civilizing. One day, Helen understands that Annie’s finger language is a communication. An excited Helen eagerly wants to understand the words for everything. Sullivan has worked a miracle. It is an affecting story. But it is also a story with all that implies.
I realized that I knew very little else about Keller–except that she had an Akita named Kamikaze, a gift received while in Japan. I didn’t know anything about her “political crusades.”
After the Miracle will disrupt many misconceptions about Keller.
She read five languages. She attended Radcliffe and received a B.A.–the first blind-deaf person to attend college. Raised in the segregated South, she spoke against racism in America and Apartheid in South Africa. Her sympathies were socialist, strongly anti-fascist. She championed the rights of the poor, the working class, women, and the blind and deaf. Helen was anti-capitalist, but accepted an annuity from Andrew Carnegie. Helen had wanted to marry, but her family sent the man packing; some who knew them thought she had a sexual relationship with Annie. She rejected her family’s Presbyterianism after reading Swendenborg, attracted to the social justice aspect of Jesus’ teachings.
The biography begins with Helen’s early life and development. It traces her political development as she responsed to the changing political scene, including the rise of Hitler, the Russian revolution, Joe McCarthy, and the American presidents.
Annie Sullivan had vision problems all her life. Helen called her Teacher, and gave her credit for all of her success. After Sullivan’s health failed, other caretakers stepped in. Helen was dependent on them to relate conversations through finger language, although Helen could also read lips with her hands.
The most complete biography of Helen is analyzed for bias, downplaying her political alliances. During Helen’s life and after her death, her radical view were dampened. Her work for the American Foundation for the Blind and other groups required an idealized Helen, not a radical socialist.
After the Miracle reveals Helen’s life-long fight for social justice. And it is interesting to see how iconic personages have their public image and heritage shaped by the desires and needs of those who capitalize on them.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
Brianna D, Reviewer
After The Miracle will likely end up being among my favorite books of the year. Well-researched and insightful, the book is a joy to read. The author gives great context to Helen Keller's life and her place in the larger role of disability advocacy.
Like many people, I grew up with the "nice" and fairly infantalizing story of Helen Keller. After the Miracle is not that story. This book is focused on her as a full person: political, fierce, witty, intelligent, and deeply compassionate. Helen was an advocate for people from a wide variety of marginalized groups, most often Black Americans, oppressed workers and those living in poverty, and people with disabilities within these categories. What I didn't expect from this book were the controversies that surrounded her, including her ties to Communism and her horrifying stance on eugenics and repeated ableist language and opinions.
After the Miracle is a well-rounded biography that is both informative and riveting. If, like me, you only know the popular narrative around Helen Keller's life, I highly recommend seeking this out. I am so grateful to have read this and learned so much about the deep influence she had and the radical politics that shaped her life.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Nigel Henbest; Simon Brew; Sarah Tomley; Ken Okona-Mensah; Tom Parfitt; Trevor Davies; Chas Newkey-Burden
Entertainment & Pop Culture, Humor & Satire, Nonfiction (Adult)
