Reviews of "How I Would Help the World"

The book begins with an introduction by Ray Silverman. The text by Helen Keller that follows comprises three chapters:

1. A Great River of Light
2. A Nobel Conception of God
3. A Love that Embraces All

The book concludes with the appendix and suggested further reading.

Helen Keller's prose is vivid and masterful. Ray Silverman's introduction is very helpful and also embodies the work of a craftsman of the English language.

The book is a delightful contribution to the often neglected spiritual side to Helen's powerful story.
—Stephen D. Cole, Bryn Athyn, PA

How I Would Help the World
This is a wonderful little book where Helen Keller concisely and clearly explains why her Christian faith and spirituality are grounded in Emanuel Swedenborg's writings. It is wonderfully designed and illustrated as well. It makes a fine book to keep by your bedside or give to friends and family.
—Herbert Ziegler, Cambridge, MA

Learning about Helen
A concise statement of Keller's faith and hope for the world. In particular the application of that faith as action in daily living. No boundaries, no limitations of a particular doctrine; "a life of useful service." A model to strive toward.
—Diane H.

Highly Recommended
I can only describe this as a tiny book with a huge message. The words of both Helen Keller and Emanuel Swedenborg will haunt readers long after the book is done. You will either find it confirming and reassuring or begin to rethink your core beliefs, depending on your own present view of spirituality and religion.

Helen Keller requires no introduction. More than fifty years after her death, she remains an inspiration to us all. Ray Silverman, College Chaplain and Asst. Professor of Religion at Bryn Athyn College in Pennsuylvania, is an editor/author. How I Would Help the World is his assembly of little know information based on Helen Keller's essay and her spiritual autobiography.

The beautiful photographs of Helen add a personal connection to this fascinating human being. Without sight, hearing or speech she conquered her darkness and emerged a bright shining inspiration to the world. Her words are as important today as they were when they were written. Ray Silverman has recognized this and brings us an empowering gift.

The writings of Emanuel Swedenborg are timely, and insightful. The format of the book compares Swedenborg's writings with Helen's and emphasizes their mutual understanding of our universe and our life's purpose here on earth.

The Swedenborg Foundation in Pennsylvania houses the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. Visit their website for more information.
—Shirley A. Roe, Allbooks Review www.allbooksreviewint.com

Excellent to inspire yourself or a friend
My heart is warm every time I read something written by Helen Keller. Few things could be as inspirational as a person who could find so much beauty in life without being able to see or hear. This little book is based on an essay that Helen Keller wrote, expressing her fervent desire to share the love she felt for the works of Emanuel Swedenborg.

The introduction by Ray Silverman briefly tells Helen's story, with a special emphasis on her introduction to Swedenborg's works by John Hitz, a friend of Alexander Graham Bell. Annie Sullivan had brought Helen the tools for a mental awakening, and John Hitz brought the tools for a spiritual awakening that would give Helen the basis for her amazingly positive and hopeful viewpoint.

Helen was only 14 years old when she was first handed a copy of Swedenborg's Heaven and Hell, but she could immediately feel that this was a work of great significance. As she grew to understand the text more and more, she found increasing amounts of joy and wonder. In How I Would Help the World, Helen uses her poetic, affectionate style to tell us why she finds the concepts in Swedenborg's works to be so useful and wonderful. This small book provides an excellent way to inspire yourself or a friend to realize the treasures that lie in those writings. With respect and warmth, the Swedenborg Foundation has taken on the task of helping Helen Keller to help the world.
—Karin Childs, Oak Arbor Church Bookroom and Foundation Publishing

Exemplifies the lasting influence of Helen Keller's thoughts on the world
How I Would Help the World showcases Keller's extraordinary intelligence, her compassion, her thirst for knowledge, and her remarkable ability to see without sight. As she is so eloquently quoted in Silverman's introduction, "The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."
—Hilary Daninhirsch, ForeWord Reviews, May 2011, www.forewordreviews.com

Beautifully Formatted Little Gem
This beautifully formatted little gem is an ideal introduction to the mystical side of Helen Keller. It is a wonderful blend of HK's thoughts, with quotations, commentary, and evocative photographs. It will serve well those readers who want to learn more about the inner Keller, apart from the heroic historical figure of popular culture.
—Rick Leskowitz, MD, Harvard Medical School