If I were Helen

Author: Zhang Xini
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Zhang Xini is a 15-year-old student at Donghu Middle School. She lost her hearing at the age of 3 due to an illness. That year, to treat her, her family began their "southward drift" life in Guangdong. Due to her disability and the "temporary resident" status, Zhang Xini's path to education was full of hardships. The pressure of survival from her parents also fell upon the young heart of Zhang Xini. She attended classes with the help of a hearing aid and by reading the lips of her teachers (lip-reading). Her father always encouraged her with the story of Helen Keller, calling her "Little Helen" and teaching her to read a large number of Chinese and foreign classics. Falling in love with writing was a very thing. Once, Xini chatted with her traveling father online. Encouraged by her father, she wrote the content of their chat into an article titled "Who Am I" and submitted it to "Special Zone Education." To her surprise, it was actually published. From then on, she became unstoppable and wrote whenever she had free time on the computer. Now, Little Xini can no longer remember how many articles she has published. Her articles have appeared in dozens of publications such as "Shenzhen Education News," "Jingbao," "Guangzhou Youth News," "Senior Middle School Review," and "China Campus Digest." "Shenzhen Youth News" has even dedicated a column to her called "Child's Free Speech Points and Comments," where she writes weekly reviews as a "special commentator." Additionally, "China Campus Literature" has also set up a column for her. Her 700,000-word novel, "Child's Free Speech: Three Kingdoms," was published by Hai Tian Publishing House in 2004. In 2005, the "China Youth Writing Garden" was jointly established by Renmin Literature Publishing House, the Chinese Department of Peking University, and the Chinese Education Society's Secondary School Chinese Teaching Committee, aiming to discover and recommend outstanding and talented young writers. The book "If I Were Helen" was introduced to readers by the magazine "China Youth Writing Selections." After receiving positive feedback, Renmin Literature Publishing House decided to publish "If I Were Helen," aiming to create a "literary thousand-armed Avalokite?vara" and a "Zhang Haidi and Shi Tiesheng of the new generation of literary history," in order to inspire more people to bravely face life's challenges and awaken the strength within them. "If I Were Helen" is an autobiographical novel written by the author, comparing her own growth experience with that of Helen Keller. The entire book is divided into thirteen chapters, with the narrative and emotional expression developing, extending, and changing along two main threads. One thread is the protagonist's sudden deafness at the age of three and her efforts to break free from the silent world. The other thread is the parents' experience of abandoning their stable jobs in their hometown and moving to Guangdong to support their child's treatment. The sweet and sour, bitter and sour life along the way is narrated by Xini with a pen full of spirit, making people feel the self-esteem, confidence, perseverance, yet not losing humor and optimism that radiate from her. Moreover, Xini's courage to face difficulties, to confront them directly, and to strive to break through them is even more admirable. Xini says, "Helen Keller lost her ability to hear, see, and speak, which was even worse than mine. But she never gave up and fought against fate, eventually becoming a famous sociologist. I have learned a spirit from her, and Helen has always been my role model. I believe that if Helen could do it, so could I." Comrade Deng Pufang, Chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, wrote the preface for this book. In the preface, he said: "The tide of the Yangtze River pushes forward the preceding wave. Fifteen-year-old Zhang Xini has written this autobiographical novel, 'If I Were Helen,' with her unique life experience, recording the heartwarming journey of the new generation of disabled people struggling in the harshness of life. The novel portrays a confident, brave, and passionate deaf girl who loves learning and life. Her language and emotions are natural and pure, full of poetic charm. This frail life, nurtured by a strong spirit, has become a evergreen tree of life." The famous disabled writer Shi Tiesheng recommended the book to the readers after reading it completely: "This is a book that combines literary and ideological depth while still retaining the pure emotions of a teenage girl. It is a 'new generation of southward journey' of the 'Shenzhen generation of entrepreneurs,' recording their struggles, while also hiding the milestone of the heart of the 'second generation of young drifters.'"