Six Dots

I’m always drawn to books about books and making them accessible to all.

This biography is about Louis Braille in the early 1800s and his desire to read books. The system back then for blind readers was time-consuming and inefficient. When he was only 15, he adapted a finger code used on battlefields into a system of letters made of raised dots. His invention led to an easier way for blind people to read and write, and the system of Braille is named after him.

How often do you read about a blind teenager who invents something that changes the world?

This book goes inside the head of Louis Braille, who invented the six dot braille alphabet when he was fifteen years old. It begins with the accident that blinded him at age 5, shows his wish for books, his frustrations, and finally his success.

This book delves into the emotions as well as the techniques that have helped blind people enjoy books the world over.

I enjoy stories of people whose imaginations lead them to invent something important for humankind. Louis Braille, for instance, who became blind in a childhood accident. When he attended the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, no books existed for him to read. Building on the work of earlier educators, by the time he was fifteen years old Braille created a raised dot system by which visually impaired people could read books.

I love this book because Braille used the adversity of his blindness to make a difference for generations of visually impaired persons who have been able to enjoy reading… show more.