Haben cover art

Haben

The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Haben

By: Haben Girma
Narrated by: Haben Girma
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

The incredible life story of Haben Girma, the first Deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, and her amazing journey from isolation to the world stage.
Haben grew up spending summers with her family in the enchanting Eritrean city of Asmara. There, she discovered courage as she faced off against a bull she couldn't see, and found in herself an abiding strength as she absorbed her parents' harrowing experiences during Eritrea's thirty-year war with Ethiopia. Their refugee story inspired her to embark on a quest for knowledge, traveling the world in search of the secret to belonging. She explored numerous fascinating places, including Mali, where she helped build a school under the scorching Saharan sun. Her many adventures over the years range from the hair-raising to the hilarious.

Haben defines disability as an opportunity for innovation. She learned non-visual techniques for everything from dancing salsa to handling an electric saw. She developed a text-to-braille communication system that created an exciting new way to connect with people. Haben pioneered her way through obstacles, graduated from Harvard Law, and now uses her talents to advocate for people with disabilities.

Haben takes readers through a thrilling game of blind hide-and-seek in Louisiana, a treacherous climb up an iceberg in Alaska, and a magical moment with President Obama at The White House. Warm, funny, thoughtful, and uplifting, this captivating memoir is a testament to one woman's determination to find the keys to connection.
"This autobiography by a millennial Helen Keller teems with grace and grit." -- O Magazine
"A profoundly important memoir." -- The Times
** As featured in The Wall Street Journal, People, and on The TODAY Show ** A New York Times "New & Noteworthy" Pick ** An O Magazine "Book of the Month" Pick ** A Publishers Weekly Bestseller **
Activists Disability Awareness People with Disabilities Politics & Activism Women Feel-Good Funny Witty

Listeners also enjoyed...

Don't Breathe a Word cover art
Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century cover art
Driving Forwards cover art
The Silence that Binds Us cover art
Kosher Chinese cover art
Disfigured cover art
Being Seen cover art
There Plant Eyes cover art
Behind Closed Doors cover art
Do You Dream in Color? cover art
The Boy Who Couldn't Fly Straight cover art
Flat-Out Celeste cover art
Three Days Breathing cover art
Where There's Hope cover art
Five Things About Ava Andrews cover art
Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology cover art

Critic reviews

"A stirring memoir of love and resilience. Haben proves there are no limits for living joyously in the world. A fierce, glorious advocate for equal opportunity, she demonstrates that accessibility for all benefits all. Her memoir is a soul-inspiring gift."—Jewell Parker Rhodes, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Boys
"Reading Haben's story moved me in a way I didn't think was possible. She's a gifted writer, and her story will teach you about strength, perseverance, and determination. This is a strong reminder to embrace the unknown, to stand up for yourself, and to never give up."—Mashal Waqar, co-founder and COO, The Tempest
"Extraordinary...Haben's is a story of inspiration-and new American patriotism. She gives all of us fresh strength and hope."
Lorene Cary, author of Black Ice and founder of Art Sanctuary
"What makes Haben's prodigious story even more remarkable is that she's not satisfied with being inspiring. Because she knows that achievement only happens when there is more than the support of individual extraordinary people, she pushes institutions and leaders in the academy, the government, and in big tech to widen the corridors of power and opportunity. Her intersectional approach to her work as an advocate for the disabled and as a Deafblind daughter of refugees refuses tokenization and demands true inclusion."—p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 9.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; line-height: 11.1px; font: 11.0px Times}dream hampton, award-winning filmmaker, writer, and organizer
"With wit and passion, Haben, a disability rights lawyer, public speaker, and the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law, takes readers through her often unaccommodating world...This is a heartwarming memoir of a woman who champions access and dignity for all."—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"This autobiography by a millennial Helen Keller teems with grace and grit."—O Magazine
"Warmhearted and optimistic, [HABEN] celebrates personal courage and triumph as well as the unlimited potential of those whose real disability is living in a society that too often does not make accommodations for their physical impairments. An inspiring and illuminating memoir."—Kirkus
"Riveting...[an] often hilarious and utterly inspiring memoir."—BookPage (starred review)
"Girma...is a talented narrator who captures defining moments in her life in a series of lyrical cameos. She writes with remarkable assurance and yet with a lightness of touch when tackling difficult issues. [A] profoundly important memoir."—The Times
"Gently powerful...vivid...This really is just the beginning of what is likely to be a long and fascinating story."—Forbes
All stars
Most relevant
I looked forward to each new chapter. Engaging, informative, educational and entertaining, with a lovely humour that came through in the author's expressive reading.

A fascinating listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The world is simply a better place with Haben Girma in it. In her brilliant autobiography Haben takes you on her journey, with honesty and humour in equal measure. If you don’t understand the need for a more inclusive world, read this and think again. If you do understand the need for inclusion, read this, you’re in for a treat!

A brilliant autobiography

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

amazing book of an amazing lady.. the right to live a full and meaningful life is such a part of Haben energy.

Haben.. the right to free expression..

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand someone else’s world. Haben is honest and real.

A thought provoking and mind opening book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Fun, inspiring and informative. The fact that it's Haben herself reading it made it very personal. Feels like sitting next to her telling her amazing journey.

Loved it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews