Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Homeschooled for "hippie reasons" in the deep south, Felicia Day was a gifted student who was admitted to college at the age of 16 and graduated as valedictorian with a math degree but struggled in social situations unless they were over the internet. After moving to Hollywood to be an actress and struggling to find roles that spoke to her, she with help from friends she met online, decided to create her own web series The Guild, about gaming culture and became an internet star as a result. This memoir tells her story. Review: While not overly familiar with The Guild , other than watching a few episodes, I am a Felicity Day fan from her time on Supernatural and do follow her on social media. I recently read her graphic novel, The Lost Daughter of Sparta and enjoyed it enough to give her memoir You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) a try. I finished reading it this morning and was glad I did. Day's life story is an interesting one. She was a brilli...

Synopsis: Falling in love with acting when she first saw Jimmy Stewart in a movie, Carol Burnett go on to pursue her dream, starting on Broadway and eventually becoming one of the most recognizable people on television. This memoir talks about her decades-long career, the people she met and the memories she made along the way. Review: Even though I am pretty sure they were all re-runs by that point, I remember watching quite a few episodes of The Carol Burnett Show when I was a child. While I don't know if I could necessarily say it was my favorite show growing up (it might have been a little too adult) I do remember enough of the skits to understand why it was a popular series and, now that I'm older, how it was just one of the reasons she is an icon today. As a result, when I came across her memoir This Time Togethe r, at the library, I decided to check it out and read it. After finishing the book last night, I can say I both enjoyed it and have gained even more of an appre...

Synopsis: Getting his first big break in show business as a writer for comedian Sid Caesar , Mel Brooks has been entertaining people as a writer, director and actor for decades, winning Academy Awards and changing the comedy landscape with films like Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein . In this autobiography, Brooks tells his story and talks about the people who impacted his life along the way. Review: If I were to ever compile a list of my all-time favorite directors, I am confident the majority of them would be horror film directors. However, even if that did turn out to be the case, I think I can say with absolute (well maybe 99 percent) certainty Mel Brooks would probably wind up on the top. The man is a comedy legend, and I find myself quoting his movies practically daily. As a result of this, when I was able to get a copy of his autobiography All About Me! through the local library, I did. And, since it was a holiday weekend, I was able to get through it over the course o...

Synopsis: After finding herself living in poverty after one of her books was a failure, author Lee Israel found a second and lucrative career selling signed letters from Dorothy Parker, Louise Brooks and other celebrities. There was just one problem, most of those letters were forgeries. This autobiography tells Israel's story from her first sale to her arrest and conviction. Review: I was looking for another book in my library's online catalog when I came across Can You Ever Forgive Me? I will confess, I had no idea who Lee Israel was, nor had I heard about what she did. However, the book seemed interesting enough to give it a try. Overall, it ended up being a good read. I will confess, I had some doubts about an autobiography written by a convicted forger, mostly because I figured it would either just be an attempt to prove their innocence (or at least try to justify their crime) or would be nothing more than a way to profit off their crime. After reading it, the book felt ...

Synopsis: Born during World War II and growing up as part of a working-class family in Northern England, Patrick Stewart discovered a love for theater as a teenager and eventually gave up a potential career in journalism to pursue his passion full-time. His memoir describes his journey from being a background stage actor with no lines to being recognized world-wide for his portrayal of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation and various starring movie roles, including the failures and regrets that came with his eventual fame. Review: While I have never considered myself a "Trekkie" I did enjoy STNG and do still occasionally watch a rerun of the series when I come across one. Plus, 2000's X-Men remains one of my favorite superhero films. As a result of this, when I came across Making it So at my local library, I had to read it. The book did not disappoint. I was probably more surprised than I should have been at the book spending much more time talk...

Synopsis: Like thousands of women, Diane Evans served as a nurse during the Vietnam War, patching up wounded straight from the front lines and often being the last face a soldier saw before he died. In 1983, 14 years after returning home, Diane found a new mission, making sure she and the women volunteers she served with received the same recognition as the men. While doing so, she was forced to do the one thing she had been avoiding, talk about what she had experienced.  Review: One of my mom's friends had given her a copy of Healing Wounds and it looked intriguing enough for me to ask her for an opportunity to read it when she was finished. I managed to read through the book in a fairly quick amount of time and can only describe it as inspirational. One thing I learned when studying history is women's accomplishments are often diminished or even forgotten when the end result favors men. This is especially true when it comes to the history of war, when women are barely ment...

Synopsis: In the late 1980s, Wil Wheaton rose to fame as a teenager after starring in the film Stand by Me and being cast as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation . He decided to leave the latter to pursue a movie career only to discover it was a mistake as he struggled to get cast in even a commercial. His autobiography talks about his life after STNG, his struggles as an actor and his blog. Review: To tell you the truth, like a lot of people, Wesley Crusher was always my least favorite character on STNG. This wasn't so much because I didn't think Wil Wheaton did an OK job as much as the writers never seemed to figure out a way to make him less annoying. And as part of that, I wasn't really a big Wil Wheaton fan until much later, when he started making guest appearances as a fictionalized version of himself on The Big Bang Theory and I had an opportunity to see just how funny he was. My decision to check this book out from the library was based more on TBBT...

Synopsis: In the 1990s, Matthew Perry's star was rising by being part of the number one show on television and offers to start in multiple movies. However, he had a secret drug and alcohol addiction that threatened to derail his career, cost him various relationships and nearly killed him. This autobiography tells the story from his perspective. Review: I am a big fan of autobiographies and my wife and I are fans of the show Friends . So, when I saw Matthew Perry was publishing a book about his well-publicized drug and alcohol addiction, I made sure to add myself to the waiting list at my local library. I finally had an opportunity to read the book and it exceeded my expectations. I think the best thing I can say about this book is it did a great job debunking my preconceived notions about drug addiction. This probably shouldn't be the case, but whenever I think about drug addicts, I think of people who lie around the house all day, unable to hold a job and spending most of ...

Synopsis: After serving a 4-month stint in Afghanistan with the Military Intelligence Corps, Jason Kander returned home to Missouri and, with his wife, Diana, at his side, threw himself into a political career and, by 2017, was preparing to run for President of the United States. However, Jason had a dark secret he didn't even know about, post-traumatic stress syndrome that was controlling his decisions, ruining his marriage and putting his life in danger. Review: I walked past this book at our local library this past Saturday and, while I didn't originally pick it up, wound up grabbing it on my way to the checkout desk.  Normally, I'll read a book one or two chapters at a time but, on occasion, come across one that I can't put down. This was one of those books. Like many people, I was familiar with the term PTSD but, having never served in the military, didn't fully understand the mental illness. It's easy to say this book both taught me a lot about the illne...

Synopsis: Well-renown surgeon and conservative icon Ben Carson gives his view on race relations in America as well as subjects like critical race theory and George Floyd's death at the hands of police officers. Review: As a moderate independent, I try to keep an open mind and read books/articles written by people from both ends of the spectrum. That's why, when I came across this book at the library, I was intrigued enough to check it out. Since I was familiar enough with Ben Carson to know his basic political views, I pretty much knew what to expect from the book. However, I also hoped a conservative, black, doctor would offer a slightly unique viewpoint about racism in America and how to solve it. Unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case. To be fair, there were a couple things that did stand out for me when reading this book, such as his stories about the racism he faced when he was a child and how his white teachers hated the fact he was doing better than the whit...

Synopsis : At the age of 18, Frank Sisson enlisted in the US Army and was shipped off to Europe to fight in World War II as part of an artillery unit serving under General George Patton. His autobiography gives details of that service. Review: I came across this book while at a bookstore a couple weeks ago. Since I wasn't sure if it would be something I'd enjoy, I left it on the shelf but, a couple days later, was able to find a copy at the local library. I finished the book last night and, overall, I'd have to say my opinion of it was a bit mixed. The book does have some intriguing information about World War II. The details he gives about General Patton weren't anything I didn't already know, especially since I've seen the movie Patton multiple times. However, some of the more personal details of what he experienced were fun to read. For example, the part about 650 men having to share four toilets isn't something you're going to find in your average ...

Synopsis: Elizebeth Smith Friedman spent most of her life using her code breaking talents to help the United States government stop both foreign spies and organized crime gangs. However, both because of the classified nature of her work and her gender, many of her contributions went unrecognized. This biography tells her story. Review : As has been the case multiple times before, I didn't plan on getting this book when I went to my local library but decided to check it out after seeing it on one of the shelves on my way to the checkout counter. As it turns out, not only did I enjoy this book, I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. There were a couple things I found interesting about Elizebeth's life. One of the main ones were the numerous challenges she had to overcome. This included her first boss, who did everything in his power (including intercepting her mail) to prevent her from moving onto something better, the fact she was a working woman at a time when m...

Synopsis: Francois Clemmons played the role of Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood for 25 years and became a household name as a result. This autobiography tells the actor's life story, including the abuse he received as a child, his struggles due to racism and having to choose between his homosexuality and his career. Review: Since I, like many people, grew up watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood , I have been interested in reading this book ever since it first came out. I was finally able to get a copy of it through our library system and read it over the weekend. It did not disappoint. The thing that surprised me about this book was, even though the author's relationship with Fred Rogers was a big part of it, it ended up being only part of the story. Clemmons also chose to spend a great deal of time talking about his estranged relationship with his family (over his sexuality) and the people who filled in where they didn't, whether it was a family fr...

Synopsis: Actor Gene Wilder tells his life story from his childhood in Milwaukee through his battle with cancer, sharing stories about the people he met, the women he slept with and the demons he faced while becoming famous. Review : I was reminded about this autobiography when I came across an old interview and Gene Wilder (always one of my favorites) mentioned it. I was intrigued enough to take advantage of my local library's book exchange service and ask them to obtain it for me. I read it over the weekend and am glad I did. I've read quite a few autobiographies in my lifetime, but this was the first time I remember reading one and hearing the author's voice reading the words to me in my head. In fact, had I not known anything about the book before reading it, I am confident I'd be able to tell you who wrote it because it was written in a way that reminded me of how Wilder sounded when he talked. I think the thing that surprised me most about this book was, even th...

Synopsis: As a child, Chris Multerer watched professional wrestling whenever he had a chance and, as an adult, had an opportunity to turn his love for pro wrestling into a 10-year career as a "jobber," a wrestler whose job it was to make the stars look good. In this autobiography, he shares the highlights from his career. Review: I didn't plan on checking out a non-fiction book when I was at the library. In fact, the only thing I had planned on checking out was another Perry Mason mystery. However, while waiting for my kids to get their books, I happened to see this one on display and decided to get it. I don't know if I ever was a die-hard professional wrestling fan and I certainly don't watch it very often today. However, growing up, I did enjoy watching matches from the American Wrestling Association and World Wrestling Federation, at least on occasion.  I have also read multiple autobiographies from well-known wrestlers and was intrigued about a book written...

Synopsis: An orphaned Tracy Marrow is sent to live with an aunt in gang-infested South Central Los Angeles and, like many people from that area, eventually lives a criminal lifestyle until a near-fatal car accident forces him to shift his focus and he becomes a successful rapper and actor.  Review: My wife and I are familiar with Ice-T from watching Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and, when I came across this book at our local library, I decided to check it out as a result. I was able to finish it before going to bed last night and, overall, I thought it was an interesting autobiography. I think the thing that really stood out for me when reading this book was the way Ice-T didn't shy away from talking about his past.  A lot of other writers might have omitted or only vaguely referenced criminal activity they might have been involved with. This book, however, goes into quite a bit of depth about what Ice-T was involved with before turning his life around. This includ...

Synopsis: Unable to walk without the assistance of braces or casts until he was 7 and living in the poorest part of Jacksonville, LeRoy Butler defied the odds to become a 12-year National Football League veteran. His autobiography tells the story about how he overcame poverty and academic issues to achieve this. Review: Time certainly does fly. I intended on reading this book when it was first published and, the next thing I knew, it was 17 years later and I realized that never happened. Fortunately, the library happened to have a copy. After finishing it yesterday, I have to say it was worth the wait. I knew about Butler's inability to walk when he was a child but this book revealed a lot more about his life than I knew about. His story about growing up in an impoverished area was a real eye opener, whether it was the story about watching one if his friends get gunned down over a bicycle or talking about how his mom used to need to hide the amount of groceries she was buying to ...

Synopsis: Actor Alan Alda's autobiography discusses his growing up with a famous but not-so-rich father and a mother with mental health issues as well as his life as a struggling actor before landing his role on M*A*S*H and becoming a success. Review: I decided to change things up a bit the last time I was at the library and, in addition to my normal murder mystery, visited the biography/autobiography section. I'm a big fan of M*A*S*H (the TV show, the movie and the book ) and figured this book would be a good one to start with. As it turns out, the book was nothing like what I was expecting it to be. Given Alda's comedy background, I figured I'd be laughing out loud every few minutes. But, that didn't turn out to be the case. However, despite that, I found I had a hard time putting the book down. If you buy this book thinking Alda is going to give you a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the M*A*S*H TV series, you'll be very disappointed. He bare...