Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: In 2022, Louisiana middle school librarian Amanda Jones became the subject of social media posts accusing her of being a pedophile and making threats against her life. The reason? She, along with others, spoke out against banning books at a local library meeting. This book tells her story in context with the overall debate over book banning in America. Review: I took my daughter to a library book sale this weekend and since I knew she'd be in the library basement for a while, I decided to look for another book to check out. I wound up choosing That Librarian because as a writer, I've always been concerned about the concept of book banning, and I was intrigued by the first-hand story the author was telling. I have to tell you; I don't normally get angry from reading books. This one was an exception to that. The real-life horror story Jones went through was so unbelievable, I might have had a hard time believing it was true had she not also showed the actual emai...

Synopsis: Actor and comedian rose to fame in the 1970s and 80s as part of the Monty Python comedy troupe. In this "sortabiography," he discusses that rise to fame and the impact it had both on his career and his personal life. Review: I know I'm not as big of a Monty Python fan as other people are. However, I have watched my share and did, at minimum, enjoy the movies Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Life of Brian . Plus, I'm familiar with Eric Idle from some of his other work, such as his hilarious cameo appearance in National Lampoon's European Vacation . So, when I had an opportunity to read Always Look on the Bright Side of Life , I did. Overall, I thought it was a good decision. Idle brings a good mix of comedy and seriousness to this book. The former both makes reading the book easier and also softens some of the sadder/darker stories, especially when he discusses the tragic way some of his fellow Monty Python actors saw their lives end. At the same t...

Synopsis: After a series of small acting parts, Jennette McCurdy finally got her big break by being cast on the Nickelodeon series iCarly . However, while her acting success resulted in financial security, being famous wasn't Jennette's dream and acting was something she only did to please her overbearing mother. Her autobiography provides details of this and the ways she was affected even after her mother died. Review: Having two daughters, I was familiar with Jennette McCurdy both from iCarly and the spin-off series Sam & Cat and I'll even go so far as to admit she was probably my favorite from both shows. As a result of this, when I heard about her autobiography, I was intrigued. To be honest, I wasn't really expecting much from this book when I was finally able to get a copy from the library. A lot of that was from the skepticism I'm sure I shared with plenty of others regarding just how bad off she was. I mean, sure acting might not have been her dream,...