Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Southlake, Texas seemed like an ideal community, especially for parents who wanted their kids in a good school district and could afford to live there. However, while Southlake's Carroll Independent School District seemed to have embraced diversity, a series of racist incidents tarnished the district's reputation and attempts to correct the problem were met with unexpected resistance. This book discusses Southlake's plight as part of a broader discussion about national opposition to school diversity programs and curriculum. Review: I always attempt to pick out at least one non-fiction book when I'm at my library and, when I came across They Came for the Schools by the library entrance a couple weeks ago, I decided to give the book a try. It proved to be an interesting and eye-opening read. I think the thing that really impressed me about this book is it was able to take a national narrative about school diversity/the resistance to it and make it easier to u...

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: This non-fiction book, which is part author memoirs, addresses the subject of racism and argues the best way to defeat it is to adopt "antiracist" thoughts and actions, beginning with racist government policies. Review: One thing that surprised me about becoming a parent is how much my daughters, especially my oldest daughter, challenge me to re-think the thoughts and opinions I used to take for granted. As a result of this, I have been making more of an effort to expand my reading list so it includes voices I might not otherwise have read. That is a big reason why I ended up checking out this book from our library. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect from this book. The title sounded interesting but, at the same time, I wondered just how much time the author would spend rehashing the same arguments I've heard dozens of times before (many of which I already agree with). As it turns out, this ended up being a book that made me question some of my prev...