Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: With more than 1 million sunken ships, including some that are thousands of years old, the ocean floors can arguably be considered the largest museum in the world. The author makes a case for this as he discusses the various shipwrecks, including some he's visited in person, while also discussing the reasons those ships sunk in the first place. Review: I was at our local library a couple weeks ago and as is my habit, I stopped by the new book section on my way to the front desk to pick up the books I had on hold. The Great Museum of the Sea caught my eye mostly because of my recent visit to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum and I decided to check it out. Overall, I have to say it was a good choice. I think the thing I liked most about this book is how the author didn't just discuss shipwrecks and instead put those shipwrecks in the context of human history. This includes plenty of examples of how human greed resulted in lost ships and lives, including quite a few that...

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 : Starting with the discovery of Pompeii, this non-fiction book tells about the people behind historic discoveries and the invention of modern day archaeology. Review : I've been trying to check out something educational whenever I make a visit to our local library and, as I was walking through the non-fiction section, this book happened to catch my eye. I gave it a read and it turned out to be an interesting book. I think the thing I liked best about this book is the way it doesn't just talk about important discoveries, like Pompeii and the Rosetta Stone; it also gives some intriguing detail about the people responsible for those discoveries. As a result of this, I learned a lot. I think the part I enjoyed most was the section regarding Egypt and Napoleon's failed expedition. While it was a military failure, but without it, we may not know nearly as much about Egyptian history as we do today. I also loved the story about Champollion, the man who used the Rosetta S...