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: Ever since movies became a form of entertainment, alcohol has been part of film history. In some cases, it has even been the cause of film history. This non-fiction book, which is illustrated by Edward Hemingway, shares drinking stories involving Hollywood actors, the places they frequented and even recipes for their favorite drinks. Review: As someone who loves classic, black-and-white films, I have taken a real interest in Hollywood history and the behind-the-scenes stuff that didn't necessarily make it into the newspapers when they happened. That's why, when I came across Of All the Gin Joints at my library, I decided it was worth taking the time to read. I finished it this morning and am pleased to say I made a good reading choice. There were a few things I found I liked about this book. One of them was the variety of actors, writers, producers, etc. that the stories were about. It was a good mix of well-known names and people I honestly had never heard about b...

Synopsis: By 1921, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was one of Hollywood's first big stars and recently signed a contract with Paramount worth millions of dollars. Separated from his wife and living the high life, he rented three rooms at the Hotel St. Francis and celebrated with his friends and other guests, including actress Virginia Rappe. Days later, Rappe was dead and Arbuckle, who had been alone with her for fifteen minutes in room 1219, faced murder charges. This book details Arbuckle and Rappe's lives and the Labor Day scandal that both impacted Arbuckle's career and Hollywood history. Review: As someone who loves classic movies and the Hollywood history surrounding them, I was familiar with the Fatty Arbuckle scandal that in some ways still impacts the movie industry today. So, when I came across Room 1219 at my local library, I decided to give it a try. It proved to be a good choice. The book does a great job of telling Arbuckle and Rappe's individual stor...

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 January 1945, a group of 513 prisoners of war were being held in Japanese camps in the Philippines, enduring torture and death as World War II was on the verge of being won by the Allies. Determined to free them, the United States partook in a dangerous mission, sending 121 men behind enemy lines. This book gives an intimate account of the mission, those who were assigned to it and the men they were sent to rescue. Review: I received Ghost Soldiers as one of my Christmas presents from my wife and saved it for a couple weeks before taking the time to read it. I finally finished it this morning and came away both impressed and a bit inspired. As I tell my kids whenever they try to tell me "history is boring," there is a significant difference between reading a vague summary of an event and reading a book that tells the story from a more personalized point of view. This was a great example of that. One thing that stood out for me right away was the early narrativ...

Synopsis: Founded in 1894 by botanist Nikolai Vavilov, the Bureau of Applied Botany and Plant Breeding had become the world's largest seed bank by the 1940s, housing about a quarter million plant species from different parts of the world Vavilov hoped could be used to prevent famine. However, in 1941, with Vavilov imprisoned by his own government as an accused dissident and the city of Leningrad cut off from the rest of the Soviet Union by the German Army and its residents starving to death, the team of researchers Vavilov assembled are given the nearly impossible task of protecting the seeds from the Nazis, looters, rats and the cold even as they themselves struggled to survive. This non-fiction book tells their story. Review: I saw The Forbidden Garden advertised by the author on social media and, thinking it sounded interesting, I requested a copy through my local library. As it turns out, it ended up being a book I finished in just a couple days because I couldn't put it...

Synopsis: A non-fiction and illustrated historical account of Wisconsin's circus heritage and the people who were responsible for bringing entertainment to the crowds. Review : I received Badger State Showmen as a birthday present a couple weeks ago and as someone who enjoys history, I decided to move it to the top of my reading list. Overall, it ended up being an enjoyable book. I knew, mostly from our visits to Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin had a long and historic connection to circuses. However, outside of only a handful of well-known circuses, I never really fully understood the full scope of that connection until reading this book, which also happened to be published by that museum. The authors put in quite a bit of detail too. I had expected this to be a brief summary of the various circus owners and performers, but the book goes far above and beyond in that regard. In fact, there were a number of pages and paragraphs I had to re-read just because I wasn't ...

Synopsis: This non-fiction book edited by Bill Fawcett shares essays about various wars in world history and the events and decisions that caused one (or sometimes both) side to lose.  Review: I've had How to Lose a War in my office for several months, usually reading an essay or two when the weather isn't cooperating enough for me to take a walk at lunch. I finally finished it this week and it is a book that I found worth reading. The book has a good mix of subjects. Some wars, like the Korean War or the Napoleonic War, were familiar while others were a bit more obscure, such as the Anglo-Sudan war. The latter alone was something that made the book interesting because I was learning about conflicts I didn't even realize were a thing, despite my love for history.\ The main purpose of the essays was what really pulled me in though. I found it fascinating just how many wars were ultimately lost because of one bad decision or, on occasion, were altered by poor decisions on ...

Synopsis: In 1943, US President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Union Premier Joseph Stalin finally agreed to meet in person to discuss the ongoing war against Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime. Despite their secrecy, the Nazis found out about the meeting and devised an assassination plan. This non-fiction book discusses the events leading up to that meeting and the spy networks involved on both sides. Review: I like picking out random books at our local library, but this has been a bit hit-or-miss with me lately with a good chunk of the books being returned almost immediately because I lost interest after a couple chapters. That's why, when I picked out this book a couple weeks ago, my expectations were tempered. However, after finishing the book last night, I have to say it ended up being a lot more interesting than I was expecting. I think the thing I like most about this book is it really tells a couple different stories. The first one, re...

Synopsis: This non-fiction book talks about Jack Welch, who took over as CEO of General Electric in 1981 and fundamentally changed the company by creating a policy that maximized investor profits at the expense of the employees, a model the author argues destroyed capitalism when other companies followed suit. Review: I came across this book at my local library a few days ago and, while it isn't something I probably wouldn't normally read, decided to give it a try. Overall, I have to say it was an interesting book. I always read books like this with a bit of a grain of salt because you don't always know the author's motivations. However, in this case, I do think Gelles made some fundamentally sound arguments regarding General Electric's policies in the 1980s, effectively changing both that company and similar companies by getting away from being a place where people could expect life-long employment and top-level compensation and benefits to being at risk of a lay...

Synopsis: This non-fiction book tells the story of the bald eagle and how the bird intertwined with America's history and became part of American culture. Review: I saw this book in the new books section of our library a few days ago and, since I didn't have any books I planned to check out, decided to give a try. It ended up being a good choice. At first, I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book. However, it turned out to be an entertaining and informative narrative about the bald eagle and its influence both on ancient North American civilizations and the fledgling United States, even becoming part of the nation's seal following the Revolutionary War. The book also delves into the things that put the bald eagle on the endangered species list and the efforts that were made to revive the population. I think the thing that I enjoyed most were the bits and pieces of information throughout the book that really surprised me. For example, I never knew the bald ea...

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 : This non-fiction book tells the story about the United States' involvement in Vietnam, with an emphasis on "The Year of the Hawk," 1965. The book includes explanations about the country's history and political and military decisions that resulted in one of America's biggest military failures. Review: I hadn't planned on checking out a non-fiction book when I was at the library last week. However, I saw this book in the "new book" section and, after glancing at it, decided to give it a try. Overall, I have to say I enjoyed reading it. I think one of the hardest things about writing about a conflict like Vietnam is finding a way to balance the truth about what happened with the desire not to insult the military personnel who fought and/or died in that conflict. Being the son of a Vietnam veteran, I was concerned the book wouldn't be able to find that balance but, after reading it, I think the author did just that. I personally enjoyed h...

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: In the 19th century, American Elizabeth Blackwell, frustrated with the lack of adequate medical attention for women, decided to become a doctor herself. Her uphill battle to be the first woman to earn a medical license later inspired Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Sophia Jex-Blake to do the same in the United Kingdom. This non-fiction book details their struggles and successes. Review: I came across this book at our local library a couple weeks ago and, while it normally wasn't a topic I would find interesting, I was intrigued enough by the description to at least give the book a chance. After finishing it yesterday afternoon, I can honestly say I am glad I took the time to check it out. I think the best way to describe this book is it does a great job of giving the reader a glimpse of the early days of the women's rights movements in America and the United Kingdom by focusing on three women who challenged the male-dominated medical field. The narrow focus made it e...

Synopsis: This non-fiction book tells the history of knights, their impact on medieval times, and their eventual replacement by firearms. The book provides both a general overview and shares stories about individual knights. Review : I was in the mood for something from the non-fiction section of our local library a few days ago and, after looking at countless other options, wound up picking out this one mostly because it sounded somewhat interesting. It turns out the book wasn't quite what I was expecting (from the description on the cover, I thought it would be more of a biography) but I still found it to be an entertaining read. Alan Baker does a decent job of providing a basic overview of knights and their impact throughout history. He starts with a lot of the basics, including a chapters about the equipment the knights used and how the concept of chivalry came about and was applied. At the same time, he mixes in some first-hand historical accounts relating to specific knights...

Synopsis: This non-fiction book shares details of the various gun battles that took place in the American West, focusing both on outlaws and lawmen that either become legendary or were largely forgotten. Review: I came across this book at our local library a couple weeks ago and, even though it was a subject I didn't have much interest in, decided to check it out anyway. As it turns out, I enjoyed this book a lot more than expected. The author does a good job of mixing historical fact with storytelling, making it seem almost as though he was watching the gunbattles in person and making the various participants seem very much alive. This made the book a lot easier to read than if it was just a bunch of facts being written out on the page. I found I was impressed with the way the author also managed to be mostly unbiased when discussing the outlaws, focusing on their actions without necessarily painting them as heroes (as a lot of movies and books will do). In other words, even whe...

Synopsis: In 1942, with World War II raging in Europe and segregation still prominent in the military, the United States Army formed the all-black 761st Tank Battalion. Even though the recruits excelled in training exercises, many believed they would never be tested in combat until a shortage of tank crews resulted in the 761st serving under General George S. Patton. Once in Europe, they had to fight both the Germans and the racism stemming from the all-white units they served with. Review: To tell you the truth, when I came across this book in our local library, I was less intrigued by the subject material than I was about the fact it was written by a former professional basketball star. In fact, the only reason I checked the book out was I was a bit curious why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar decided to write a history book. As it turns out, the book wound up being a good choice. There were a lot of things I liked about this book when I was reading it. One of the main ones was the way the 761s...

Synopsis: In 1841, Solomon Northup, a free black man living in New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Unable to tell anyone the truth about his origins out of fear for his life, Solomon has his name changed to Platt and spends the next dozen years enslaved by multiple masters with varying levels of cruelty. Review: I'm not really sure why it took me so long to read this book but it wound up staying off my radar, even after someone based a movie off of it (which I also haven't seen). That changed recently when I came across the book at the library and, not currently having anything else in particular I was looking for, I decided to read it.  I now regret waiting so long. It's one thing to learn about slavery in the United States from history books. It's a completely other thing to learn about it from memoirs written by someone who experienced it first hand and, after finally doing so, I don't think I will ever be able to think about that period in our histor...

Synopsis: Written language is one of mankind's greatest inventions but became much more useful when our ancient ancestors figured out how to make it easily portable. Through a series of essays written by multiple experts, this compilation tells the history of "books" from the use of clay tablets through modern times. Review: I came across this book while looking for something to read at our local library. While it isn't something that would likely be appealing to a lot of people, I did think it was an interesting subject and decided to give the book a try. I wasn't disappointed. It's not something that gets thought about a lot, but the written language would be relatively useless if we hadn't found a way to make it easy to transport from one place to another. Today, that's relatively easy, especially with the World Wide Web but, in ancient times, the methods were much more limited. As a result, I enjoyed reading about how those ancient civilizations ...