Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: In the early 1990s, Nintendo controlled 95 percent of the home videogame market in the United States until an aggressive marketing campaign from Sega successfully challenged that dominance. However, Sega soon learned getting to the top was easier than staying at the top. This documentary tells the story through first-hand accounts from executives of both companies. Review: My wife and youngest daughter are at a middle school production of The Spongebob Musical . Since I had the TV to myself for a bit, I decided to watch a documentary and settled on Console Wars , which has been in my library for a few weeks. It turned out to be an interesting watch. I was a teenager when Sega Genesis came out and even owned one at some point (after it ended up on a clearance rack). I did not realize, however, just how much that game system and the feud it triggered with the then-monopolistic Nintendo, changed the entire video game industry. The marketing campaign that went into Sega's l...

Synopsis: After first using the atomic bomb in World War II, the United States wanted to remain the top nuclear power and began conducting a series of tests in Nevada in the 1950s and 60s. This documentary discusses those tests and the impact they had. Who's in it? The movie is directed by Tom Jennings. Review: I took the day off today because it's my daughter's birthday and, while waiting for her to get out of bed, decided to educate myself with a documentary. After some consideration, I decided on A-Bombs over Nevada and it turned out to be a good choice. I knew a little bit about the height of the cold war and the rush to build more and more powerful atomic weapons a couple decades before I was born. This included knowing about the testing that occurred in Nevada, not far from Las Vegas. This movie did a great job filling in the blanks and teaching me a lot of things I didn't know. One of the first things that really stood out for me when watching this movie was t...

Synopsis: Born in 1902, Lyle Talbot had a long career in entertainment, starting as a hypnotist's assistant, traveling with a carnival and theater troupes and eventually becoming a lead actor in Hollywood movies and television. This book, written by his daughter, tells his story while also providing a history of American entertainment. Review: I am familiar with Lyle Talbot because I've seen probably at least a dozen of his films. In fact, I have chosen films in part because I saw his name in the credits. So, when I came across The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father's Twentieth Century at my library, I decided to check it out. I finished reading the book yesterday evening and thought it was a good pick. Even though I recognize the name, I honestly didn't know a whole lot about Talbot outside his movie roles, and I think I am safe saying this book was a real eye-opener as far as his life goes, just because it seemed so unique from the typical Hollywood fame stor...

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 the late 1980s and early 1990s, women's professional wrestling gained new attention with the promotion Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling  (GLOW). This documentary discusses the rise and fall of that promotion through interviews with the women that were involved. Who's in it? The documentary includes interviews with Emily Dole, Dee Booher, and Angelina Altishin  Review: I was in the mood for a documentary earlier today and, even though I had seen Glow: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling before, about a decade ago, I decided to watch it again. My opinion of it was the same as it was the first time I watched it - it was well worth my time. I remember watching some episodes of GLOW when I was in junior high and high school. However, because it was aired late at night and not on a consistent day/time, it wasn't something I watched as often as I probably would have preferred. This documentary did a good job both reviving the memories of what I did see and f...

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: 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: General George S. Patton's legacy was one of military success and controversy, playing an instrumental role in the Allied victory over Nazi Germany during World War II but also angering his superiors with his tendency to go rogue and anger American allies with his statements to the press. Soon after being relieved of command for the latter, Patton infamously was killed in a car accident. However, this non-fiction book challenges the official cause and suggests it might instead have been an assassination. Review: I came across Killing Patton at a bookstore last weekend and while I didn't purchase it, I was intrigued enough to check it out from the library that following Monday. I finished reading it this morning and it turned out to be a good choice. George Patton is one of my favorite Americans from history but, to be honest, I didn't really know a whole lot more about him than what I learned watching the 1970 movie named after him. And frankly, I never even on...

Synopsis: This non-fiction(?) book discusses a popular political conspiracy that suggests the United States government began poisoning birds in the late 1950s so they could be replaced with sophisticated bird-shaped drones designed to spy on the American public. As a result of this, all birds are now robots. Review: I am still waiting for some books on my library hold list and since it's going to be very cold the next couple of days, went in search of something else to read in the meantime. I came across Birds Aren't Real and since I am always open to listening to a conspiracy theory, checked it out. According to my Generation Z daughter, this is a conspiracy theory I shouldn't take too seriously, and it's mostly just being spread around the internet as a joke. However, after getting through the book with relative ease, I'm going to say it was a surprisingly intriguing concept. OK, just so we're clear, I'm not hopping on the fake bird bandwagon. I'm a...

Synopsis: This non-fiction book covers documented ghost stories from the 19th century United States, including a number of stories never shared before. Review: I checked out another book from the library but lost interest in it after only about a chapter. Fortunately, my wife gave me a couple alternatives as Christmas presents, including 50 Real American Ghost Stories . I ended up reading this book instead as a result and, overall, thought it was a good choice. The book provides a solid selection of stories that, while all from the same century and, of course, the same country, offer quite a bit of variety. There are ghost stories that feature just one person seeing the spirit, ghost stories that were witnessed by multiple people and even a few hoaxes mixed in. As promised, the stories tell us about as much about American history and culture as anything else. I also liked how the author used first-hand accounts and articles of the events, adding some legitimacy to the stories that is...

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: 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: 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: 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: In 1946, a serial killer terrorized the residents of Texarkana, a twin city along the Texas/Arkansas border, resulting in one of the largest manhunts in history and a media circus. This non-fiction book examines the murders and why nobody was ever convicted of the crimes. Review: I don't read true crime books very often, preferring fictional murder mysteries. However, even though I wasn't a huge fan of The Town That Dreaded Sundown , the movie did get me interested enough in the real murders to check out this book at our local library. After reading it, I have to admit I found it interesting. There are a couple things I found I really liked about this book. One of the main ones was the way the author did a great job explaining the details of the murders. The various slayings, ranging from attacks on lovers' lanes to a home invasion, combined with just how brutally the Phantom's victims were killed, made it understandable how the residents would live in fear u...

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: By the 1940s, Hedy Lamarr was a successful actress in Hollywood, known for her beauty. In her spare time, however, she was an inventor. When World War II broke out, Hedy, along with composer George Antheil, teamed up to invent a weapon that could be used against the Nazis and, instead, invented a technology that is still being used today. Review: I came across this book while walking through the stacks at my local library and, since I am a big fan of Hedy Lamarr and knew a little bit about her inventing hobby, decided to check it out. It turned out to be an interesting read. The book gives a fairly detailed account about both Lamarr and Antheil's lives before their paths crossed and they became a team. It also gives a great deal of detail about their invention (a radio-controlled torpedo that couldn't have its signal jammed), the difficulty they faced getting it approved by the military and how the technology wound up being used with various other inventions, includ...

Synopsis: In September 1962, Flying Tiger flight 923 was flying to Germany with 68 passengers when it began to experience engine failure. Unable to reach land, Capt. John Murray was forced to "ditch" the plane in the Atlantic Ocean knowing, even if they survived the water landing and escaped the plane before it sank, they may not be rescued before dying of hypothermia. Review: Fun fact - I hate to fly. In fact, I can feel my anxiety increasing just by being around an airport (with no plans to actually board a plane). So, I should be one of the last people to read a book about a real-life plane crash but I still ended up checking out this book anyway and I'm glad I did. I think the thing that interested me most about this book was the way it described, in great detail, the various things that went wrong in a matter of minutes. In addition to losing three of four engines (one the result of human error), the plane's passengers and crew had to deal with lost rafts, forg...