I love Disney books.
Normally when people suggest Disney books you end up hearing about stuff like Walt’s
biography or some of the Disney published books on rides like the Haunted Mansion.
On the fiction end the go to people keep bringing up is Kingdom Keepers.
However today I want to talk about a few of my suggestions that fall outside of what I
would think are typically recommendations.
So let’s get started!
My first two suggestions are actually fiction books, which I typically don’t cover here.
That said, I put them here because they’re either interesting ways to look at the parks,
or just plain fun to read.
First up is Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow.
Now before I say anything else, let me start by saying that while this novel does take
place in The Magic Kingdom and it does have to do with Disney World, it’s not what I’d
call a book for kids.
It does include some more mature content and themes.
That said, it’s a really fascinating sci-fi novel with a very bizarre premise that I think
would appeal to many Disney fans.
Down and Out takes place in a futuristic world in which death is no longer a concern for
society and citizens, not having to work anymore for a living, volunteer to keep busy.
In this society the Magic Kingdom is staffed entirely by volunteer Disney fans, and rather
than operating as one company, each land is run by a different team.
Conflict arises when one team wants to step in on Liberty Square and make some drastic
changes to the Haunted Mansion.
It’s not brilliant writing, but enjoyed that it touched upon the concepts of finding
purpose beyond basic needs and the value of preserving another person’s work versus
updating it.
I enjoyed it even more having that done while set to the context of Disney World.
This next one isn’t a book, but a comic book.
The Enchanted Tiki Room, is the latest series in the Disney Kingdoms family, which focused
on stories based on Disney attractions and ideas.
It takes place on a tropical island and follows not only Jose, Michael, Pierre and Fritz,
but also a number of very interesting guests visiting the island, all dealing with their
own problems.
Out of all of the Disney Kingdom comics, this one made the list because it is hilarious.
It’s a dry humor, but it’s one of the only times I’ve literally laughed out loud
while reading a comic book.
The best part is that it strikes this perfect balance of entertainment for younger readers
and more subtle humor for adults, similar to a good kids film.
This one is going to sound weird to those who understand it’s immediate flaws, but
Work in Progress, Michael Eisner’s autobiography.
Now I get it, trust me.
In terms of reading about the history of the company, the word of a both loved and hated
CEO is pretty worthless.
It’s about as biased as you can get.
As a source of information on some of Disney’s more controversial happenings, this book is terrible.
That said I found it to be a rewarding read because it offers something rather than being informed
about the history of the company during his time there. Instead it shows his
perspective during that history.
In other words, when it comes to more messy events like Jeffrey Katzenberg leaving Disney,
I don’t believe what Michael Eisner has to say in the book, but I do believe that
he believes what he’s saying, and it goes a long way it offering insight to him as a person.
Beyond just that it covers his career before Disney, and I think it’s an interesting
look into what kind of person it takes to run a company as large and complex as Disney.
So while I’d highly recommend you offset this book with a more objective historical
look back such as Disney War, I think think it’s worth reading anyway.
Last up is perhaps the biggest stretch, and it’s Tomorrow-Land by Joseph Tirella.
I say it’s a stretch because while it does contain mention of Disney and Walt specifically,
this book by and large has nothing to do with Disney as a company or Walt as a person, yet
I still find it to be an important read to understand both.
Tomorrow-Land is almost two books in one.
It follows both the development and operation of the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair in
Queens, and it also covers the many different ways in which American culture has changed
over those years leading up to and following the fair.
Since it covers the fair itself and since Disney developed four attractions for the
fair, there is some mention of his involvement and the pavilions themselves, but I can’t
stress how minor it is in this book.
Collectively it’s maybe a chapters worth.
So why am I suggesting it?
Well, we live in a different world from the one Walt lived and worked in.
Those old enough to remember themselves won’t need this book, but at 30 years old I can
only imagine what life was like in the 60’s.
Some like to pretend they were the good old days, but the truth is they really weren’t
for a great number of people, including minorities, women, men being drafted into the military,
and overall the whole country who had to deal with the escalation of the cold war and the
rise of crime in cities.
Reading this book helped me put into perspective what would drive Walt to try and develop a
utopian city like EPCOT or maintain idealistic retreats like Disneyland.
Similar to Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, this book obviously deals with some heavy
subjects so to the parents out there I would leave it up to you to decide whether or not
your young readers should check this out.
I honestly picked up this book hoping a good portion of it would be about Walt’s World
Fair rides.
I was wrong, but I was ultimately glad for it because what I did get was rewarding to read.
So there you have it!
Some more book recommendations for the Disney fan out there.
If you're interested in any of them you can find a link in the description of this
video to my books page that lists all of these titles along with many more Disney book recommendations.
Now I’d love to hear from you!
What Disney books do you recommend for everyone?
Let us know in the comments below.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next time!