Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination / Neal Gabler

RATINGS

Overall: 4/ 5 stars

Text Level: Medium

Entertainment: High

Self-Help: Low

Page Count: 633

Is this book right for me and my inmate?

Fans of Disney films and parks will enjoy reading this book learning about the man that's started it all.

Buy on: Amazon

Review By: Blackbird (Inmate)

An inspiring look at what a dream can achieve.

I was very excited when I received this book from my family. I have always enjoyed Disney films and since I have been incarcerated I have found artwork as a great way to do my time while processing deeper feelings. I believe that creating artwork has been a key part in my pursuit of mental health. Many other inmates that I have talked to also enjoy artwork as a way to get through their day. With this in mind I chose to read this Biography on Disney to gain a little inspiration that I might be able to carry through life.

The book doesn't focus to much on the movies and show he created. The main purpose of the book was to understand the man that created so many classic things we cherish as a society. In reading this I learned a lot of life lessons that I can carry with me to my betterment. I really believe that there was a lot to learn from his life that might help other inmates. Walt grew up pretty poor, with an abusive father and suffered multiple set backs in life. He had money problems and communication issues with family. However, through it all he had a vision that he was willing to work for because he thought it made the world a better place.

This concept really inspired me. As I read the book I saw that his pursuit of this mission was one of love to the world around him. He worked to provide a gift to the world he envisioned, not out of anger, but because he believed his dream of the world could be true. Often as inmates we have given up on dreams because we are so use to disappointments. We get to the point we give up before we even start because then we won't fail. This biography is a great reminder that setbacks happen but working hard in faith can turn things around

Book Quotes

"To understand Walt Disney one of the most emblematic of Americans, is to understand much about the country in which he lived and which he so profoundly affected."

"In sum, Walt Disney had been not so much a maker of fun or irreverence or innocence or even wholesomeness. He had been a master of order."