Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination, by Neal Gabler

That’s right! I also read non-fiction! There are a lot of biographies about Walt Disney. This is the one I read, and it seemed very comprehensive and balanced. The big takeaways from this book are:

• The business was often broke
• Walt believed in himself
• He loved his wife and kids 
• He liked trains
• He was sometimes a jerk

The whole story is fascinating. This book does contain a lot of business talk, with facts and figures explaining the various debts and stocks and money stuff. You can skim over those sections without missing much of the overall life of Disney. But I found some of the business stuff interesting. 

Reading biographies and nonfiction is always a little tricky because my cynical brain reads every line and thinks, “Says who? You?!” 

It’s not that I think non-fiction writers are lying…but maybe they are? And sure, there are citations and references and all that good stuff, but does anyone check? And does anyone factcheck the checkers? And then who checks the check checkers?

Basically, I don’t believe anything unless I see it for myself. This is why I firmly believe France doesn’t exist. Prove me wrong, France. The onus is on you! 

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