From Belle's Library | Disney War by James B. Stewart

Reading Disney War is like wading through a swamp. At the beginning, it seems like a formidable task, but you have the gumption, you believe in the team, you know you can do it. By the end I'm screaming at the book, "fire the son of a bitch already!!" It was a good read, a long read, a very informative and well documented read. I hesitate to say I liked the book. That's like saying you liked Schindler's List. It was a great movie, but to like it makes you a sadist. Same thing here, on a much lesser scale. (Although if I had worked for Michael Eisner, I might think the scale was accurate.)

This book, Disney War, is all about the rise and fall of Michael Eisner within the Disney company. I wasn't paying much attention to all of this political and economic drama. I was busy getting through my own high school and college drama. It just wasn't part of my world. But reading this book was extremely eye-opening. We had family who were shareholders at the time of the Save Disney campaign and I was paying a little bit of attention to their side of the story. But still. I had no idea the depths to which this saga sank. There's no possible way to sum it all up here. Suffice it to say, I can't imagine a person with such a lack of human dignity as Michael Eisner is portrayed. Nevertheless, there is little doubt this portrayal is anything less than accurate. Eisner had a habit of putting his thoughts on paper and in email that were later subpoenaed in two court proceedings. It seems the rumors of his narcissistic personality are true. And it's hard to believe this man had 20 years at the helm of Disney. As they say, the truth is stranger than fiction.

This was very interesting history and after having read two Pixar books it was interesting to read one from the other side of the table. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a Disney buff and who is interested in corporate intrigue. It's extremely well written and kept me waiting for the inevitable investor coup.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!