Garry Apgar

*** I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

I'm typically a fan of all things Mickey and Disney. A lot of what was in this book, I already knew, though I did learn a few things along the way. I enjoyed reading the articles and interviews that were done around the time that Mickey was first coming out on the scene. Overall, this was a very interesting book.

That being said, I started to get a little bored and felt the tone and wording was very heavy-handed. I would've liked it to be a bit more easy-going, in order to keep me engaged. It took me a bit longer than expected to finish it because of that.

If you are a fan of Disney and Mickey Mouse, you will probably enjoy this book. If you are not interested in the history, you probably won't.… (más)

*** I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

I'm typically a fan of all things Mickey and Disney. A lot of what was in this book, I already knew, though I did learn a few things along the way. I enjoyed reading the articles and interviews that were done around the time that Mickey was first coming out on the scene. Overall, this was a very interesting book.

That being said, I started to get a little bored and felt the tone and wording was very heavy-handed. I would've liked it to be a bit more easy-going, in order to keep me engaged. It took me a bit longer than expected to finish it because of that.

If you are a fan of Disney and Mickey Mouse, you will probably enjoy this book. If you are not interested in the history, you probably won't.… (más)

In A Mickey Mouse Reader Garry Apgar brings together a wealth of primary sources from Mickey's birth through to contemporary times. For the fan of Mickey Mouse and/or Disney in general, this is a wonderful addition to your library even though, as some have pointed out, many early entries seem repetitive. Perhaps the biggest strength of this collection is for the writer, whether popular or academic. In this single volume one can find primary sources from which additional research can stem or, in the case of a popular writer, accurate representations of Mickey in the popular culture can be formed.

As popular culture has become an important lens through which to view history works such as this provide a relatively comprehensive introduction to a cultural icon's (mostly) ups and downs through the various historical periods. That said, the vast majority of the writings were for popular publications of each period so the book, while valuable in academic circles, is immediately accessible to anyone with an interest.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (más)

The mouse with the most

A Mickey Mouse Reader, edited by Gary Apgar (University Press of Mississippi, $35).

Everybody from psychoanalyst C. G. Jung to evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould weighs in on the mouse that roared in A Mickey Mouse Reader, edited by Gary Apgar. While the early pieces included get a bit repetitive, for the most part Apgar has gathered a wide—and representative—selection of writings about Mickey.

These include critiques and paeans to his artistic value, an essay by E.M. Forster on his relationship with Minnie, the economics of the Disney juggernaut and the economics displayed by Mickey himself, as he helped build and expand the concept of childhood consumerism … well, the list goes on.

At more than 400 pages, it’s not quite comprehensive, but it’s close, and it answers that age-old question: When and why did we start describing unworthy things as “Mickey Mouse crap”? It’s all in here.

Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com… (más)