I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found the subject matter really interesting. The book was well written and easy to understand. I highly recommend this book.

Very interesting and intriguing read, great one to pick up if you've got an interest in Walt Disney's back ground before Disney became a big name.

I love Walt Disney World and really enjoyed this book. In fact I loved it so much and was so inspired by it that I am going to venture out and push forward with my dreams and make them as magical as this book was for me. This book will be the next book I purchase for my collection.

An interesting look at Walt Disneys life. It is always fascinating to read about people's path to success. I found this a long book but interesting never the less.

There are many books out there about the man who started the empire that has way too much of my money.
The founder of the House of Mouse that's grown into the behemoth that owns superheroes and galaxies far, far, away started at the complete opposite of the food chain.
Author Kiste covers Disney's chaotic childhood as the family moved multiple times before Walt graduated high school, him serving in WWI, and his life that followed with bankruptcies, and even homelessness.
But it's the way Kiste shows how these events shaped the man, the hurdles he jumped, and the risks he took to become the icon we know today.
I appreciated the extensive discussions and research because I always love a great biography.

*I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very detailed and well-written book that unfortunately bogs down in the amount of non-essential material it introduces. I think a Disney fanatic would eat this up because it does nicely illuminate his early life and his upbringing. But for a lot of people, this is going to be pretty dry stuff and they will spend time skimming rather than reading. Kiste obviously knows his stuff -- can't fault him there. But, again, this would be the book you read AFTER you have read another biography or two, if you want to dig deeper into this time of his life. Rated four stars for the fan, but three for the average reader.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The first time we drove our daughter to visit the college she ultimately attended, we passed by Marceline, MO on U.S. Route 36. My wife and I saw signs along the highway celebrating the town as the boyhood home of Walt Disney, and remarked that on one of our trips to visit our daughter we would need to make a side trip to see the Disney related attractions there. When our daughter graduated, we had still not take to time to stop there.

The town of Marceline figures largely in this book, which focuses on the life of Walt Disney from birth until he lost control of the Oswald the Rabbit character he created when he was in his 20s.


Disney had a somewhat antagonistic relationship with his father, who felt that pursuing art as a career did not fit into his religious worldview. The younger Disney got along well with his mother, siblings, and extended family, but the clashes with his father caused him to split away from his parents at a fairly early age. One of the things I learned from this book concerned Disney’s experiences driving Red Cross ambulances and other vehicles in France just after the end of World War I at the age of 16. Living in the Kansas City area, it was also interesting to read about several familiar locations in the city that have been associated with Disney’s life and career.

I gave The Early Life of Walt Disney five stars. I figure it’s always a good idea to read about the struggles of people who ultimately achieve great success, and Walt Disney definitely fits that description.

'The Early Life of Walt Disney' is an extremely detailed account of Walter Elias Disney and his ancestors.

Kiste begins with the origins of the name Disney but quickly moves to the life of Walt's grandfather and father, exploring the social and economic factors of the time as well as how these directly affected the Disneys. For example, how a combination of Elias Disney's Christian faith and the corruption within a fast-growing Chicago led to Walt's father's authoritative nature, as well as direct examples of discipline towards Roy, Walt and the other Disney children.

Andrew Kiste has written a number of books on Walt Disney's life and has clearly researched the icon extensively. This book is very much rooted in the history of early America and can be very detailed: Elias Disney's involvement in building a church in his neighbourhood takes up a significant chunk of one chapter and Kiste even recounts the speech from the reverend on the day!

Nevertheless, 'The Early Life of Walt Disney' is an interesting insight for any hardcore Disney fan. I'm excited to see the next installment.

Thank you to Netgalley for the E-ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Who doesn't love Disney............So when this book came out I just wanted to learn more about Walt Disney he was great man!!!! The Early Life of Walt Disney by Andrew Kiste This was a very interesting book from the beginning till the end. It had great pictures and descriptions throughout this book.
It's a well written book and a must for any Disney fan.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

I didn't know so much about Disney's life and when found this book, I got curious about who was this man in reality but unfortunately, this book wasn't what I was really looking for, it got boring with all the additional historical events just to show how it had affected Disney's family life at that period of time. I mean, it was a good work of research but I just didn't care about a bunch of stuff. I wanted something more focussed on Walt Disney's genius, personality and inspirations with really less history.

As a deep dive into the family history and dynamics of Walt Disney's life and the impact of current events, this book provided a fascinating backstory. I was enthralled into the aspects of the labor market, Spanish Flu, and western migration and how it related to Walt Disney and his family history. I had no previous knowledge of Walt Disney's early life and this was very informative. It is a true story of American grit and perseverance.

I would like to thank White Owl and NetGally for a ecopy of The Early Life of Walt Disney. This book is for anybody who is a fan of Mr. Disney or likes history. This book goes over some of the genealogy of the Disney family before we get to the man himself, Walt Disney. Andrew Kiste did a great job in writing this book. I'm giving this a 4 out of 5 stars. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Early Life of Walt Disney is a fascinating book that not only traces Walt Disney’s early life but also weaves in historical events to help explain why Disney made some major decisions like moving west or joining the Red Cross. Also included are interesting photos of the former homes of the Disney family and some neighborhood shots that help the reader visualize what life was life for Disney in Marceline, Chicago and Los Angeles.
From the origins of the name Disney (dating as far back as 1066), to Elias Disney's multiple business failures, to the high criminality rate in Walt's birth place Chicago which let to the family moving to Marceline, to his deployment to Europe in the days after World War One, to the Spanish Influenza, to him becoming homeless while fighting for his dream against all odds and much more.

I was provided a ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In the Early Life of Walt Disney, author Andrew Kiste brings in some historical context to what the Disney family experienced in the early days of growing their family. Elias Disney , the patriarch of the Disney family, was a talented carpenter who moved his family to Chicago. But even after establishing their home, a crime wave helped Elias Disney decide to move his family to Marceline, Missouri. What Elias saw happening with the youth of the neighborhood really pushed him to move his family away from the city and into a more stable situation where teens were expected to work rather than to cause trouble roaming the city in gangs. Andrew Kiste meticulously researched the early life of Disney and I really enjoyed reading about the Disney family and their experience designing and building their homes in Chicago

It’s Elias’s relationship with his children that I think drives the narrative in the early pages of the book. His expectations and disciplinary style is tempered by his wife Flora and when their children get older, it is Flora that encourages Walt’s career even as he was struggling and practically penniless.

Fresh off a visit to the Walt Disney Family museum in San Francisco, I was interested in Walt’s service with the red cross in World War I. Kiste doesn’t disappoint, detailing how Disney lied about his age to get accepted into service and to follow his older brother Roy. There’s a sense of naiveté when Walt’s service begins and his experiences in France certainly affect Walt in terms of knowing what he wants to do with his life. By the end of his deployment to Europe, he looks forward to heading home to the savings his mother had kept for him and a return to normal life.

Walt’s struggles with getting regular art and marketing work eventually lead him to moving to California to follow Roy who learned that the California air was better for his health. Walt Disney’s career as a live-action film director kicks off with his Alice series and marrying Lillian Bounds.

The Early Life of Walt Disney is a fascinating book that not only traces Walt Disney’s early life but also weaves in historical events to help explain why Disney made some major decisions like moving west or joining the Red Cross. Also included are interesting photos of the former homes of the Disney family and some neighborhood shots that help the reader visualize what life was life for Disney in Marceline, Chicago and Los Angeles.

This was an interesting book. There was so much I didn’t know about him. This book seems to be well researched and gives an in-depth look at his early life. I think any big Disney fan would really enjoy this book. I certainly did.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

For as long as I can remember, I have loved all things Disney. Living in California, Disneyland was a yearly vacation destination for our family. As I grew older, I began to read all sorts of Disney history and trivia books. I was excited when The Early Life of Walt Disney was offered for me to review. It was extremely informative, focusing on a time in Walt's life that is often overlooked. I can't say I learned anything new, but that is because I have been to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco several times. The only thing I really didn't like about this book, is the cover. The image used looks nothing like Walt Disney and really should be redrawn before this book is released..

#theearlylifeofwaltdisney #netgalley

This was a wonderful book about not so much Disney's creations, but the man himself, which is fascinating on its own.

Today, the name 'Disney' evokes many things: images of a magical fairyland castle, a theme park or treasured memories of afternoons spent watching The Jungle Book or The Little Mermaid with parents or children.
Others might think first of a multi-billion dollar corporation which now owns everything from Star Wars to The Muppets.
Both views are valid.
A century ago, however, Disney was not yet a thing but a young man, a man struggling to establish himself in life and still completely unknown. Walt, known as "Walter' for most of his childhood, always loved to draw and appreciated a good story, whether it was the play, Peter Pan, early silent versions of Snow White at the cinema or the exaggerated tales of Civil War heroism told to him by his grandfather.
Sadly, Walters' father, Elias was a failure as both as a farmer and a construction contractor. He would regularly beat his sons severely. The book is well researched, sometimes going into rather excessive detail about wider topics such as the 1919 Spanish Influenza and late 19th century labour disputes.
The story ends with Walt finally on the verge of his first great success. An American tale with a happy ending.

Debating between 4 and 5; I did learn quite a bit about the early life of Walt Disney and loved the pictures/descriptions at the end of the book. You can see that his early life really did develop Walt into quite the creative character who produced the animation that we have all loved for decades.

I'm so interested to tour Walt Disney's birthplace in Chicago.

It really does make a lot of sense to have a separate book about Walt's early life. I kind of wish that the book went a little further, but I understand that the author, Andrew Kiste, has several other books about Walt Disney.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher (Pen & Sword, White Owl) and the author Andrew Kiste for the opportunity to review The Early Life of Walt Disney in exchange for an honest review. Definitely worth the read. Publication date is 31 Aug 2021.

I had just finished watching The Imagineering Story on Disney+, so finding this biography of the early years of Walt Disney was perfect timing! It’s a really interesting, rich and detailed book. You can easily picture what his life was like at the time. It’s well written and historically well researched, although in some parts, it felt less about Walt and more about the historical context. Overall, I really enjoyed this read, it’s well written and fast-paced. You get a good sense of where he came from and how he came about creating the biggest entertainment empire worldwide.