Team Rodent : How Disney Devours the World

There are a lot of things that go on in this world and our country that most people are totally oblivious. There is a dark underbelly that seethes with evil. Granted, every organization of every kind is going to have some problems. The difference is what those groups do with those problems: do they hide them, or do they expose them to the light and move on?Hiassen asserts in TEAM RODENT that there is a lot going on with the Walt Disney Company that most people don't know about and would be shocked to learn. TEAM RODENT offers a few examples of the evil that lurks withing the mighty Mouse House and suggests that if the opportunity arises to stand against the Goliath Rodent, people should.I throughly enjoyed reading Hiaasen's book. It was short (like all the books in the Library of Contemporary Though series), but provocative. The accusations were sprinkled with just enough humor to make one laugh, yet not forget what was read. I was not at all upset by Hiaasen's bias against the Mouse House because it added to the flavor of the book. Besides, I have thought for a long time that Walt Disney would not be very happy where his company has been headed the last fifteen years. Just look at what Disney did with children's radio and Radio Aahs; that would make an excellent chapter in TEAM RODENT.Interesting reading that will probably provoke a few thoughts, produce a laugh, or both.

After reading this book, I came out with a significantly better impression of the Disney operation than when I started. Hiaasen admits that Disney properties are managed with slick, gleaming competence, and that they give the public exactly what it wants. His issue is that Disney tries to "improve on nature"; I feel that mankind's primary mission should be to do exactly that, to try and create a better world.The incredible bitterness of his hatred for Disney surprised me, since by the end of the book, I was convinced that South Florida would be ruled either by Disney or Francis X Kingsbury, founder of the cheesy 'Amazing Kingdom of Thrills' featured in 'Native Tongue' (my favourite Hiaasen novel). And now I'm confused: Which would Hiaasen hate the least?Incidentally, I'm not convinced Disney's vision is good, either - but at least I have to give them credit for trying. And, despite being more or less an anti-environmentalist, I really enjoy th! e quality of Hiaasen's writing, both in this book and his fiction. That's why it got a high rating from me, despite not succeeding in its basic aim.

Ok.. first of all I loved Disney as a kid.. then they polluted the everglades & tried to stick a theme park where they shouldn't, so I hated them.. then they made Lion King & I liked them.. and then I went back to WDW in 1998 & I loved them again. Knowing how evil they can be, I appreciated Hiassen's sarcastic & biting humor.. The man may/may not hate Disney but when you are planning your next Disney trip, don't forget to pick up & read "Team Rodent" as well as your Birnbaum's (which is the Company line/ Disney approved travel book). This book made me laugh my [back end] off.. Another good read is "Mouse Tales."

I really enjoy Carl Hiaasen's view of life in South Florida, so when I discovered that he had written a non-fiction book chronicling the rise of the Disney empire, I wanted to read it. I did (about 10 years ago) and I was not disappointed. The reason that I am writing this review is because I reread it a couple of weeks ago while I was on a Disney Cruise. Oh Boy, did lots of new realizations appear before my eyes as my family and I cruised the Caribbean with the Mouse. Lots of details from the book just kept popping up - and, through it all, we had a fantastic "magical" time. For anyone heading for any Disney adventure, get this book and read it as you vacation. It is a fast, funny account of the highly programmed world that you find yourself thoroughly enjoying.

Let's get this out there first: the author is very bitter towards Disney, and he makes his reasoning clear. And while sometimes you get the sense the author goes too hard on Disney as a result of this bitterness, it becomes clear as you read this that Disney is a very questionable company. The anecdotes that illustrate Disney's aggressive business practices, and in particular the dodgy way the developed Disney World, are often fascinating. A short, but entertaining read.

What's here isn't bad. There just isn't much.Two stars is as high as I can give this.I'm giving it two stars because you can read it under two hours and the cost doesn't justify what you get.I'm part to blame because I just ordered it without reading the reviews or looking at the page count. I liked some of the author's novels which is what led me to this book. I am a citizen of Florida so I had a natural curiosity.That said I was quite surprised at how thin the book was when it arrived. If you can even call it a book. It's the size of pamphlet.In any event, even had I known what I was buying I still wouldn't have rated it any higher. There just is way too little to justify the price.

Everything you didn't know you wanted to know about Disney

Great gift

Team Rodent should be required reading for anyone interested in ecology, the power of big business and how its influence can be surprisingly malignant. Do read this.

I must have been reading Carl Hiaasens Novell's for some thirty years and never been disappointed. In this, my first foray into his reporting skills, I'm even more impressed. His blissful biased and honest view of Disney's Colonialism is superb and an eye opener to a fifty year old man who still knows all the words to every song in The Jungle Book. Again a wonderful read.

I love Carl Hiaasen novels and I love Florida but I'm not a fan of Disney World. It is refreshing to read Hiaasen's account of how Disney took over central Florida and some of the mistakes that were made, since Disney usually controls the narrative. I find it amazing, in this urbanized world of ours, many people's only experience with the wild world is through a Disney lens. I am currently in Kissimmee, with three Disney fans, so it is nice to have something to read while they are at the parks. I refuse to go.

personne n'est parfaitmais Hiaasen marie magnifiquement l'indignation et le drôleriec'est une enquête courte et densepleine d'enseignementnous ne regarderons plus jamais les parcs d'attraction de la même manièreet je ne parle pas des boutiques Disney en ville(lui oui, aussi)lumineux