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.

NetGalley, Lorna Wood

It seems that everyone loves Disney and learning more about the person who created it all seemed interesting to me.
The book covers Walt Disney's early life until he created Mickey Mouse. The book is split into 'parts' with chapters in between, which help to distinguish the time periods within his life.
Starting with learning about his family history and then the beginning of his life, what he tried, what he wanted to do, was a fascinating read. Adding the pictures of the area and how they looked, really helped picture his life throughout the book when reading.
If you are a fan of Disney and want to know what made him, him. Then definitely give this book a read!

For the Love of Books

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.

NetGalley, Kim Denny

An interesting look at Walt Disneys life. It is always fascinating to read about people's path to success.

NetGalley, Kath Vickers

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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.

NetGalley, Patricia Fischer

Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a five page Bibliography and a three page Index, "The Early Life of Walt Disney" by Andrew Stanley Kiste is a 'must read' biography for the legions of Walt Disney fans.

Read the full review here

Midwest Book Review

As featured in: 'The Mouse that Saved Disney'

Yours Retro

I have always had the utmost respect for Walt Disney as the pioneer who brought us superb cartoon films; this new book about his trials and tribulations along the road to success is a fascinating read...

Books Monthly

A really good read I would think for anyone really. I highly recommend it.

Read the full review here

UK Historian

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.

Read the full review here

This Bliss Life

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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.

NetGalley, Chris Owens

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.

NetGalley, Nessa Thompson

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

NetGalley, Lottie S

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.

NetGalley, Serena Bell

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.

NetGalley, Bethany Livingston

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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.

NetGalley, Mikayla Tewksbury

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.

NetGalley, Tiffany Telles

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.

NetGalley, Annette Johnson

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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

NetGalley, Mike Michelsen

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.

NetGalley, Chris Hallam

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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.

NetGalley, Colleen Mitchell

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I think most people will have heard of Walt Disney so I was curious to find out more about him.

His family can be traced back to 1066 in France. Its gives a great insight about how and why his family moved to America and the challenges they faced.

This book was written by an historian who delved deep into his family and spoke of what it was like in his surroundings. When the family emigrated to Chicago we are told what life was like when they arrived and when and why they left. It follows much of his private life as well as the entertainment industry he is famous for.

This is more than a book about Walt Disney it's a well researched and well written book of life 'around' Walt Disney.

NetGalley, Zoe Morton

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.

NetGalley, Caroline D. (La Biblio de Caro)

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I am a huge Disney fan and was excited to receive an advanced copy. This book is a must for Disney fans and those who want to learn more about the man who created an American icon, Mickey Mouse.

NetGalley, Sheri Page

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Over the years, I've read a fair share of biographies on Walt. But I've never read one as detailed and in-depth as this one. Where most biographies focus on Walt the storyteller and the history of the Disney empire, this book focuses more on other (historical) events that contributed to shaping the man that we ultimately have come to known as Uncle Walt. 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.

It was truly one of the most interesting Walt Disney biographies I've ever read, and I highly recommend it to all my fellow Disney fans!

NetGalley, Nikki van Zoom