Rating: 
Summary: Dependable Kingdoms
Review: After a lifetime in Florida, Hiaasen has come to detest what Disney stands for, the great homogenizing force regressing all consumers to the mean. He truly delights in each Rodent mis-step, especially when financial loss, great public relations embarassment, and dead animals are involved. While this book can be read in a few hours, as it appears to be nothing more than recycled newspaper columns with some extra meat tossed in, there is something entertaining here. I am not familiar with Hiassen's other writing, but here he is genuinely amusing and original, especially when Disney Chairman Michael Eisner becomes his target. Hiassen has thought through in detail how Disney succeeds, especially in ensuring good press coverage by sponsoring junkets for small town newspaper writers. Hiassen attends one and attempts to pay retail for all services and fails despite his most earnest efforts. I would have liked to see more information on the methods Walt Disney employed to surreptiously purchase land and create an autonomous political entity, but that is short-changed here, other than to show that the resulting security force is out of control. The book was published in 1998 and now appears slightly dated, as the lustre appears to be off the Disney marketing juggernaut in the last few years. In an update, Hiassen could add mis-steps with Disney Stores and films to his gleeful telling of failures in residential real estate and Virginia civil war parks.
Rating: 
Summary: Carl DOES Mickey
Review: C H is a Mickraker and unearths the good stuff.
My students have enjoyed TEAM RODENT, too.
best,
nedsparrowbooks
Rating:
Summary: Hiaasen Attacks Apple Pie
Review: First of all I must admit that if I heard that Carl Hiaasen had edited the Dubuque, Iowa telephone book, I would rush out and buy it. I enjoy him because I love his humor, and because I share his environmental concerns. As a retired senior executive of a large corporation, I also have no illusions about the goals of business. We need gadflies, and Carl's buzzing about can only bring issues to the surface to be thought about and discussed. Disagree with him you may, but I see nothing wrong in presenting facts about the power and plasticity of the Disney world. Many folks want their big brother provided sanitized entertainment, and will evidently brook no criticism of the source of their pleasure. For myself I am interested to find out how yet another big business manipulates local governments and the press. It's fascinating to read how devoted fans will pay 25 to 40% more for a home because its built by Mickey and his friends, while disregarding the fact that the same guys built substandard housing in Miami. The way people are mesmerized by the fantastic plastic world of Disney sometimes scares me. Its like some dystopic future world from a science fiction novel. I will agree that $8.95 is a lot to pay for 83 pages, but it sure is good quality Hiaasen.
Rating: 
Summary: Disney Squirrel'd
Review: I found this book an easy read and very entertaining, although extreme collectors of Disney-ania will be thoroughly insulted as the shiny image of Disney is tarnished by the truth. Its a corporation after all, and corporations are about marketing and making money. Disney World is without a doubt the genius of marketing schemes. They get to us through our kids, through our incessant collecting of chachkees, and our desires to make our wishes come true. Its Fantasy Island Rated G. Hiassen addresses these issues and asks us to keep in mind that Disney is consuming our environment, our wallets, and our image to the rest of the world as bunch of huksters. I know many English friends who honestly based their image of Americans on Disney World. ?! No wonder the French hate us. Recently I attended a convention at Disney World hosted by Disney, and attended a seminar on How to make every moment magical for the customer and why they were so successful at it. Meanwhile, I'm charged out the yang for can of coke in the amusement park, I'm practically harassed into taking room service by an underpaid Haitain who could barely speak the words Have a Magical Day (gag!) and not one single kids camp service was available for my children nor could the Disney operator figure out which camps were on what days. Magical experience, I think not. Read this book, get enlightened.
Hiassen's a darn good writer.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: I found this book interesting. As a former Floridian, and a resident of Manassas, where the proposed American Adventure Park was to be built, I do understand Hiaasen's dislike of "the mouse". The essay is from a series where authors write a critical essay of some current topic. Hiaasen's was Disney. Through opinions as a native Floridian and a journalist, and real news stories about Disney, Hiaasen attempts to give readers a better look at Disney, that it isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Rating:
Summary: Sarcasm meant to open your eyes
Review: In October of 1998, the newswires were humming with the revelation that ABC News had killed an investigative piece that revealed security problems at Walt Disney World: the crown jewel of the Disney empire that just happens to own the ABC network and ABC News. Of course, the incident was quickly refuted by ABC News as being completely uninfluenced by corporate politics...which made many people go "hmmm." This is exactly the sort of Disney skepticism that we find in "Team Rodent," which uses sarcasm to bite and snap at the famous Mouse. The purpose of the book, I think, is to get people to open their eyes and realize that Disney is first and foremost a company, a business; and to survive in today's cutthroat world, a successful, giant business will do anything necessary to secure itself and prevent the world from knowing the truth about what goes behind the scene. In Disney's case, the company wraps itself with a "magical" facade where everyone is smiling, everything is bright and shiny, and nothing bad ever happens. The image is then promoted relentlessly, to the point where the entire world believes it...but still, hidden underneath, is the dark truth about Disney. The truth, of course, is that it is a corporation whose primary goal is profit, not happiness. We need to be constantly reminded of this, and this is why a book like "Team Rodent" is a good eye-opener for those who turn on the TV and see nothing but Mickey Mouse's smiling face.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Carl
Review: Poor Carl Hiaasen! He has so much hostility pent up against Disney that it obviously prevented him from writing a decent book! Instead of an intelligent premise supported by substantial factual information (you know, like newspaper journalists are supposed to do) he has written a short "hate-mail" to Eisner/Disney. I wonder why he's so bitter? Maybe his parents never let him go to amusement parks! Hope he doesn't have kids!
Rating: 
Summary: lack of research
Review: Ten bucks is a lot to pay for what is ultimately an essay. If you want to read it, get it from the library. I found it an okay read, but felt the overall feel was a bit 'snarky'. I'd compare it to an essay from a high school nerd complaining about how bad the 'cool kids' are...when his main complaint is that they are, in fact, cool. It just felts like he dislikes them because they are successful. Hey, Disney as a corporation is neither all black nor all white. So I'd say this may be worth a read if you like to get both sides of the Disney story and want to read some negatives for awhile, but really, save yourself a few bucks and get it from the library.
Rating:
Summary: See the seedy underside of these purveyors of "innocence"
Review: There's a great deal that's wrong with Disney, and Hiaasen's book is a good, quick, easily accessible introduction. From there, though, you should move on to more in-depth criticism. The most recent thing I've read that I would recommend would be Henry Giroux's The Mouse that Roared.
Rating:
Summary: Not the Happiest Place on earth
Review: This book is about how people tend to surrender their rights and minds to large corporations such as Disney. The author Hiaasen's gives descriptions of how Disney's is an example of this by sharing the good, the bad, and for the most part the ugly about the Disney empire. Despite all the sneaky evil things Disney has done people still feel that if there is any thing more irresistible then Jesus , its Mickey. The book is very informative and seems to have accurate information which lets the reader know Disney darkest secrets. Though at times it seems very biased and the Author is out to trash Disney any chance he gets. To me the message was that Disney and other large corporations are buying our trust as we grow up though Disney and these corporations are not someone to be trusted. We know only what we see and hear about these corporations and what we don't see and hear is kept form us for a reason. I read into this message by discovering that we should not always believe what we see and hear. We should look in to thing especially Disney because kids all around the world are being taught and entertained throughout their child hoods by this evil mouse house.
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