11/15: Mouse Trap

[Al Lutz]

Kevin announces his newest book, now available in a special preview edition, discuss it here!

[Steve DeGaetano]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

I didn't have to think twice about purchasing this book, Kevin! Maybe I can review it for you??

[mikeland]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

I was caught in your trap too. The book has been ordered. Boo to the Florida tax surcharge.

[sir clinksalot]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

Yay, it's announced. We can talk about it now.

Everybody at last week's meet got a "Dream" from MiceChat, a preview copy of Kevin's new book.

Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to start reading yet, but it's on my to-do list.

[KevinYee]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

Steve, a PM has been sent to you.

Sorry for the FL sales tax. I gotta operate within the law, ya know

[SciFi96]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

I'm still stuck in the mousetrap too. Its been 12 and a half years since my Florida CP days and just over 11 since my last days at the Sci-Fi, but I still miss the backstage magic. Good thing my wife is worse than me.

[hrimaliv]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

Yay! I just bought my preview copy as well. I am so excited to be able to read your stories. They sound great! And it's nice to have a bit of a collectors item too

[Steve DeGaetano]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

Steve, a PM has been sent to you.

I got it, and responded. Did you get it?

[KevinYee]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

Got it, Steve!

[TheManator]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

You crazy former CMs...I got caught in the trap too

[SkittleKicks]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

I picked it up as a gift to my hubby, a former friend of Tigger. Darn FL sales tax.

[Pipeek]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

I got my copy on Sunday at the meet and finished reading it last night. Lot's of information about guiding you through backstage and the changes from the resort in 1987 through DCA's opening. Also lots of stories about how the NOMK was setup to serve Cafe Orleans and the other kitchens. It's a great look into the life of a CM.

[DISNEYJUNKIE]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

Ordered my copy , your chapter preview sucked me in , great marketing idea. Waiting at mailbox till it arrives.

[KevinYee]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

your chapter preview sucked me in

*resisting urge to conflate Admiral Ackbar and my book title*

[Athlonacon]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

I'm gonna order this book.


And that isn't just literary masturbation, I really mean I am going to order it.

[StrikeYerColors]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

i really want to order this, and a couple of your other books as well! wish i had more spare money to spend on books

[hollywood1939]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

Read it twice. Great book, really informative. I've never seen another book that talks about one's experience as a CM. Thanks!

[BC_DisneyGeek]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

I was delighted to receive this book at the Nov 11 meet (my first) as I've enjoyed Kevin's columns over the years.

Kevin is a good writer and I breezed through this book with ease. No small feat I assure you, as my attention span isn't all that great. The book also saved my sanity as a distraction while waiting in line for the subs.

The question I asked myself as I read the book was just who would appreciate this book? Casual Disney fans? Obsessive Disney fans? Kevin Yee's immediate family? I think this book would be an excellent read for aspiring cast members, or current cast members who aspire to be better at what they do. Disney geeks (i.e. Miceage readers) will likely enjoy it. I don't think it will have the same appeal to a mainstream audience that something like David Koenig's "Mouse Tales" does (the gold standard for behind-the-scenes Disney books IMO).

This book is very interesting, but not as entertaining as the aforementioned "Mouse Tales". Kevin Yee appears to be the model cast member. Professional, efficient, and dedicated. This makes him sound like an ideal employee, but does not make for the most entertaining anecdotes.

In regards to Grad Nite, Kevin writes, "All that energy could have led to rowdiness, of course, but we saw none of those shenanigans in the Cafe Orleans. I imagine the attractions CMs had a harder time of it". This passage is reflective of much of the book. There's a general feeling that there's so many stories out there that would be far more amusing than reading about someone who is low key and does a good job. I guess it's just human nature that I find myself wanting to hear more about bad cast members and out of the ordinary occurences at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Kevin readily admits in the book that "There are thousands of CMs and former CMs who have more interesting anecdotes than I do", so I think it's fair to say that Kevin doesn't aspire to have written the most comprehensive or entertaining look at life as a cast member. This is his story, and if parts of it are dull, well that's just part of being a cast member (or working anywhere, really).

The book occasionally felt like an ego trip, "The best and brightest CMs from around the park were called upon to work this event, and I was tapped to work one of the food tables", but in all fairness why shouldn't a biographical tome celebrates one's achievements. I still felt occasionally like the book was a love letter to Kevin Yee from Kevin Yee, but I got over the feeling. It is after all, the focus on accomplishment and success, that makes me suggest this as an excellent read for CMs.

I think my above comments sound kind of overly critical, so I'll say again that I enjoyed the book and it was well written. And don't get me wrong, the book does have its share of anecdotes and amusing stories. How much you enjoy it will depend on how much detail about being a cast member you really want to hear. This book gets quite specific, describing in detail all aspects of a CMs daily life, from setting up to turning in cash and costumes. Not always the most dramatic things to read about, but certainly interesting. I think that a casual Disney fan might find themselves wanting to skip past those detailed descriptions of work processes, to get to the "good stuff". The rest of you will probably enjoy the book as a whole.

[KevinYee]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

*frantically taking notes on ways to improve on the book*

Seriously, I have to thank you for that. I appreciate and desire the honest feedback that helps me improve. (For instance, I may well strike the language that pats my own back with regard to the Liz Taylor event - had I known it was there earlier, I would have removed it before sending it to print). More! More!

The question of audience is an excellent one. I grappled with this directly myself, as you might imagine. I ended up with a hierarchical list, which you essentially already described. The book is meant to appeal, in this order, to:

1. former CMs
2. current CMs
3. aspiring CMs
4. Disney park fanatics who are none of the above
5. a wider audience (yeah, right... one of my early readers said he yearned for more characters and to have them appear all the time, even if I have to invent stories)

The one audience I didn't have in mind was my family

[fantoongal]

Re: 11/15: Mouse Trap

got my copy today! signing off to devour it!