An Unofficial 'The MeatEater Podcast' Reading List
615. Disneyland: The Modern American Utopia
November 06, 2025
Description
Books Referenced
Author: Neil Gabler
Context:
Referenced as 'the great biography by Neil Gabler' discussing Walt Disney's life, particularly his loss of interest in animated films in the 1940s and 1950s. This is Gabler's definitive biography of Walt Disney.
Author: Nikita Khrushchev
Context:
Referenced as 'his memoir, Khrushchev remembers' when discussing Khrushchev's account of why his visit to Disneyland was cancelled in 1959.
Author: Lisa McGurr
Context:
Explicitly mentioned as 'a whole book called Suburban Warriors by a historian called Lisa McGurr, all about Orange County' as the birthplace of modern American conservatism.
Author: William Makepeace Thackeray
Context:
Mentioned as 'Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair' in the context of discussing famous visitors to Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.
Author: Umberto Eco
Context:
Referenced when introducing Umberto Eco as 'the author of The Name of the Rose' before discussing his postmodern analysis of Disneyland.
Author: Michael Crichton
Context:
Mentioned as a book published in 1990 by Michael Crichton about a theme park gone wrong, in the context of discussing science fiction inspired by Disneyland.
Author: Carol Ann Marling
Context:
Referenced as 'a collection of essays by somebody called Carol Ann Marling' discussing Disney parks and 'the architecture of reassurance.'