books
Happy Place: Living the Disney Parks Life
Description
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powells, Indiebound
What if the childhood day you remembered as one of the most magical of your life became every day of your life?
In Happy Place: Living the Disney Parks Life, Scott Renshaw explores the phenomenon of Disney theme park super-fans, and the unique connections they build with places known to most people only as occasional vacation destinations. The profiles include stories of a pass-holder who has visited Disneyland for 1,000 consecutive days; another who has taken more than 3,000 rides on his single favorite attraction; and even some who have managed to turn visiting Disney parks into their job. Along the way, he takes his own first-ever visit to Orlando’s Walt Disney World, and stops in for key events during Disneyland’s 60th anniversary celebration on a personal journey to find out what happens when an infatuation with the parks turns into a relationship. Is that relationship always full of joy, or—when nostalgia collides with the realities of a corporation running a business—can it sometimes turn to frustration and disappointment?
Happy Place isn’t the story of a place. It’s a love story, about the kind of love that emerges when “happiest place on earth” becomes more than just a slogan.
Follow news about Happy Place on its special Facebook page and Twitter account.
author
Scott Renshaw has been Arts & Entertainment Editor and film critic for the Salt Lake City Weekly newspaper since 2002, with film reviews appearing in alternative newsweeklies in 10 states. Over a 20 year career as a professional writer and critic, he has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, and has contributed writing about Disney parks to the website IndieWire. This is his first book.
events
October 11th, Weller Book Works (Salt Lake City, UT) – 7 PM: Come to the official book launch of Happy Place, where author Scott Renshaw will read from and sign copies of the book. Part of the Utah Humanities Book Festival.
October 12th and 13th, Disneyland (Anaheim, CA) – Scott Renshaw will be present at the park throughout the day to meet-up with readers, fans, and even some of the people profiled in the book. Follow along on the book’s Facebook and Twitter pages for more info as the days approach, or even to follow along if you can’t make it but want to visit from afar!
October 13th, Barnes & Noble (Fullerton, CA) – 7:30 PM: Book reading and signing.
October 14th, Videology Bar & Cinema (Brooklyn, NY) – 6 PM: Discussion with Scott Renshaw and Monica Castillo (New York Times) about the book and Disney Parks on film.
October 15th, Disney World (Orlando, FL) – Scott Renshaw will be present at the park throughout the day to meet-up with readers, fans, and even some of the people profiled in the book. Follow along on the book’s Facebook and Twitter pages for more info as the days approach, or even to follow along if you can’t make it but want to visit from afar!
