Book Review: Groundbreaking Magic: A Black Woman’s Journey Through the Happiest Place on Earth
Authors: Martha Blanding with Tim O’Day
c.2024, Disney Editions
$25.99
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
Your dream job is still a job.
You still must be there on time, look presentable and be ready to go. You can love the work and dislike your coworkers, embrace the challenge but hate the drudge, enjoy the process but dread the politics.
The book, “Groundbreaking Magic” by Martha Blanding with Tim O’Day, shows us how we can relish our unique employment situations, downsides and all — and still represent.
On the day she retired from a job she’d had for half a century Martha Blanding took a tour of her workplace as she took stock of the years.
Her parents, who’d lived under Jim Crow in their younger days, wouldn’t have believed the changes Blanding helped make.
Born in 1950, she’d watched Disney programming on television; living in South Central Los Angeles, she had been aware of the construction of Disneyland nearby. She visited the park for the first time when she was seven years old.
Needing money for college in the early 1970s, Blanding applied for a job at Disneyland and was told that they had no employment available – even though she’d seen postings for job openings. Some weeks later, her roommate encouraged Blanding to re-apply.
Reluctantly, she did. And that time, she was hired to work in the kitchen but before her first day on the job, Blanding was tapped as a tour guide and given training at “Disney University.” Due to her stellar work ethic, she was later promoted to VIP guide; over the years, she moved up the ladder to a series of positions that made use of her managerial and promotional skills.
As time passed and the Civil Rights Movement made strides in America, so did Blanding at Disney. She became a gentle activist, so that other minority workers had opportunities to be Cast Members, office staff, and management.
Oftentimes, she said, “… I was the only Black girl there” and “there was no hiding.”
None, in fact; instead, she used it to everyone’s advantage.
When you first start “Groundbreaking Magic,” you know right away that you’re in for a sweet, charming story from a hidden-until-now trailblazer.
You may or may not continue to feel that way.
In this biography, Blanding (with Tim O’Day) writes about creating equality in one small corner of an iconic business, and the story’s told from a POV that’s unique, engaging, and interesting. Fans of Disney will truly enjoy backstage peeks and insider info that takes readers through the decades and to various Disney locales.
What’s not so interesting is that the authors seem to mention every-single-one they worked with, including everyday people who are long gone or that you’ll probably never meet. That isn’t initially the distraction it becomes later but as the number of names increase, your attention is like to lag.
If you’re business-minded, then, and want to read about a corporation changing with the times, you may eventually be disappointed in “Groundbreaking Magic.”
Read it for the personal parts though, especially if you’re a Disney fan. It’s a dream story.
