Conspiracies, mysterious deaths and as surprise guest: 14 new books to read this month
Learned Behaviours
Zeynab Gamieldien
Ultimo, $34.99
When Zaid Saban begins at Brookbank Boys High in western Sydney, he feels lost. He soon finds a friend in Hass Abdallah and their lives intertwine. But then those lives diverge: Zaid becomes a lawyer, Hass is charged with murder and takes his own life in jail. Years later, his sister Amira visits Zaid, asking for help with a diary she has found; she's puzzled by things Hass wrote. When his past resurfaces, Zaid knows he has not transcended it and his desire for certainty only leads to unwanted questioning and more uncertainty.
The Visitor
Rebecca Starford
Allen & Unwin, $32.99
This is the second novel from Rebecca Starford, co-founder with Hannah Kent, of the online literary journal Kill Your Darlings. The first was The Imitator, an acclaimed historical spy drama. The Visitor begins with an elderly couple deserting the Brisbane house they've lived in for 50 years. Why haven't they told Laura, their writer daughter, who's been living in Britain for ages? When the couple die in strange circumstances in the outback, Laura and her family return to Queensland to do up that family home. But why is Laura behaving so oddly, and what does a mysterious photograph reveal about events?
Conspiracy Nation
Ariel Bogle & Cam Wilson
Ultimo, $36.99
As the two authors who have long investigated the intersections of technology, culture, politics and the law write, 'It can come as a shock to a lot of Australians to find that their friends, families and workmates … now understand their lives through the prism of plots, cabals and Manichean fights between good versus evil'. Conspiratorial thinking and misinformation abound in Australia, particularly since COVID-19, and Bogle and Wilson explore the origins of a host of conspiracy theories, including those surrounding the Port Arthur massacre, COVID lockdowns and 'the 28″, an alleged cabal of paedophile politicians.
Yilkari
Nicholas Rothwell & Alison Nampitjinpa Anderson
Text, $34.99
It's fair to say that Nicholas Rothwell, winner of two prime minister's literary awards, writes books that are hard to categorise − an appealing thing these days when marketing forces hold such sway in publishing. Yes, he has written two novels, but both contained elements of autobiography, particularly his first, Heaven and Earth. Now he has joined forces with his Indigenous wife, former politician and now painter Alison Nampitjinpa Anderson, to write their 'suite' of the Western Desert. The arrival of a surprise guest, someone met 15 years earlier in Berlin, prompts a fascinating journey of awakening and spiritual discovery.
U Want It Darker
Murray Middleton
Picador, $34.99
Murray Middleton made his mark as a short-story writer – he won The Age award and then the Vogel – spent eight years on his first novel, the magnificent No Church in the Wild, and returns just over a year later with a collection of inventive stories that spotlight the angst and joys of the creative life. As our review will say: 'The dramatic situations are characterised by a collision of two irreconcilable desires: the impulse to create art with the spiritual toll and untenable economic realities. These are the lands of the crestfallen bohemian.'
The Last Days of Zane Grey
Vicki Hastrich
Allen & Unwin, $34.99
I knew of Zane Grey only as the legendary, huge-selling and prolific author of Westerns, notably Riders of the Purple Sage, whose work was frequently adapted by Hollywood, but there was more to him than that. Like Hemingway, he loved big-game fishing, and that passion brought him to Australia (with only 166 pieces of luggage) in search of creative inspiration and the chance to snag a giant shark in the sea off Bermagui. He made a film, White Death, and also managed a love affair with the alluring poet Lola Gornall. Vicki Hastrich, author of the acclaimed memoir Night Fishing, tells a fascinating story beautifully.
The Sea In The Metro
Jayne Tuttle
Hardie Grant, $34.99
Helen Garner described the writing in Jayne Tuttle's two memoirs about her life as an actor and more in Paris as 'joltingly alive, beautiful and terrifying'. The Sea in the Metro completes her trilogy, with Tuttle reassessing her life there and the intricacies of her relationship with her musician husband, M, giving birth to 'the Chunk', writing ads, meeting up again with her friend Sophie, in whose building she had the accident that nearly killed her, and the remarkable 'Balkans Doctor' with his 'bioregulatory medicine'. There is a great immediacy and candour here.
My Father Bryce
Adam Courtenay
Hachette, $34.99
Never let the facts get in the way of a story. It's a saying that epitomises the life of the late Bryce Courtenay, who burst onto the bestseller lists with The Power of One in 1989 and was a fixture there with his regular offerings of stonking great novels such as Jessica and Tommo & Hawk. Adam Courtenay reveals that his father was a wonderful dad to his three sons, but one whose loose relationship with the truth of his own life – 'Dad facts' – and addiction to success, fame, and being the best, challenged their connection.
Annie Magdalene
Barbara Hanrahan
Pink Shorts Press, $32.99
Barbara Hanrahan was known as a printmaker and painter, and then as a writer of novels that were unashamedly domestic and feminist. As The Australian Dictionary of Biograph y puts it, Hanrahan saw these creative forms as complementary: 'printmaking was instinctive and writing was intellectual'. First published 40 years ago, Annie Magdalene is the story of a woman looking back on her life. The prose is simple and direct, the sentiments profound. As Hanrahan writes, 'You must never talk loud to the bees, you must talk softly'.
The Leap
Paul Daley
Summit, $34.99
Paul Daley has followed his acclaimed Jesustown with a sort of Wake in Fright for the 2020s. Traumatised British diplomat Benedict Fotheringham-Gaskill is parachuted into The Leap, an outback town far from anywhere, to plead for the lives of two women accused of killing the daughter of local bigwig Cecil Sloper. Daley's novel exposes the years of appalling treatment of the Indigenous population and the worst of outback life. But there are saving graces for Benedict, and thrills for the reader right to the end.
Arboresence
Rhett Davis
Hachette, $32.99
Rhett Davis won an influential Victorian Premier's Literary Award in 2020 for an unpublished manuscript and when it was published, Hovering was described as 'immediately striking on both a conceptual and a formal level'. There were distinctly strange elements to it that continue in his second novel, in which a dissatisfied couple, Bren and Caelyn, find themselves drifting apart as Caelyn is attracted to the idea of the eponymous title – people turning themselves into trees. As our review says, Davis uses 'his distinctive creativity to interrogate, mock but ultimately affirm humanity'.
Nazis in Australia
Graham Blewitt & Mark Aarons
Schwartz, $39.99
August 11
This comprehensive book examines the history of the special investigations unit charged with finding the '841 alleged war criminals' who had escaped Europe to Australia after World War II. It was set up in 1987 and resulted in three prosecutions, none of which led to a conviction, and significant effort towards other potential charges. Here, essays examine the unit from various perspectives, including those of prosecution, defence and historians, and consider its legacy. As former deputy director Graham Blewitt writes, 'for a brief period in our legal history, we stood up and did the right thing'.
A Fair Day's Work
Sean Scalmer
MUP, $34.99
August 13
As the Albanese government prepares for its summit on productivity, the question to be asked is whether working Australians will come under pressure to give up some of the gains they have made since the advent of the eight-hour working day in the second half of the 19th century. Work-life balance remains crucial to all Australians and Sean Scalmer's assessment of the long quest for a 'fair day's work' rightly asks the timely question of whether productivity is increasingly associated 'with more time at work, not with more efficient performance of duties'.
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Fathering
Alistair Thomson et al
MUP, $39.99
August 13
The five authors of this extensive book say fathers and fathering 'are central to pressing concerns in contemporary Australia', concerns that include poor contribution to child care and domestic work; parental leave and family-friendly work; domestic violence, and the changes to the family structure. They look at individual fathers as case studies and also provide a historical survey of how the idea of being a father and the actuality of it has changed over the past century. A perfect gift for Father's Day?
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Sydney Morning Herald
8 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Conspiracies, mysterious deaths and as surprise guest: 14 new books to read this month
There are plenty of good books around for you in August, including memoir, histories, fiction, short stories and forgotten classics. Why not make the most of the last month of winter by hunkering down with a new book − even if you're heading for a spot where the weather isn't too chilly. Learned Behaviours Zeynab Gamieldien Ultimo, $34.99 When Zaid Saban begins at Brookbank Boys High in western Sydney, he feels lost. He soon finds a friend in Hass Abdallah and their lives intertwine. But then those lives diverge: Zaid becomes a lawyer, Hass is charged with murder and takes his own life in jail. Years later, his sister Amira visits Zaid, asking for help with a diary she has found; she's puzzled by things Hass wrote. When his past resurfaces, Zaid knows he has not transcended it and his desire for certainty only leads to unwanted questioning and more uncertainty. The Visitor Rebecca Starford Allen & Unwin, $32.99 This is the second novel from Rebecca Starford, co-founder with Hannah Kent, of the online literary journal Kill Your Darlings. The first was The Imitator, an acclaimed historical spy drama. The Visitor begins with an elderly couple deserting the Brisbane house they've lived in for 50 years. Why haven't they told Laura, their writer daughter, who's been living in Britain for ages? When the couple die in strange circumstances in the outback, Laura and her family return to Queensland to do up that family home. But why is Laura behaving so oddly, and what does a mysterious photograph reveal about events? Conspiracy Nation Ariel Bogle & Cam Wilson Ultimo, $36.99 As the two authors who have long investigated the intersections of technology, culture, politics and the law write, 'It can come as a shock to a lot of Australians to find that their friends, families and workmates … now understand their lives through the prism of plots, cabals and Manichean fights between good versus evil'. Conspiratorial thinking and misinformation abound in Australia, particularly since COVID-19, and Bogle and Wilson explore the origins of a host of conspiracy theories, including those surrounding the Port Arthur massacre, COVID lockdowns and 'the 28″, an alleged cabal of paedophile politicians. Yilkari Nicholas Rothwell & Alison Nampitjinpa Anderson Text, $34.99 It's fair to say that Nicholas Rothwell, winner of two prime minister's literary awards, writes books that are hard to categorise − an appealing thing these days when marketing forces hold such sway in publishing. Yes, he has written two novels, but both contained elements of autobiography, particularly his first, Heaven and Earth. Now he has joined forces with his Indigenous wife, former politician and now painter Alison Nampitjinpa Anderson, to write their 'suite' of the Western Desert. The arrival of a surprise guest, someone met 15 years earlier in Berlin, prompts a fascinating journey of awakening and spiritual discovery. U Want It Darker Murray Middleton Picador, $34.99 Murray Middleton made his mark as a short-story writer – he won The Age award and then the Vogel – spent eight years on his first novel, the magnificent No Church in the Wild, and returns just over a year later with a collection of inventive stories that spotlight the angst and joys of the creative life. As our review will say: 'The dramatic situations are characterised by a collision of two irreconcilable desires: the impulse to create art with the spiritual toll and untenable economic realities. These are the lands of the crestfallen bohemian.' The Last Days of Zane Grey Vicki Hastrich Allen & Unwin, $34.99 I knew of Zane Grey only as the legendary, huge-selling and prolific author of Westerns, notably Riders of the Purple Sage, whose work was frequently adapted by Hollywood, but there was more to him than that. Like Hemingway, he loved big-game fishing, and that passion brought him to Australia (with only 166 pieces of luggage) in search of creative inspiration and the chance to snag a giant shark in the sea off Bermagui. He made a film, White Death, and also managed a love affair with the alluring poet Lola Gornall. Vicki Hastrich, author of the acclaimed memoir Night Fishing, tells a fascinating story beautifully. The Sea In The Metro Jayne Tuttle Hardie Grant, $34.99 Helen Garner described the writing in Jayne Tuttle's two memoirs about her life as an actor and more in Paris as 'joltingly alive, beautiful and terrifying'. The Sea in the Metro completes her trilogy, with Tuttle reassessing her life there and the intricacies of her relationship with her musician husband, M, giving birth to 'the Chunk', writing ads, meeting up again with her friend Sophie, in whose building she had the accident that nearly killed her, and the remarkable 'Balkans Doctor' with his 'bioregulatory medicine'. There is a great immediacy and candour here. My Father Bryce Adam Courtenay Hachette, $34.99 Never let the facts get in the way of a story. It's a saying that epitomises the life of the late Bryce Courtenay, who burst onto the bestseller lists with The Power of One in 1989 and was a fixture there with his regular offerings of stonking great novels such as Jessica and Tommo & Hawk. Adam Courtenay reveals that his father was a wonderful dad to his three sons, but one whose loose relationship with the truth of his own life – 'Dad facts' – and addiction to success, fame, and being the best, challenged their connection. Annie Magdalene Barbara Hanrahan Pink Shorts Press, $32.99 Barbara Hanrahan was known as a printmaker and painter, and then as a writer of novels that were unashamedly domestic and feminist. As The Australian Dictionary of Biograph y puts it, Hanrahan saw these creative forms as complementary: 'printmaking was instinctive and writing was intellectual'. First published 40 years ago, Annie Magdalene is the story of a woman looking back on her life. The prose is simple and direct, the sentiments profound. As Hanrahan writes, 'You must never talk loud to the bees, you must talk softly'. The Leap Paul Daley Summit, $34.99 Paul Daley has followed his acclaimed Jesustown with a sort of Wake in Fright for the 2020s. Traumatised British diplomat Benedict Fotheringham-Gaskill is parachuted into The Leap, an outback town far from anywhere, to plead for the lives of two women accused of killing the daughter of local bigwig Cecil Sloper. Daley's novel exposes the years of appalling treatment of the Indigenous population and the worst of outback life. But there are saving graces for Benedict, and thrills for the reader right to the end. Arboresence Rhett Davis Hachette, $32.99 Rhett Davis won an influential Victorian Premier's Literary Award in 2020 for an unpublished manuscript and when it was published, Hovering was described as 'immediately striking on both a conceptual and a formal level'. There were distinctly strange elements to it that continue in his second novel, in which a dissatisfied couple, Bren and Caelyn, find themselves drifting apart as Caelyn is attracted to the idea of the eponymous title – people turning themselves into trees. As our review says, Davis uses 'his distinctive creativity to interrogate, mock but ultimately affirm humanity'. Nazis in Australia Graham Blewitt & Mark Aarons Schwartz, $39.99 August 11 This comprehensive book examines the history of the special investigations unit charged with finding the '841 alleged war criminals' who had escaped Europe to Australia after World War II. It was set up in 1987 and resulted in three prosecutions, none of which led to a conviction, and significant effort towards other potential charges. Here, essays examine the unit from various perspectives, including those of prosecution, defence and historians, and consider its legacy. As former deputy director Graham Blewitt writes, 'for a brief period in our legal history, we stood up and did the right thing'. A Fair Day's Work Sean Scalmer MUP, $34.99 August 13 As the Albanese government prepares for its summit on productivity, the question to be asked is whether working Australians will come under pressure to give up some of the gains they have made since the advent of the eight-hour working day in the second half of the 19th century. Work-life balance remains crucial to all Australians and Sean Scalmer's assessment of the long quest for a 'fair day's work' rightly asks the timely question of whether productivity is increasingly associated 'with more time at work, not with more efficient performance of duties'. Loading Fathering Alistair Thomson et al MUP, $39.99 August 13 The five authors of this extensive book say fathers and fathering 'are central to pressing concerns in contemporary Australia', concerns that include poor contribution to child care and domestic work; parental leave and family-friendly work; domestic violence, and the changes to the family structure. They look at individual fathers as case studies and also provide a historical survey of how the idea of being a father and the actuality of it has changed over the past century. A perfect gift for Father's Day?
The Age
8 hours ago
- The Age
Conspiracies, mysterious deaths and as surprise guest: 14 new books to read this month
There are plenty of good books around for you in August, including memoir, histories, fiction, short stories and forgotten classics. Why not make the most of the last month of winter by hunkering down with a new book − even if you're heading for a spot where the weather isn't too chilly. Learned Behaviours Zeynab Gamieldien Ultimo, $34.99 When Zaid Saban begins at Brookbank Boys High in western Sydney, he feels lost. He soon finds a friend in Hass Abdallah and their lives intertwine. But then those lives diverge: Zaid becomes a lawyer, Hass is charged with murder and takes his own life in jail. Years later, his sister Amira visits Zaid, asking for help with a diary she has found; she's puzzled by things Hass wrote. When his past resurfaces, Zaid knows he has not transcended it and his desire for certainty only leads to unwanted questioning and more uncertainty. The Visitor Rebecca Starford Allen & Unwin, $32.99 This is the second novel from Rebecca Starford, co-founder with Hannah Kent, of the online literary journal Kill Your Darlings. The first was The Imitator, an acclaimed historical spy drama. The Visitor begins with an elderly couple deserting the Brisbane house they've lived in for 50 years. Why haven't they told Laura, their writer daughter, who's been living in Britain for ages? When the couple die in strange circumstances in the outback, Laura and her family return to Queensland to do up that family home. But why is Laura behaving so oddly, and what does a mysterious photograph reveal about events? Conspiracy Nation Ariel Bogle & Cam Wilson Ultimo, $36.99 As the two authors who have long investigated the intersections of technology, culture, politics and the law write, 'It can come as a shock to a lot of Australians to find that their friends, families and workmates … now understand their lives through the prism of plots, cabals and Manichean fights between good versus evil'. Conspiratorial thinking and misinformation abound in Australia, particularly since COVID-19, and Bogle and Wilson explore the origins of a host of conspiracy theories, including those surrounding the Port Arthur massacre, COVID lockdowns and 'the 28″, an alleged cabal of paedophile politicians. Yilkari Nicholas Rothwell & Alison Nampitjinpa Anderson Text, $34.99 It's fair to say that Nicholas Rothwell, winner of two prime minister's literary awards, writes books that are hard to categorise − an appealing thing these days when marketing forces hold such sway in publishing. Yes, he has written two novels, but both contained elements of autobiography, particularly his first, Heaven and Earth. Now he has joined forces with his Indigenous wife, former politician and now painter Alison Nampitjinpa Anderson, to write their 'suite' of the Western Desert. The arrival of a surprise guest, someone met 15 years earlier in Berlin, prompts a fascinating journey of awakening and spiritual discovery. U Want It Darker Murray Middleton Picador, $34.99 Murray Middleton made his mark as a short-story writer – he won The Age award and then the Vogel – spent eight years on his first novel, the magnificent No Church in the Wild, and returns just over a year later with a collection of inventive stories that spotlight the angst and joys of the creative life. As our review will say: 'The dramatic situations are characterised by a collision of two irreconcilable desires: the impulse to create art with the spiritual toll and untenable economic realities. These are the lands of the crestfallen bohemian.' The Last Days of Zane Grey Vicki Hastrich Allen & Unwin, $34.99 I knew of Zane Grey only as the legendary, huge-selling and prolific author of Westerns, notably Riders of the Purple Sage, whose work was frequently adapted by Hollywood, but there was more to him than that. Like Hemingway, he loved big-game fishing, and that passion brought him to Australia (with only 166 pieces of luggage) in search of creative inspiration and the chance to snag a giant shark in the sea off Bermagui. He made a film, White Death, and also managed a love affair with the alluring poet Lola Gornall. Vicki Hastrich, author of the acclaimed memoir Night Fishing, tells a fascinating story beautifully. The Sea In The Metro Jayne Tuttle Hardie Grant, $34.99 Helen Garner described the writing in Jayne Tuttle's two memoirs about her life as an actor and more in Paris as 'joltingly alive, beautiful and terrifying'. The Sea in the Metro completes her trilogy, with Tuttle reassessing her life there and the intricacies of her relationship with her musician husband, M, giving birth to 'the Chunk', writing ads, meeting up again with her friend Sophie, in whose building she had the accident that nearly killed her, and the remarkable 'Balkans Doctor' with his 'bioregulatory medicine'. There is a great immediacy and candour here. My Father Bryce Adam Courtenay Hachette, $34.99 Never let the facts get in the way of a story. It's a saying that epitomises the life of the late Bryce Courtenay, who burst onto the bestseller lists with The Power of One in 1989 and was a fixture there with his regular offerings of stonking great novels such as Jessica and Tommo & Hawk. Adam Courtenay reveals that his father was a wonderful dad to his three sons, but one whose loose relationship with the truth of his own life – 'Dad facts' – and addiction to success, fame, and being the best, challenged their connection. Annie Magdalene Barbara Hanrahan Pink Shorts Press, $32.99 Barbara Hanrahan was known as a printmaker and painter, and then as a writer of novels that were unashamedly domestic and feminist. As The Australian Dictionary of Biograph y puts it, Hanrahan saw these creative forms as complementary: 'printmaking was instinctive and writing was intellectual'. First published 40 years ago, Annie Magdalene is the story of a woman looking back on her life. The prose is simple and direct, the sentiments profound. As Hanrahan writes, 'You must never talk loud to the bees, you must talk softly'. The Leap Paul Daley Summit, $34.99 Paul Daley has followed his acclaimed Jesustown with a sort of Wake in Fright for the 2020s. Traumatised British diplomat Benedict Fotheringham-Gaskill is parachuted into The Leap, an outback town far from anywhere, to plead for the lives of two women accused of killing the daughter of local bigwig Cecil Sloper. Daley's novel exposes the years of appalling treatment of the Indigenous population and the worst of outback life. But there are saving graces for Benedict, and thrills for the reader right to the end. Arboresence Rhett Davis Hachette, $32.99 Rhett Davis won an influential Victorian Premier's Literary Award in 2020 for an unpublished manuscript and when it was published, Hovering was described as 'immediately striking on both a conceptual and a formal level'. There were distinctly strange elements to it that continue in his second novel, in which a dissatisfied couple, Bren and Caelyn, find themselves drifting apart as Caelyn is attracted to the idea of the eponymous title – people turning themselves into trees. As our review says, Davis uses 'his distinctive creativity to interrogate, mock but ultimately affirm humanity'. Nazis in Australia Graham Blewitt & Mark Aarons Schwartz, $39.99 August 11 This comprehensive book examines the history of the special investigations unit charged with finding the '841 alleged war criminals' who had escaped Europe to Australia after World War II. It was set up in 1987 and resulted in three prosecutions, none of which led to a conviction, and significant effort towards other potential charges. Here, essays examine the unit from various perspectives, including those of prosecution, defence and historians, and consider its legacy. As former deputy director Graham Blewitt writes, 'for a brief period in our legal history, we stood up and did the right thing'. A Fair Day's Work Sean Scalmer MUP, $34.99 August 13 As the Albanese government prepares for its summit on productivity, the question to be asked is whether working Australians will come under pressure to give up some of the gains they have made since the advent of the eight-hour working day in the second half of the 19th century. Work-life balance remains crucial to all Australians and Sean Scalmer's assessment of the long quest for a 'fair day's work' rightly asks the timely question of whether productivity is increasingly associated 'with more time at work, not with more efficient performance of duties'. Loading Fathering Alistair Thomson et al MUP, $39.99 August 13 The five authors of this extensive book say fathers and fathering 'are central to pressing concerns in contemporary Australia', concerns that include poor contribution to child care and domestic work; parental leave and family-friendly work; domestic violence, and the changes to the family structure. They look at individual fathers as case studies and also provide a historical survey of how the idea of being a father and the actuality of it has changed over the past century. A perfect gift for Father's Day?
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Adrian Barich: the surprising rules that keep the magic bubble at Disney World from bursting
A friend of mine just got back from Disney World. Her family basically stayed on site, at a resort within the Disney World complex. And she came back with some intriguing information. I'll get to it in a moment but first, I want to let the wave of nostalgia flow over me as I recall everything from my childhood associated with Walt and his show The Wonderful World Of Disney. Even just saying that name makes me almost step back in time: I'm suddenly propelled to the 1970s with a feeling that's almost painful. Sometimes I feel like I really want to go back to my childhood but am unable to do so. As we all know, you can go back to the place but not to the time. Yes, I'll admit it: I'm the king of nostalgia in my house. The feeling is often triggered by a familiar smell, sound or memory. It's a good thing to wax nostalgic, right? And of course, you often look back through rose-coloured glasses with this sense of longing. When I was a kid I used to love Sunday nights because at 7pm (right after dinner) on came The Wonderful World Of Disney. Later, I also liked watching The Winners, which really got me interested in playing footy but that's another story. Many Australians of my generation have great memories of The Wonderful World Of Disney: a TV show that created a love for all things Disney. What brilliant marketing. And guess what? Walt Disney died in 1966, when I was three, but he still appeared on the show for as long as I can remember. With his wonderful, warm folksy style, he was irreplaceable. But back to the reason for the column (and thank you for allowing me to take a trip down memory lane). My friend, fresh back from Disney World, told me about the Disney 'hug rule' and I couldn't believe I'd never heard about it. Apparently the actors dressed as Disney characters at any of their theme parks are trained to not pull out of a hug with a kid before the kid does. Because as legend has it, according to Walt, 'you never know how much they may need that hug'. How good's that? My friend also discovered many other Disney rules that help ensure the magical bubble isn't burst while you're at the park. As they say, Disney World, or Disneyland, are places travellers go to experience magic and make memories. Walt even insisted everyone use only their first names, which caused a few problems as you can imagine. Just think of how many Olivias you'd have today. So to combat confusion, no two people working the same job on the same shift can have the same name. It goes without saying tattoos and piercings are banned, or at least can't be visible, even if you are playing a pirate. And cast members must always stay completely true to their character. So Ariel will talk a lot about the ocean, Maleficent will be aloof and a bit mean, and Aladdin knows all about flying carpets. Another rule is that characters should never be seen eating while in costume, which makes sense: imagine seeing Tinkerbell chowing down on a hot dog. Even words are important; 'I don't know' is not a phrase that should be used. And as well as learning their character's mannerisms, there are other skills: if you want to be Mickey Mouse, for example, you must learn his 'official' autograph. So even if a kid collects several autographs from the mighty Mouse, they'll all be roughly the same. It keeps the magic alive. And how's this? For cast members playing characters, they must act as if nothing exists outside of the Disney universe. So if you ask Jasmine where Adventureland is, she won't have a clue. If you question Mr Smee about his favourite fast food, he'll act like you're speaking Swahili. How good?! Every Disney park has underground tunnels that they use to move cast members (referred to as CMs) around so that Minnie Mouse doesn't get held up on her way to a meet-and-greet. The CMs also speak in code, so as not to cause alarm. If there's an emergency, it's a code red. I bet you can guess what a code V is . . . that's right, a guest has vomited. And on your next trip, get a character to point at something, say, Magic Mountain: they'll do it with two fingers, because one is considered rude. I kid you not. All characters must pick up any rubbish, too. Walt was a clean freak. But you can't just bend down and pick it up; that's too obvious and could spoil the moment. I kid you not, CMs are asked to use a 'swoop and scoop' motion to gracefully remove trash from the ground. They are also required to drop it in a bin 'nonchalantly'. It truly is the happiest place on earth.
