Walt Before Mickey by Timothy Susanin is an account of Walt Disney's life between his time in World War I and the creation of Mickey Mouse. As Walt and Roy Disney try to get a studio off the ground, Walt finds the road to success a very difficult one.

From Disney's days at Laugh-O-Gram studios through Walt Disney Studios, Disney surrounded himself with good friends and talented people. He hired some of the best at their jobs and their talent was well recognized outside of their studio. But cash-flow was often a problem, leaving the Disney brothers, as well as their employees, living on the edge of poverty quite often.

The book by Susanin was informative and gave an account of a time period in Disney's life that is often overlooked. The book gives details on the Disney brothers but also shared the successes and epilogue of many of the other individuals in the brothers' lives.

While the information was well thought out, the writing often felt cold and more like an encyclopedia article, a style that is acceptable but not really to my liking. I prefer biographies that read more like a novel, this read more like a high school history book. Still, I learned a great deal about one of the most creative men in entertainment.