I read this a while ago. I don't know if it's because I've never been to disney world or know enough about it, but I didn't really "get" the book. Some of the concepts were interesting like dead heading and backing up but not really things I haven't read by other authors of the same decade. Although, maybe some of these ideas stem from this book so not sure. But overall I found it hard to follow, mostly because i didn't understand the importance of the various venues or why the various characters were in that particular location in the first place.
I think the point was more about the kind of social credit system, in that sense it seemed not to be able to decide if it was depicting a utopia or dystopia. But please tell me if I'm way off, interested in hearing what people felt about this book.
A lot of it might not make sense if you don't know the Disney parks at all. Doctorow well-known as a Disney nerd, and a lot of Disney fans think The Haunted Mansion is the best of all possible Disney rides. DAOITMK is a (thinly) veiled critique of fandom as an institution and an early (to me at least) preview of the bright and dark sides of fandom.
I think the point was more about the kind of social credit system, in that sense it seemed not to be able to decide if it was depicting a utopia or dystopia. But please tell me if I'm way off, interested in hearing what people felt about this book.