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Michael Jackson Unauthorized
Examines the controversial life of a monumental musical figure, discussing his dysfunctional family and its impact on Michael's sexuality and his reclusive, fantasy-like home
- GenresBiographyMusicNonfiction
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
3 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Andersen
49 books213 followersLibrarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Christopher Peter Andersen is an American journalist and the author of 32 books, including many bestsellers. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Andersen joined the staff of Time Magazine as a contributing editor in 1969. From 1974 to 1986 Andersen was senior editor of Time Incorporated's People Magazine. He has also written for a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Life, and Vanity Fair.
While his early nonfiction books veered from psychology (The Name Game) to true crime (The Serpent's Tooth) to art collecting ('The Best of Everything', with former Sotheby's chairman John Marion), he is best known for his controversial biographies. Between 1991 and 2011, he published 14 New York Times bestselling biographies. Andersen wrote Mick: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones in July 2012. The book quickly became Andersen's 15th New York Times bestseller.
Christopher Peter Andersen is an American journalist and the author of 32 books, including many bestsellers. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Andersen joined the staff of Time Magazine as a contributing editor in 1969. From 1974 to 1986 Andersen was senior editor of Time Incorporated's People Magazine. He has also written for a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Life, and Vanity Fair.
While his early nonfiction books veered from psychology (The Name Game) to true crime (The Serpent's Tooth) to art collecting ('The Best of Everything', with former Sotheby's chairman John Marion), he is best known for his controversial biographies. Between 1991 and 2011, he published 14 New York Times bestselling biographies. Andersen wrote Mick: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones in July 2012. The book quickly became Andersen's 15th New York Times bestseller.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 9, 2010
this book is pure crap. thats all I have to say about it. don't waste your time if you want accurate info about the man.
December 8, 2012
This book is biased against Michael Jackson and seemed to only want to focus on the lies being told about Michael, instead of doing the research. Terrible book to read if you want the truth about the man.
June 25, 2024
A VERY “EXPLICIT” PERSPECTIVE ON MICHAEL, AND ACCUSATIONS AGAINST HIM
Christopher Andersen wrote in the ‘Author’s Note’ Section of this 1994 book, “In early 1991… a fellow journalist called in the middle of the night with an amazing story. Two former employees at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch claimed to have seen Michael fondling a little boy. Not just any little boy, but one of the biggest child stars in the world. My initial reaction of shock and disbelief led me to begin an investigation of my own… More than two years after that initial phone call, another boy accused Michael of sexually molesting him---explosive charges that led to both civil and criminal investigations… A daunting amount of research … was spent in pursuit of sources: friends, family, neighbors, teachers, coworkers, employees, and business associates. Some of the sources asked not to be identified in this book. I respected their wishes. On several occasions, I telephoned and wrote Michael Jackson in an attempt to arrange an interview, but he declined. A number of people close to Michael expressed a willingness to speak on the record until they were instructed not to, either by Michael himself or by members of the Jackson family. Fortunately, there were hundreds who were willing to talk candidly with or without Michael’s official approval.”
He notes of the Jackson 5 days, “His hyperactive brothers had no qualms about performing sex acts in Michael’s presence, even though he was only thirteen… on the road… Michael would often be awakened by the sounds of moaning and thrashing about as Jermaine tried out a wide variety of sexual positions with his latest one-night stand. By flaunting their sexual adventures in Michael’s face, Jackie and Jermaine may have sought to educate their preadolescent brother as well as impress him with their manly prowess. But his exposure to raw, anonymous sex at such an early age served only to deepen Michael’s sense of confusion about the relationship between men and women… Michael has never acknowledged having been sexually molested as a child. Whatever the truth, as with any physically and emotionally abused child, the deep wounds would not manifest themselves fully until adulthood.” (Pg. 51)
He states, “Now that Michael was fifteen, it had been decided that he had remained celibate too long… two prostitutes had been hired to put an end to his virginity once and for all… The experience of being locked in a room at the age of fifteen with two hookers was traumatizing for Michael and a pivotal event in his sexual development… Michael had already witnessed firsthand his father’s infidelity and his older brothers’ promiscuity. Now he was again being forced by his own family to confront sex in its rawest form… the two hookers not only failed to around Michael, they reduced him to tears. They were even more confused when, as they put their clothes back on, he pulled a Bible from the bedstand drawer and began reciting Scripture.” (Pg. 62-63)
He says, “Seth Riggs, who had been Michael’s voice coach since 1978, came right out and asked Michael if he was gay. ‘No, it’s against my religion,’ Michael replied… It dawned on Riggs that Michael was telling him that at twenty-five he was still a virgin… Riggs was astounded. ‘I can’t believe it. Even with Brooke Shields, you’re still a virgin.’ ‘Yes,’ Michael nodded proudly. ‘Yes, I am.’” (Pg. 139)
He notes, “La Toya said that Miko Brando would cart over cases of skin bleaching cream to the house in Encino every week, and Michael religiously applied it to his skin---even after La Toya warned him that it might be carcinogenic… [He] continued using the cream to make his face, limbs, and torso lighter than that of many Caucasians. It was all part of his ongoing crusade to make himself as little like his father as humanly possible.” (Pg. 187)
He points out, “Michael’s weird personal habits did [make headlines]---thanks, in large part, to his own relentless efforts at self-promotion. Inevitably Michael’s increasingly ‘bizarre’ … lifestyle let to an official break with the ultraconservative Jehovah’s Witnesses… being disfellowshipped was bad enough, but for a Witness to CHOOSE to leave the faith was even worse. Were she to follow the strict tenets of her faith, [his mother] Katherine would never have spoken to her son again. She was not, however, about to disown Michael.” (Pg. 193)
He comments, “when a child did arrive on the premises---typically between 10 P.M. and 2 A.M.---it was ‘always a boy, never a girl.’ … In exhaustive accounts later given to Los Angeles police investigators---accounts backed up by prodigiously detailed diaries kept by both himself and his wife---Mark Quindoy claimed to have seen Michael molest several of his special friends.” (Pg. 249)
He recounts, “During daylight hours and frequently around other people, Michael would ‘rub up against me quite often,’ Joey [Randall] said. Sometimes, he later told a Child Services caseworker, he could feel that Michael had an erection. Joey also said that at night they began lying on top of each other…” (Pg. 287) On another occasion, “‘If you tell anyone,’ Michael warned Joey, ‘you will go to juvenile hall, and we’ll both get in trouble. I’ve done this with other boys, but I didn’t go as far with them.’” (Pg. 291)
He notes that La Toya said, “Forget about the superstar, forget about the icon… If he was any other thirty-five-year-old man who was sleeping with little boys, you wouldn’t like this guy…I love Michael dearly. I hope he gets help… “[When] the family rallied to his defense on [BET], La Toya’s rebuttal: ‘Michael supports the entire Jackson family financially. They have to support him.” (Pg. 328)
Fans and defenders of Michael will hate this frank and disturbing book, but others will respect its “no holds barred” approach.
Christopher Andersen wrote in the ‘Author’s Note’ Section of this 1994 book, “In early 1991… a fellow journalist called in the middle of the night with an amazing story. Two former employees at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch claimed to have seen Michael fondling a little boy. Not just any little boy, but one of the biggest child stars in the world. My initial reaction of shock and disbelief led me to begin an investigation of my own… More than two years after that initial phone call, another boy accused Michael of sexually molesting him---explosive charges that led to both civil and criminal investigations… A daunting amount of research … was spent in pursuit of sources: friends, family, neighbors, teachers, coworkers, employees, and business associates. Some of the sources asked not to be identified in this book. I respected their wishes. On several occasions, I telephoned and wrote Michael Jackson in an attempt to arrange an interview, but he declined. A number of people close to Michael expressed a willingness to speak on the record until they were instructed not to, either by Michael himself or by members of the Jackson family. Fortunately, there were hundreds who were willing to talk candidly with or without Michael’s official approval.”
He notes of the Jackson 5 days, “His hyperactive brothers had no qualms about performing sex acts in Michael’s presence, even though he was only thirteen… on the road… Michael would often be awakened by the sounds of moaning and thrashing about as Jermaine tried out a wide variety of sexual positions with his latest one-night stand. By flaunting their sexual adventures in Michael’s face, Jackie and Jermaine may have sought to educate their preadolescent brother as well as impress him with their manly prowess. But his exposure to raw, anonymous sex at such an early age served only to deepen Michael’s sense of confusion about the relationship between men and women… Michael has never acknowledged having been sexually molested as a child. Whatever the truth, as with any physically and emotionally abused child, the deep wounds would not manifest themselves fully until adulthood.” (Pg. 51)
He states, “Now that Michael was fifteen, it had been decided that he had remained celibate too long… two prostitutes had been hired to put an end to his virginity once and for all… The experience of being locked in a room at the age of fifteen with two hookers was traumatizing for Michael and a pivotal event in his sexual development… Michael had already witnessed firsthand his father’s infidelity and his older brothers’ promiscuity. Now he was again being forced by his own family to confront sex in its rawest form… the two hookers not only failed to around Michael, they reduced him to tears. They were even more confused when, as they put their clothes back on, he pulled a Bible from the bedstand drawer and began reciting Scripture.” (Pg. 62-63)
He says, “Seth Riggs, who had been Michael’s voice coach since 1978, came right out and asked Michael if he was gay. ‘No, it’s against my religion,’ Michael replied… It dawned on Riggs that Michael was telling him that at twenty-five he was still a virgin… Riggs was astounded. ‘I can’t believe it. Even with Brooke Shields, you’re still a virgin.’ ‘Yes,’ Michael nodded proudly. ‘Yes, I am.’” (Pg. 139)
He notes, “La Toya said that Miko Brando would cart over cases of skin bleaching cream to the house in Encino every week, and Michael religiously applied it to his skin---even after La Toya warned him that it might be carcinogenic… [He] continued using the cream to make his face, limbs, and torso lighter than that of many Caucasians. It was all part of his ongoing crusade to make himself as little like his father as humanly possible.” (Pg. 187)
He points out, “Michael’s weird personal habits did [make headlines]---thanks, in large part, to his own relentless efforts at self-promotion. Inevitably Michael’s increasingly ‘bizarre’ … lifestyle let to an official break with the ultraconservative Jehovah’s Witnesses… being disfellowshipped was bad enough, but for a Witness to CHOOSE to leave the faith was even worse. Were she to follow the strict tenets of her faith, [his mother] Katherine would never have spoken to her son again. She was not, however, about to disown Michael.” (Pg. 193)
He comments, “when a child did arrive on the premises---typically between 10 P.M. and 2 A.M.---it was ‘always a boy, never a girl.’ … In exhaustive accounts later given to Los Angeles police investigators---accounts backed up by prodigiously detailed diaries kept by both himself and his wife---Mark Quindoy claimed to have seen Michael molest several of his special friends.” (Pg. 249)
He recounts, “During daylight hours and frequently around other people, Michael would ‘rub up against me quite often,’ Joey [Randall] said. Sometimes, he later told a Child Services caseworker, he could feel that Michael had an erection. Joey also said that at night they began lying on top of each other…” (Pg. 287) On another occasion, “‘If you tell anyone,’ Michael warned Joey, ‘you will go to juvenile hall, and we’ll both get in trouble. I’ve done this with other boys, but I didn’t go as far with them.’” (Pg. 291)
He notes that La Toya said, “Forget about the superstar, forget about the icon… If he was any other thirty-five-year-old man who was sleeping with little boys, you wouldn’t like this guy…I love Michael dearly. I hope he gets help… “[When] the family rallied to his defense on [BET], La Toya’s rebuttal: ‘Michael supports the entire Jackson family financially. They have to support him.” (Pg. 328)
Fans and defenders of Michael will hate this frank and disturbing book, but others will respect its “no holds barred” approach.
January 17, 2010
This is the third book on Michael Jackson I've read since his death, so I figured it would pretty much be 'old news' (especially after having read J. Randy Taraborrelli's 800+ page biography!), but I actually found a lot of new information.
I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book, but the last third never seemed to end...what was once a genuinely interesting biography suddenly turned into nothing but an endless slew of dry, uninspired words rambling on and on about Jordy Chandler's case (here referred to as "Joey").
So yea...a surprisingly good read, but the ending is nothing short of draining!
I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book, but the last third never seemed to end...what was once a genuinely interesting biography suddenly turned into nothing but an endless slew of dry, uninspired words rambling on and on about Jordy Chandler's case (here referred to as "Joey").
So yea...a surprisingly good read, but the ending is nothing short of draining!
September 15, 2017
trash. the writer and the book
February 2, 2022
Interesting book detailing MJ life, growing up and ending with the first scandal in 1994. Much was to come for him after this. After seeing the documentary, Leaving Neverland and reading this book, I sadly have to admit MJ was a pedophile. While his talent will always shine, he was an ultimately bad person who did bad things.
July 11, 2017
Very good - very revealing!
March 30, 2023
Fascinating review of Jackson's tragic life.
Read
August 11, 2011Reading “Michael Jackson Unauthorized” made me value the fact that I read J. Randy Taraborrelli’s book, “Michael Jackson: The Music, The Madness, The Whole Story” before any other book about Jackson more than words can express.
When readers see author Christopher Andersen’s credentials, they would expect writing that is well-researched and documented, fine-tuned, and objective. In “Michael Jackson Unauthorized,” however, what they get is someone who is craftily presenting an image of Jackson based on rumor, media coverage and a predetermined idea of who Jackson was. Unlike Taraborrelli, Andersen is not interested in exploring with readers who the real Michael Jackson was, but rather, in presenting undocumented “evidence” that supports his notion that Michael was a weak, spoiled, money hungry, evil pedophile. Andersen’s sources are not interspersed throughout the narrative of his text, but rather, isolated in a small “chapter” at the end of the book, and even there, are vague and in narrative form (rather than in MLA/APA format). Rumors, media hype, and sources whose motivation for speaking is questionable are given the same weight and little, if any, background disclosure about their weakness.
What kept me reading this book from cover to cover, despite these shortcomings, was my determination to objectively research and “listen” to as many interpretations of Michael Jackson as possibly. And “Michael Jackson Unauthorized” did periodically reward me with a new little gem of information I was previously unaware of. However, because of the poorly documented sources, the inaccuracies, and the incompleteness of other facts and stories I encountered in his book, I hesitate to believe these bits of information without attempting to triple check and confirm their validity. From the beginning of the book, Andersen sped through crucial details of Jackson’s life, details that Taraborrelli took chapters to discuss and explore in detail, at breakneck speed. Some of Andersen’s narrative, which proceeded at whirlwind speed, then slowed to a crawl, then whirled again, seemed familiar, almost as if some of his summary statements about events and information on Jackson came directly from other books and magazines, including Taraborrelli’s book.
“Michael Jackson Unauthorized” does not focus on the creativity or musical product of Jackson. Andersen reserved almost the entire last third of his book to explore Jackson’s 1993 child molestation case, and even through the first two-thirds of the book, Andersen’s conviction that Jackson was a pedophile provides an underlying negativity and focus. Numerous articles and events are unmentioned in this book, and a two-sided, objective approach is not presented.
The strongest element of this book, in the end, is the brief epilogue, in which Andersen makes a few undeniably true and uniquely original statements about Michael Jackson’s complex personality and unrivaled life experiences.
When readers see author Christopher Andersen’s credentials, they would expect writing that is well-researched and documented, fine-tuned, and objective. In “Michael Jackson Unauthorized,” however, what they get is someone who is craftily presenting an image of Jackson based on rumor, media coverage and a predetermined idea of who Jackson was. Unlike Taraborrelli, Andersen is not interested in exploring with readers who the real Michael Jackson was, but rather, in presenting undocumented “evidence” that supports his notion that Michael was a weak, spoiled, money hungry, evil pedophile. Andersen’s sources are not interspersed throughout the narrative of his text, but rather, isolated in a small “chapter” at the end of the book, and even there, are vague and in narrative form (rather than in MLA/APA format). Rumors, media hype, and sources whose motivation for speaking is questionable are given the same weight and little, if any, background disclosure about their weakness.
What kept me reading this book from cover to cover, despite these shortcomings, was my determination to objectively research and “listen” to as many interpretations of Michael Jackson as possibly. And “Michael Jackson Unauthorized” did periodically reward me with a new little gem of information I was previously unaware of. However, because of the poorly documented sources, the inaccuracies, and the incompleteness of other facts and stories I encountered in his book, I hesitate to believe these bits of information without attempting to triple check and confirm their validity. From the beginning of the book, Andersen sped through crucial details of Jackson’s life, details that Taraborrelli took chapters to discuss and explore in detail, at breakneck speed. Some of Andersen’s narrative, which proceeded at whirlwind speed, then slowed to a crawl, then whirled again, seemed familiar, almost as if some of his summary statements about events and information on Jackson came directly from other books and magazines, including Taraborrelli’s book.
“Michael Jackson Unauthorized” does not focus on the creativity or musical product of Jackson. Andersen reserved almost the entire last third of his book to explore Jackson’s 1993 child molestation case, and even through the first two-thirds of the book, Andersen’s conviction that Jackson was a pedophile provides an underlying negativity and focus. Numerous articles and events are unmentioned in this book, and a two-sided, objective approach is not presented.
The strongest element of this book, in the end, is the brief epilogue, in which Andersen makes a few undeniably true and uniquely original statements about Michael Jackson’s complex personality and unrivaled life experiences.
Want to read
August 21, 2009Read this book about Michael Jackson
March 18, 2011
loved this!! michaels life from the very beginning up to the sexual molestation charges in the early 90's vivid details of the case.... a true page turner
March 16, 2012
Whether the facts are correct or not is irrelevant with this book because it's just an entertaining and great read.
May 1, 2014
oh tea
June 23, 2016
mi first impresion is a reaction ohh goddd¡
is my inspiration in every aspects
is my inspiration in every aspects
Want to read
September 24, 2009I think this would be good.
November 10, 2012
Awful book.
July 9, 2013
Tabloid crap
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews