Bastard Child

by Joh'Vonnie Jackson

“Yeah, I’m Joh’Vonnie Jackson, bastard child of the infamously irascible Joseph Walter Jackson, half-sibling to Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, LaToya, Marlon, Brandon, Randy, Michael and of course Janet. And these are the chronicles of the 11th Jackson, half-damned and half-blessed.” -excerpt from Bastard Child

 

Bastard Child is an emotional memoir that will for the first time bring Joh’Vonnie Jackson out of the darkness and into the spotlight. Joh’Vonnie bears it all in this heart-wrenching, tell-all memoir about living her life in the shadows of her world famous family. In this never before told story, Joh’Vonnie Jackson explains her side of the story for once and on her own terms.

 

“As the youngest of eleven, I knew just as well as my older half siblings what it means to be a Jackson. To get used to old bruises, you learn to be strong.” -excerpt from Bastard Child

 

And strong is what she’s become. Bastard Child sets the record straight about Joh’Vonnie Jackson’s life which has been anything but ordinary and hardly easy. You can dare to say that this is one of the most unique stories ever told and you’ve certainly never heard anything like this before.

 

Joh’Vonnie Jackson provides a detailed background about her beautiful mother Cheryl Terrell, Joseph Jackson’s long time, second “wife” as a means of explaining just how she came to grow up living near the Hayvenhurst compound and sharing her “Daddy”, Joseph Jackson, with the rest of her siblings.

 

In all, Bastard Child aims to accomplish a few things for the reader. It shares an unknown story of the infamous Jackson family. It allows Joh’Vonnie Jackson her space and her time living out of the shadows and finally the opportunity to be able to tell her story. And lastly, it works to help all of those out there in need of support and to inspire others with their unique struggles to come forward and live life truly and authentically.

Genres: Nonfiction

183 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 14, 2018

Reviews

[E. Ardell · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an interesting read. I loved the story most when the famous siblings were mentioned, because, let's face it, that's who you want to read about, right? However, and I know this is pretty impossible to do anyway, I feel Jackson was not able to take her own personal bias out of her evaluations of her siblings. She openly states who she favors and who she doesn't, and then it becomes very clear that we will never get a fair view of that person in the book.

But alas, it is her story, and without her bias, it wouldn't be authentic. If she was a better writer, it would have been fine. However, this book was sorely in need of a good editor. It was extremely redundant with many of the same sentences used over and over, sometimes, within the same chapter. Also, sometimes, the writer tried to sound "smart" and wrote overly complex, rambling sentences that offered nothing to the narrative.

Would I read another book "Jobie" put out? No. But it was interesting to learn about her.

I love the class of Janet's book. She only spoke of herself with rare mentions of the others that always focused on the positive aspects she liked about them. Now, if Janet wanted to put out a tell all where she got "real", I would read that too, but it speaks of her character that she stays respectful when speaking about her family. She's not trying to make any money off of them, because--well, she HAS the money, lol. So, she makes money off herself. Jobie knew her book wouldn't sell if she didn't talk about her siblings, and the shadier she made them, the juicier the allure. Can't blame her, money is nice, but after all her ranting about never being accepted by this person and that, this book certainly won't help repair or build any old or new relationships. Those ships have sailed, she just wants the cash, so she can cut and run.

I love how she bashes Michael, claiming he wasn't as talented as his other brothers, yet to sell her daughter's talent, says "Oh, she has Michael's beautiful voice and talent and will be a star." (Oh, the voice you said was mediocre and didn't emote? The one who wasn't as good as his brothers, but made it so they couldn't succeed so people wouldn't see that?) So, you're basically saying your daughter isn't very talented? Yes, I'm an MJ fan, but no, I don't think he was an angel, and Jobie is contradictory except when it comes to cashing in on something.

Recommendation: borrow this book from someone. While it's amusing, it's not worth paying for.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the true definition of a book burning. A banned book.
You can’t find this book anywhere. I read it when it first came out. Now 7 years later, you can’t find a physical copy anywhere. You can only get it on Amazon Kindle. It’s not even on eBay. It’s virtually nowhere. As if it’s been wiped off of the face of the earth. After doing much research it seems Joh’Vonnie is no longer allowed to sell physical copies… I can only wonder why…


As a fan of the Jackson Family, when this book first came out, I was 23. And I remember reading this book judging Joh’Vonnie and her mother outright. I felt like it was my duty as a Jackson fan to dislike Joh’Vonnie because she was the bastard child of the evil man that Joseph Jackson was. I found this book distasteful at 23 and vowed that I’d never read it again.

Fast forward to 2024. I am 29. My heart has softened for Joseph Jackson over the years and not just for Joseph but for many other things as well. And with that being said, my heart softened for Joh’Vonnie. After rereading autobiographies by members of the Jackson family, I decided to give Joh’Vonnie’s book another try because her story is just as important as the others.

This time around, I feel for Joh’Vonnie and her mother. I don’t feel for Joseph as he was the one who was supposed to uphold his vows, but I feel for him in a way that I don’t believe he was an evil man anymore. Just a man of his time.

At 29, this book was an eye opener to so much. I found myself agreeing with Joh’Vonnie when just 7 years ago, I disagreed with her. I hate that this book is essentially banned and burned (although I love Janet, I have a feeling that her and Randy put an end to physical distribution of this book and to be quite frank, that isn’t fair. As I don’t believe Joh’Vonnie lied in this book, but I do believe LaToya lied in her first book and The Jackson family let that ride out, but whatever), because does that mean we won’t get the sequel that Joh’Vonnie hints at throughout the book? I actually look forward to her telling the rest of her story because it deserves to be told.

When I was 23, I gave this book a 3/10.
At 29, it’s a 10/10.

Joh’Vonnie, I pray that you are no longer silenced in telling your story. It deserves to be told and this book was phenomenal. Anyone with a heart and open mind can clearly see that this book was not only needed, but an eye opener and as a self-proclaimed MichaelJacksonOlogist, I consider this book necessary in research about not only him, but the Jackson’s. You did right by yourself in writing this and I only hope to read your sequel one of these days.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

You don’t have to be smart to write a book but you do have to be a good storyteller. Joh’Vonnie Jackson is not.
I thought the book was gonna be about her relationship with Joseph but it was all over the place. No continuity. I spent a lot of time irritably shaking my head at various paragraphs. Jackson thinks that she came away unscathed but Joseph screwed her up just as much as his other children. The family, on that note alone, should accept her. They seem to always welcome back La Toya with open arms. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[NON · Rating 1 out of 5]

It took me some time to have the chance to finally pick this book up and read it. It's all over the place in terms of writing and recollections, and seems that Ms. Jackson is not much amused with Janet nor Michael.

Now, I usually don't find it appropriate to interfere in family business because it's not my place to do so but it's interesting how she feels towards this specific sibling to the point of calling him an "addict," and stating that he threw Joseph under the bus when he spoke about the abuse he endured as a child.

Mind you, in this book the author repeatedly recounts the abuse that she and her mother went through, and that's okay... But when Michael did it, it's a sign of "betrayal"?

I don't really like it when people start talking/judging Michael's life from the shore with quite ease as if things were plain and simple — and he chose to sabotage everything. The author believes that Michael's life would've been better if she was in it...

See, some anecdote about the Jackson's family lineage is interesting but the book overall is biased. It's not bad but if it was written differently and more organized with an editor, perhaps I would've given it a better rating but for now the writing composition is a mess, and quite repetitive.

[ultimatebooklover · Rating 1 out of 5]

🤦🏽‍♀️~ Pitiful and agonizing to get through

This book is highly annoying to be honest. Instead of writing about herself and her side of the Jackson family, this woman spends impending amounts of pages trying to explain the other children and their lives after explaining that she has had no relationship with them. How do you explain someone else’s point of view without knowing them? I kept reading in hopes of a better explanation of her home life with HER two parents. While there are snippets here and there her sad focus was on that of Joe Jackson’s other kids.
Unfortunately, this book reads like a jealous woman seeking validation for a situation that wasn’t her fault but the fault of her parents with hopes of justifying her existence to people who have only been hurt by this man. It is as if she is reaching with false pride to be acknowledged into the infamous Jackson clan with no real self esteem of her own. Steady chasing a brass ring made on the backs of her siblings.
Instead of focusing on her own life, she focuses on the pitfalls of her siblings and seems to be trying to live vicariously through their hard work to prove her self worth. And to even mention their mother is downright disgusting.

[Pagandeva2000 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought Provoking

This was TOO SHORT!! my heart goes out to this young lady because I know she is in pain and I’m sure this is why she lashes out the way she does. We can’t choose our family nor can we make up for the mistakes of our parents.

I see both sides of this complicated situation. The sight of Joh Vannie must bring pain to the Jackson clan because they are loyal to their other. This girl, however, did not ask to be born this way. PLUS, who wouldn’t want to know the Jacksons? I’d want to be a part of them as well. Unfortunately, this young lady has to learn to accept that she just will not be accepted by all of them. She has developed a close relationship with some of them. That may have to be enough, at least for now. Joh Vannie, you are a Jackson, the same as the rest. But don’t lash out. Their issue is that THEY can’t accept who you are.

[Jeanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was the most boring mess I have ever read. Who cares if you were a bastard child. You have that title because your mother slept with a married man🤷🏾‍♀️. You don’t deserve to write about people who don’t care if Joe was your dad. Spoiler This Book should be free because it is not worth the money.

[Jessica Compre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book on May 30, 2026!!!! I read a snippet or sample last year. It was good but sorta confusing with the language. I had to reread a lot. Typos. But it’s her truth and I respect it.

[Dréya · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a slow read and took me over 2 months to read. I have unanswered questons because the author feels she can use those answers to write another book. Overall I read it with an open mind and as someone who truly didn't know about the 11th child. It's a good read and wonderful to see the other side. Would I recommend it...yes!

[eugenia benn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book

This was an interesting and informative book.I really enjoyed the content and I was quite enthused about the negative behavior of a few family members.