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Lives Cut Short

Michael Jackson: King of Pop: King of Pop

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This title chronicles the song and dance genius of the King of Pop, whose recent death reinforced the level of his global influence and stardom. While covering controversies and oddities, from the trial on molestation charges to his cosmetic surgeries to his amusement-park house Neverland, the book also details his incredible songs, videos, work habits, childhood, and groundbreaking career. Jackson's music is still popular with young people, especially with the convenience of MP3 downloads and the enthusiasm passed down from older fans. Lives Cut Short is a series in Essential Library, an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.

112 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2009

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Mary K. Pratt

16 books2 followers

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5 stars
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13 (28%)
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Profile Image for Sean.
16 reviews
December 10, 2014
In Michael Jackson: King of Pop by Mary K. Pratt, the reader comes to understand that Michael Jackson's rough childhood it affected Michael's adulthood. This biography engaged me because I did not know what was going to happen next. Michael Jackson did many crazy things that one wouldn't expect. One example is he hung his new born baby over a balcony for people to see. Another example is that Michael Jackson got plastic surgery to look like the first of the two women that he married.
Michael's father would not let Michael and his siblings have any friends. He would not let them go outside and play with the kids in the neighborhood. This made it so that when Michael became older that he became socially awkward. My thoughts about this are that maybe if Michael's dad would've let him have friends that he might not of gotten into so much trouble as an adult. Although, if his dad would not have pressured him, he might not have became one of the greatest singers ever. If he had friends as a child and would have been able to make friends as an adult; he might not have taken addicted to the drugs that eventually killed him. What I took away from this book was that Michael Jackson was mentally unstable because of his childhood. I would recommend this book to anyone because it is quick read.
Profile Image for Harrison Graff.
16 reviews
October 11, 2012
"Michael Jackson king or pop". This book is a biography because it talks about a real life person and it shows lots of facts. This book is 110 pages long. So the book is about Michael Jackson and it shows how it all started out like with the Jackson 5. When it started and Michael was only 10 years old and also was the lead singer of the group. He played with them until he decided that he wanted to be a solo artist and broke away from them. When he did he started out really slow and didn't make a lot of money, but when the Triller came out he became really famous (even though he already was). He got a record in the Guiness word record book. Also on MTV he was the first black person to put up his video and that opened the door for other people to walk in and put up they're music video's.

I gave this book a 4 out 5 because I like Michael for who he is not what he did. He also kinda can connect with me by his childhood be kinda poor and just getting by.
Profile Image for Andrea.
7 reviews
January 25, 2011
This book is informative and useful. I got the informaton for my project from this book. It talks about Michael's rough childhood and his rise to fame. It informed me about his life, and how he became famous. It was a very useful book. I would reccomend it to anyone who wants to know and learn about Michael Jackson's achievements and life.
Profile Image for Ronit.
7 reviews
May 28, 2019
He is the king of pop there is no doubt about this. He has revolutionised the pop industries His moonwalk I can't forget.
5 reviews10 followers
December 3, 2014
I like this book for few reasons. First I like this book because it tells you when Michael started his solo career. It was information that I wanted to know. Michael Jackson started his solo career in 1956 at the age of 17. Second the author tells you not only what he is doing but what his siblings and parents are doing. For example, it tells you that the Jackson 5 (Including Michael) and their dad go to California to perform "Billie Jeans". They leave the other siblings and their mother behind. The author says that they will go 2 years after the dad and the 4 sons arrive in California. These were some reasons why I like this book and rated it 4 stars.

I like this book for other reasons. First this book tells you lots of details. For example it says that Michael had 2 wives. I did not even know he had a wife! His first wife was Lisa Marie Presley and they married on may 26, 1994. She was the daughter of the rock and roll legend Elvis Presley.

They separated 2 years after. On november 15, 1996 Michael married Deborah "Debbie" Rowe. She was a
nursing assistant who worked in his dermatologist's office. The 2 had been friends for few years. On February 13, 1997 she gave birth to a son, Prince Michael Joseph Jackson. They also had a daughter, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. The couple divorced in October 1999. In 2002 Michael Jackson added a new girl to his family called Blanket Jackson, but he didn't say to anybody who was Blanket's real mom. These were the reasons why I loved this book and rated it 5 stars.

November 13, 2014
I like this book for some reasons. First it says everywhere Michael Jackson goes. Like when the book tells you he goes to San Fransisco for vocation. Second the book tells you the impacts on everything Michael and his family did. Like when Michael had children, he couldn't sing as usual as before. These were the reasons why I like this book.
I like this book for 2 last reasons. First I like the other uses spaces between the text and the side of the page to put information in more details. This helps the reader better understand the book. Second the book has lots of pictures. They help understand the book. These were the last reasons why I love this book.


4 reviews1 follower
February 6, 2015
6/2/15

This book has a very good hook. It explains with details Michael Jackson´s spotlight and how he was better than his brothers. Michael had something that made him special. Nearly 50 million people watched his performances. Michael´s trade mark was wearing a sequined glove only in one hand. Even though Michael was the youngest he was the bands´ singing leader. One of Michaels´dance moves was the moonwalk. After years with his brothers Michael decided he wanted to make a solo. All his music, face, fame would soon be known worldwide!

Michael was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana. His family didn't have enough money to get by. His father, Joe Jackson, was a very though dad. He expected his children to obey everything and he was the one who made the decisions at home. Joe also didn´t let his children play with the kids in his neighborhood nor with friends outside school. The Jackson children were afraid of his father. Michael´s parents had both dreamed of musical carriers. His dad was part of a group and played some music there. They were a musical family and they were gonna show it.

Joe Jackson took his guitar and music seriously. He didn´t let his children touch his guitar, but his guitar was too tempting for.. The children of the family made a music group called "The Jackson 5". They believed their musical talent could make them stars. Joe bought instruments, microphones, and amplifiers instead of buying things for family need. The "Jackson 5" started singing and playing in some nightclubs and bars. They became a regular act at Mr. Lucky´s, a nightclub. The Jacksons won the amateur talent show at the Regal Theater in Chicago around 1967. People enjoyed their music and so the "Jackson 5" continued and continued until getting famous. Hard working gives success. "Laziness is contagious just like hard work is. I didn´t give myself an opportunity to be lazy and I didn´t surround myself with people who were lazy" (Michael Jackson).
Profile Image for Samantha.
11 reviews
May 1, 2014
Michael Jackson: King of Pop begins with Michael’s rough childhood and what it was like growing up in the Jackson household. I learned that he was an extremely shy person, and was 5 years old when he began his singing career with his 4 older brothers. Michael Jackson was the youngest member of the Jackson 5, and was so extremely talented he carried the group. His career took off when he decided to branch off and make music himself. This book is a great tribute to the legend that is Michael Jackson.

I still remember when I hear the news that Michael Jackson had passed away. My family and I were about to leave for the airport for our trip to London. We had planned on going to one of Michael Jacksons “This is It” concerts. I was always a fan of Michael Jackson and really wanted to learn more about how he became famous, and his life after all the fame. This book provided me with the information I sought to know about one of my favorite singers of all time, Michael Jackson.
9 reviews
May 26, 2015
This book is a biography of Michael Jackson. He was born on August 29, 1958 and died on June 25, 2009. His “Thriller” album came out in 1984. Michael Jackson is known as the “King of Pop”. He will never be forgotten for his music career.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, Michael Jackson is the greatest singer of all time. He has made so many hits over the years! I would recommend this book for middle school students, because there are advanced vocabulary words in the book. This book would be an excellent choice to read.
Profile Image for Shelli.
5,169 reviews57 followers
January 23, 2015
This is an informative look into the King of Pop’s life from childhood until death. Mary K. Pratt details the highs and lows of Michael Jackson’s life in a tasteful way for middle/high school readers. The small chapter book layout is done nicely with several photographs, easy to follow text, a timeline, and information for further reading or additional material.
16 reviews
May 19, 2017
I really loved reading about Micheal Jackson and his stories if you want to learn more about Micheal I suggest you read this
1 review
December 1, 2018
Michael Jackson: King of Pop - I enjoyed this book very much, the book is centrally designated around the legendary life & career of pop legend Michael Jackson. The Author, Mary K. Pratt does a very good job with chronological order, from his early career with his childhood group with his brothers “The Jackson 5“ to the birth of his children Paris, Prince Michael, and Michael Jr; till the death of Michael. Mary K. Pratt also does a good job on showing the troubled legal issues that Michael went through in his career as an entertainer. One thing i like about this book is that there are little facts & detailed side exempts giving the reader more information on certain things related to Michael. I would recommend this book to anybody who understands the music culture & any huge Michael Jackson fan of course. I give this book 4/5 star rating, the only reason I wouldnt give it a 5/5 star rating is because it lacks rhetorical analysis.
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