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My Family, The Jacksons
The matriarch of the Jacksons reveals the story of the Jackson family, discussing Michael's stardom, Janet's rise to the top, LaToya's appearance in "Playboy," and the story of the Jackson 5
226 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 4, 2018
“Michael is amazing. I’m not saying that because he’s my son; I really do find him that way. When he is with a celebrity, he “grows up” to their age. But then he has his candy store and his doll collection, and he rolls around on the floor with his nieces and nephews as if he were a child. He’s young. He’s old. As I said, he's amazing.”
Katherine Jackson is her children's biggest fan. That's what the first and last thought that stayed in my mind while and after I finished reading her only autobiography. They made her proud. However, what's more noticeable is her relationship with her son, Michael. Although, she might deny that she has any favorite child but it is so obvious reading these pages that he holds a very special place in her heart.
The front cover of this book is an inviting photo of the whole Jackson clan (minus La Toya), and the back-cover is a photo of Katherine with Michael.
The book opens with lovely comments from Katherine's children in which each one (except La Toya) says something about his/her mother. Michael being his extra (loving) self, he presented her with a (long) poem which he wrote specifically for her. This heartfelt poem is also included in his book, Dancing the Dream: Poems and Reflections. Katherine also offers over 24 intimate family photos.
The book's prologue is a clarification on where does the family stand regarding the whole La Toya's situation back in the time when she broke-away from her family and married her then-manager Jack Gordon and both they launched what seemed like a smearing campaign against the Jacksons.*
“But by then Jack Gordon has done a great job of brainwashing LaToya, because she refused to believe anything negative about his past or his motives, and nothing I nor her brothers and sisters could say would persuade her to return home to us.”
“Mixed in with my rage at Jack Gordon was a feeling of guilt. Maybe I sheltered my children too much, I’ve thought many times since, and not educated them enough about sharks out there waiting to take advantage of them for their own financial gain.” -Katherine Jackson
She sums up in Chapter One her somewhat tough childhood due to Katherine's parents divorce, which forced her to be separated from her mother and sister. She writes about the traumatic experience that she went through when her mother had to kidnap her. Katherine was a dreamer and she dreamed of becoming the biggest country singer when she was a kid. “Of course, I never did make history by becoming the first black country music star. There was something holding me back .... polio,” she explains. She writes of her fascination with Joe Jackson at first sight, “he literally took my breath away”. She briefs Joe's upbringing, their quick courtship, marriage, her first child's birth, and the break up of Joe's band.
Chapter Two is all about the Jackson children. Katherine describes each child's birth and personality briefly except for Michael, she goes on to delineate about his birth, personality, talent(s), and mischievousness in abundance. Katherine also gives each of her children space to put their inputs about certain events which gives the reader a wider perspective.
Katherine and Joe methods of upbringing nine children is discussed in Chapter Three. She also speaks against Joe's ways, “I also strongly disapproved of one other method of Joe’s: scaring the children to make a point”.
The Jacksons road to Motown, how they made it to history and the adjustment to their new lives all are discussed in Chapter Four, Five, and Six.
Chapter Seven goes into Michael as a fourteen year old teenager. “He was now quieter, more serious, and more of a loner,” writes Katherine.
The Jackson 5 departure from Motown and the struggle that the family faced are portrayed in Chapter Eight.
Chapter Nine outlines the emerging of Michael Jackson as a solo artist with Off The Wall and the opposing he faced from his peers in the music business and the media.
“Regarding the media, Michael’s dream had been for a while cover story in one or more of the consumer magazines. He even phoned various magazine editors himself to pitch his story. But he didn’t receive any offers. ‘I’ve been told over and over again that ‘black people on the cover don’t sell our magazines,’ Michael fumed to me one day. ‘Mother, just wait. Someday these same magazines are going to be begging me for an interview.’”
In Chapter Ten, Katherine tells her side of the story regarding Joe's infamous infidelity. “I’m not going to pretend that suddenly everything was the way it used to be between Joe and me. Because it wasn’t,” she writes.
Randy's near-death experience and his recovery is reported in Chapter Eleven along with Triumph album and tour.
Chapter Twelve details Michael's spectacular success with Thriller, including his mind-blowing Motown 25 performance, and how he managed to break all records and barriers.
The whole mess that surrounded the Victory tour is summarized in Chapter Thirteen including the unfortunate Pepsi incident.
“Michael, it turned out, had suffered second-and third- degree burns on a palm-sized area of his scalp. His doctor felt that Michael was quite fortunate that his injuries weren’t more extensive. They surely would have been if the sparks had also ignited his costume, the physician said. Dr. Hoefflin began treating Michael with antibiotics and analgesics. Michael was in emotional as well as physical pain. He didn’t feel that the accident would have happened if proper safety precautions had been taken. The two nearest flash bombs, he learned, had exploded only two feet away on either side of him.”
Chapter Fourteen is my favorite from the whole book. It details the remodeling of the Encino family home, “as Michael had offered to pay for the new construction, his touches abound.” I chuckled many times reading it because of Katherine and Michael constant humorous interactions. This chapter sums up Michael at home.
“While Michael loved relaxing with his pets, he also enjoyed playing the host. By then he’d more or less given up on making friends his own age. More and more he was drawn to people younger and older than himself.”
Chapter Fifteen focuses on Janet while Chapter Sixteen focuses on Michael's Bad Era.
Chapter Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, and Twenty recap the family members' positions and developments, including La Toya. She also refutes the tabloid's lies about Michael and her family.
My heart actually ached when I read the part in which Katherine warmly states, “I wish for a reunited Jacksons. I wish that Michael and Marlon would consider rejoining the group, if only on a part-time basis. For old time’s sake. For my sake. And I dream of a reunited Jackson family.”
If one is familiar with the Jackson family or is a hardcore Michael Jackson fan, the information within this book won't be found as new or significant. However, the outstanding element of this book that it is a mother's point of view, and Katherine is rarely biased about her views. The book is fairly a small one and can be devoured in around two sittings. It is entertaining and engrossing. I couldn't put it down.
Check the following if you're interested in reading more books by the Jackson family members:
1- Moonwalk by Michael Jackson
2- La Toya: Growing Up in the Jackson Family by La Toya Jackson
3- Starting Over by La Toya Jackson
4- You Are Not Alone: Michael Through a Brother's Eyes by Jermaine Jackson
5- True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself By Janet Jackson
6- Jackson Family Values: Memories of Madness by Margaret Maldonado Jackson
*Ms. Maldanado stated in her own memoir, “Jackson Family Values: Memories of Madness,” that Jack Gordon did approach the Jackson family with a deal to hand him $5 million in an extortion attempt to not release this book which they flatly refused.
December 21, 2022
RANDY: People don't know their potential. Seems like we start making efforts only when we have difficulties.
I like Kathrine's book even more than "Moonwalk" by Michael. She's telling about those things which make me cry. No, not because it's sad, but because it's SO cute and touching that it's impossible to blink away tears. It's incredibly touching and moving book. Each hour spent for reading this book was a full immersion into that world they gad. It's like you become a part of their family and you observe from the side. When I have a bad mood I only needed to open this book and my bad mood disappeared right away. Because the book is filled with so big love that it's impossible to think about bad things when you're reading it.
I like Kathrine's book even more than "Moonwalk" by Michael. She's telling about those things which make me cry. No, not because it's sad, but because it's SO cute and touching that it's impossible to blink away tears. It's incredibly touching and moving book. Each hour spent for reading this book was a full immersion into that world they gad. It's like you become a part of their family and you observe from the side. When I have a bad mood I only needed to open this book and my bad mood disappeared right away. Because the book is filled with so big love that it's impossible to think about bad things when you're reading it.
June 26, 2024
THE MOTHER OF ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS MUSICAL FAMILIES OF ALL TIME
She wrote in the Prologue to this 1990 book, “LaToya nude in Playboy? I was shocked when I heard the rumors. My daughter may have been different from her eight brothers and sisters in some ways---she was the moodiest of my kids, for example---but in terms of her dress and manners, she’d been so conservative… But the longer I thought about the Playboy rumor, the more I feared that it was true. The LaToya I saw in early 1989 was not the LaToya I thought I knew… ‘Jack told me that I had to change my image if I want to make it in the business,’ LaToya said when I questioned her… ‘Jack’ was Jack Gordon, her smooth-talking manager… Even though LaToya continued to talk to me almost daily on the telephone, our relationship deteriorated. It seemed like LaToya had been taking lessons in the Big Lie from Gordon.” (Pg. 1-3)
She recalls, “By the time the Jackson Five began performing … Michael was choreographing their numbers. During rehearsals … Michael would… demonstrate a move that was so fresh and stylish that the older brothers … would look at one another and shake their heads in disbelief. ‘Michael, you’re just a baby,’ I remember thinking, ‘and you’re the one giving the instructions!’ Michael was also the one doing the dreaming. ‘Some day I’m going to live in a castle,’ he announced one say to his second-grade teacher.’” (Pg. 28)
She recounts that in 1960, “I found a religion that I felt I could devote my life to, a religion that has filled my life with an underlying sense of peace to this day. It all started with a knock on my door. The visitor was a field worker with the Jehovah’s Witnesses… I was invited … to sit in on a Bible lesson taught by a Witness. I learned more about God in that one lesson than I had in all my Bible studies to that point… [I] pursued my studies with diligence. In 1963, three years after that first visit … I was finally baptized… [Her husband Joe] not only supported my baptism, but also my decision to expose Witnesses’ teachings to our children… But I was careful not to force the religion on them.” (Pg. 37-39)
She notes that in 1972, “Michael was fretting about his brothers and the future of the Jackson Five, he was suffering through the usual teen traumas: a growth spurt, a voice change, and a bad case of acne… Michael’s acne disappeared eventually, but the changes that it seemed to have wrought in him became permanent. He was no longer a carefree, outgoing, devilish boy… he was now quieter, more serious, and more of a loner.” (Pg. 91)
She recalls, “Regarding the media, Michael’s dream had been for a cover story in one or more of the consumer magazines. He even phoned various magazine editors himself to pitch his story. But he didn’t receive any offers. ‘I’ve been told over and over again that “black people on the cover don’t sell our magazines,” Michael fumed to me one day. ‘Mother, just wait. Someday these same magazines are going to be BEGGING me for an interview.’” (Pg. 110-111)
She reveals, “I got a call from a friend in 1974, informing me that Joe was having an affair. I knew the girl in question… I was devastated. A part of me wanted to serve divorce papers on Jo the next day… I remained in this muddled state for… seven years… Looking back, I know that, deep down, I wanted to forgive him. It’s my nature… I eventually withdrew my divorce suit. But I’m not going to pretend that suddenly everything was the way it used to be between Joe and me. Because it wasn’t.” (Pg. 116-118)
She explains, “Contrary to popular opinion at the time, the Moonwalk… was not new. Blacks performed the move in film shorts dating back to the thirties. Michael loves to watch old movies, and he’d studied those shorts… the French mime Marcel Marceau… could glide the same way. He was an influence on Michael, as well. So were the gang members who were then performing the move on the streets. That’s where the term ‘Moonwalk’ originated. But it was Michael who made the Moonwalk famous during his electrifying performance of ‘Billie Jean,’ a performance that would earn Michael an Emmy nomination himself.” (Pg. 130)
She states, “most of the Michael rumors were concocted by the press, and were hurtful. The most tired rumor of all was the one that Michael was gay… All I can say is, Michael is not gay. First of all, the Bible speaks against homosexuality, and he’s very religious. Second, he wants to settle down and get married one day. We’ve talked about it. And he will.” (Pg. 174-175)
She concludes, “While I firmly believe that a good marriage promotes happiness, the surest path to inner peace and fulfillment, I believe, is through religion. This is why I also wish that my children will draw closer to Jehovah… But Randy and Janet attend Kingdom Hall only occasionally, and Jermaine, Jackie, Tito, and LaToya not at all… Then there is Michael’s unique situation: In 1987, he left the Jehovah’s Witnesses… When I learned of it, I was devastated…. There was strong opposition to his ‘Thriller’ video on the part of some Witnesses… Perhaps the controversy figured in his decision to leave. But I don’t know that for a fact because I didn’t talk to him about what he’d done. I couldn’t. Witnesses do not discuss spiritual matters with a person who has disassociated himself from the Witnesses, including family members. But I want to stress that… I was not required to ‘shun’ my son. Our relationship is as loving today as it was when he was a witness.” (Pg. 218-219)
This book will be of great interest to those wanting to know more about Michael Jackson, and the rest of the family.
She wrote in the Prologue to this 1990 book, “LaToya nude in Playboy? I was shocked when I heard the rumors. My daughter may have been different from her eight brothers and sisters in some ways---she was the moodiest of my kids, for example---but in terms of her dress and manners, she’d been so conservative… But the longer I thought about the Playboy rumor, the more I feared that it was true. The LaToya I saw in early 1989 was not the LaToya I thought I knew… ‘Jack told me that I had to change my image if I want to make it in the business,’ LaToya said when I questioned her… ‘Jack’ was Jack Gordon, her smooth-talking manager… Even though LaToya continued to talk to me almost daily on the telephone, our relationship deteriorated. It seemed like LaToya had been taking lessons in the Big Lie from Gordon.” (Pg. 1-3)
She recalls, “By the time the Jackson Five began performing … Michael was choreographing their numbers. During rehearsals … Michael would… demonstrate a move that was so fresh and stylish that the older brothers … would look at one another and shake their heads in disbelief. ‘Michael, you’re just a baby,’ I remember thinking, ‘and you’re the one giving the instructions!’ Michael was also the one doing the dreaming. ‘Some day I’m going to live in a castle,’ he announced one say to his second-grade teacher.’” (Pg. 28)
She recounts that in 1960, “I found a religion that I felt I could devote my life to, a religion that has filled my life with an underlying sense of peace to this day. It all started with a knock on my door. The visitor was a field worker with the Jehovah’s Witnesses… I was invited … to sit in on a Bible lesson taught by a Witness. I learned more about God in that one lesson than I had in all my Bible studies to that point… [I] pursued my studies with diligence. In 1963, three years after that first visit … I was finally baptized… [Her husband Joe] not only supported my baptism, but also my decision to expose Witnesses’ teachings to our children… But I was careful not to force the religion on them.” (Pg. 37-39)
She notes that in 1972, “Michael was fretting about his brothers and the future of the Jackson Five, he was suffering through the usual teen traumas: a growth spurt, a voice change, and a bad case of acne… Michael’s acne disappeared eventually, but the changes that it seemed to have wrought in him became permanent. He was no longer a carefree, outgoing, devilish boy… he was now quieter, more serious, and more of a loner.” (Pg. 91)
She recalls, “Regarding the media, Michael’s dream had been for a cover story in one or more of the consumer magazines. He even phoned various magazine editors himself to pitch his story. But he didn’t receive any offers. ‘I’ve been told over and over again that “black people on the cover don’t sell our magazines,” Michael fumed to me one day. ‘Mother, just wait. Someday these same magazines are going to be BEGGING me for an interview.’” (Pg. 110-111)
She reveals, “I got a call from a friend in 1974, informing me that Joe was having an affair. I knew the girl in question… I was devastated. A part of me wanted to serve divorce papers on Jo the next day… I remained in this muddled state for… seven years… Looking back, I know that, deep down, I wanted to forgive him. It’s my nature… I eventually withdrew my divorce suit. But I’m not going to pretend that suddenly everything was the way it used to be between Joe and me. Because it wasn’t.” (Pg. 116-118)
She explains, “Contrary to popular opinion at the time, the Moonwalk… was not new. Blacks performed the move in film shorts dating back to the thirties. Michael loves to watch old movies, and he’d studied those shorts… the French mime Marcel Marceau… could glide the same way. He was an influence on Michael, as well. So were the gang members who were then performing the move on the streets. That’s where the term ‘Moonwalk’ originated. But it was Michael who made the Moonwalk famous during his electrifying performance of ‘Billie Jean,’ a performance that would earn Michael an Emmy nomination himself.” (Pg. 130)
She states, “most of the Michael rumors were concocted by the press, and were hurtful. The most tired rumor of all was the one that Michael was gay… All I can say is, Michael is not gay. First of all, the Bible speaks against homosexuality, and he’s very religious. Second, he wants to settle down and get married one day. We’ve talked about it. And he will.” (Pg. 174-175)
She concludes, “While I firmly believe that a good marriage promotes happiness, the surest path to inner peace and fulfillment, I believe, is through religion. This is why I also wish that my children will draw closer to Jehovah… But Randy and Janet attend Kingdom Hall only occasionally, and Jermaine, Jackie, Tito, and LaToya not at all… Then there is Michael’s unique situation: In 1987, he left the Jehovah’s Witnesses… When I learned of it, I was devastated…. There was strong opposition to his ‘Thriller’ video on the part of some Witnesses… Perhaps the controversy figured in his decision to leave. But I don’t know that for a fact because I didn’t talk to him about what he’d done. I couldn’t. Witnesses do not discuss spiritual matters with a person who has disassociated himself from the Witnesses, including family members. But I want to stress that… I was not required to ‘shun’ my son. Our relationship is as loving today as it was when he was a witness.” (Pg. 218-219)
This book will be of great interest to those wanting to know more about Michael Jackson, and the rest of the family.
August 2, 2009
One thing that stood out for me from this book was Mrs. Jackson's relationship with her son Michael. She shared how he was a very determined and focused young man. She said that one that he kept his room immaculate for one year but after that he went back to messy. I loved her sharing that aspect of Michael. She shares little nuances about her family that will make you smile.
I read the book when it first came out so I definitely need to dig out my copy and reread it!
I read the book when it first came out so I definitely need to dig out my copy and reread it!
November 1, 2023
Catherine Jackson may be the most fascinating of stage mothers out there. Her writing is so soft and has a mother's tenderness to it. It is surprisingly a page turner of a memoir. You won't be able to put it down. Simple, clean writing. Quick read
September 23, 2024
This is my second time reading this book and I am in tears.
I was not in tears the first time I read it 4 years ago. I think I was just amazed by Katherine’s story that was just blown away.
I wanted to reread the book anyway, but with the unexpected passing of Ms. Katherine’s third child, Tito Jackson, I couldn’t put it off any longer.
This book brings me so much joy. It inspires me in more ways than one.
It’s wonderful reading about Ms. Katherine’s upbringing, Joseph courting & marrying her, how they raised their children and ultimately turned them into the legends they are today.
Each of Ms. Katherine’s children add to the book with their own comments except for LaToya and Michael. However, Michael’s absence isn’t really felt. Ms. Katherine says so much about him (as she does all her children throughout the book) and adds so much that he has said to her, that you hardly notice that Michael didn’t comment (outside of his full page poem). LaToya’s absence is very much felt. I found myself wondering what LaToya would have said about growing up in Gary and as a Jackson. And reading about how Ms. Katherine and the family felt about Jack Gordon puts everything into perspective. Near the end of the book she mentions that Gordon was advised to marry LaToya to “protect” her from her family. “Protect her from what? I ask. Our love? Our concern?” Ms. Katherine asks. If you’ve read LaToya’s book “Starting Over” (2012) you’ve got the answer to that question.
This woman loves her children, her humble beginnings, her family, and lives her life walking with Jesus. Ms. Katherine is admirable in so many ways than one…
Being that this book came out in 1991 and MANY books by The Jacksons have been out before and well after then, a lot of holes are filled.
Yes, Katherine mentions Joseph’s infidelity. No, she doesn’t mention his child, Joh’Vonnie. But if you read between the lines, she mentions having met Joh’Vonnie’s mother (Joseph’s mistress and baby mama) after a family friend brought her over to the house.
Yes, she mentions Jackie’s knee injury amid the Victory tour. No, it wasn’t because of a basketball game (as she says). It was because his wife at the time, Enid, confronted him and Paula Abdul and ran into Jackie’s leg and broke it. This was explained in Margaret Maldonado Jackson’s book “Jackson Family Values” (1995).
She addresses gossip, is probably the first person to humanize Joseph Jackson at the time (as so many people have and continue to demonize him) and speaks of her grandchildren with so much love... This woman really loves her family. She reminds me of my own grandmother.
After having reread this book, once again, my heart goes out to Ms. Katherine. A little over a week has past since losing her third child. This woman has incurred a lot of loss but so so so much love. Her children are so blessed to be able to call her Mother. And her grandchildren are blessed to call her Grandmother. I only pray to be even HALF of the woman she is.
I was not in tears the first time I read it 4 years ago. I think I was just amazed by Katherine’s story that was just blown away.
I wanted to reread the book anyway, but with the unexpected passing of Ms. Katherine’s third child, Tito Jackson, I couldn’t put it off any longer.
This book brings me so much joy. It inspires me in more ways than one.
It’s wonderful reading about Ms. Katherine’s upbringing, Joseph courting & marrying her, how they raised their children and ultimately turned them into the legends they are today.
Each of Ms. Katherine’s children add to the book with their own comments except for LaToya and Michael. However, Michael’s absence isn’t really felt. Ms. Katherine says so much about him (as she does all her children throughout the book) and adds so much that he has said to her, that you hardly notice that Michael didn’t comment (outside of his full page poem). LaToya’s absence is very much felt. I found myself wondering what LaToya would have said about growing up in Gary and as a Jackson. And reading about how Ms. Katherine and the family felt about Jack Gordon puts everything into perspective. Near the end of the book she mentions that Gordon was advised to marry LaToya to “protect” her from her family. “Protect her from what? I ask. Our love? Our concern?” Ms. Katherine asks. If you’ve read LaToya’s book “Starting Over” (2012) you’ve got the answer to that question.
This woman loves her children, her humble beginnings, her family, and lives her life walking with Jesus. Ms. Katherine is admirable in so many ways than one…
Being that this book came out in 1991 and MANY books by The Jacksons have been out before and well after then, a lot of holes are filled.
Yes, Katherine mentions Joseph’s infidelity. No, she doesn’t mention his child, Joh’Vonnie. But if you read between the lines, she mentions having met Joh’Vonnie’s mother (Joseph’s mistress and baby mama) after a family friend brought her over to the house.
Yes, she mentions Jackie’s knee injury amid the Victory tour. No, it wasn’t because of a basketball game (as she says). It was because his wife at the time, Enid, confronted him and Paula Abdul and ran into Jackie’s leg and broke it. This was explained in Margaret Maldonado Jackson’s book “Jackson Family Values” (1995).
She addresses gossip, is probably the first person to humanize Joseph Jackson at the time (as so many people have and continue to demonize him) and speaks of her grandchildren with so much love... This woman really loves her family. She reminds me of my own grandmother.
After having reread this book, once again, my heart goes out to Ms. Katherine. A little over a week has past since losing her third child. This woman has incurred a lot of loss but so so so much love. Her children are so blessed to be able to call her Mother. And her grandchildren are blessed to call her Grandmother. I only pray to be even HALF of the woman she is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2009
This book is very old, but I love MJ and am finding it FASCINATING to learn the truth about the rise of the Jackson 5, how they got started and to get a glimpse, from mom's point of view, as to what Michael was like as a child and how they lived. Love it, though written as snippets of recollections - not one story.
June 27, 2009
An interesting, an honest look, into the lives of the Jackson family written by the matriach of the family. Perhaps this book is not as juicy as some people would like, but I think it is a good foundation for beginning to understand some things about this family.
September 6, 2009
As a mother of 9 I was disappointed that the book only had 62 pages. I have 8 kids, 2 stepkids and 8 grandsons and I could write more than 62 pages on just 1 of my children or grandchildren. Very minimal content and reading.
November 7, 2009
I gave this book a low rating because it didn't really grab my attention. I loved all the pictures though.
January 14, 2010
I learned what it REALLY was like to grow up being a famous Jackson.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews