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Michael Jackson: The Magic & the Madness
So much has how been said and written about the life and career of Michael Jackson that it has become almost impossible to disentangle the man from the myth. This book is the fruit of over 30 years of research and hundreds of exclusive interviews with a remarkable level of access to the very closest circles of the Jackson family - including Michael himself. Cutting through tabloid rumours, J. Randy Taraborrelli traces the real story behind Michael Jackson, from his drilling as a child star through the blooming of his talent to his ever-changing personal appearance and bizarre publicity stunts. This major biography includes the behind-the-scenes story to many of the landmarks in Jackson's life: his legal and commercial battles, his marriages to Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe, his passions and addictions, his children. Objective and revealing, it carries the hallmarks of all of Taraborrelli's best-sellers: impeccable research, brilliant storytelling and definitive documentation.
704 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 1992
325 people are currently reading
3188 people want to read
About the author
J. Randy Taraborrelli
25 books487 followersJ. Randy Taraborrelli is an author known for biographies of contemporary entertainers and political figures. He is a featured writer in several entertainment magazines in Canada, England, and Australia. He also appears on television as an entertainment news reporter on shows such as Entertainment Tonight, Good Morning America, Today and CBS This Morning. Taraborrelli resides in Los Angeles, California.
Taraborrelli, who has written eighteen books (including updated and expanded editions), has had fourteen of them appear on the New York Times best seller list, the most recent of which was 2014's The Hiltons - The True Story of an American Dynasty. His first best seller was Call Her Miss Ross in 1989. His 2009 biography of Marilyn Monroe - The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe - made a re-appearance on the e-books best-seller list at number two in the summer of 2012.
In November of 2012, it was announced that Reelz cable channel had optioned Taraborrelli's New York Times best-selling book, After Camelot, as a miniseries. It will be his second television miniseries, the first airing on NBC in 2000 and based on his book, Jackie, Ethel, Joan.
Through his newly formed J. Randy Taraborrelli Productions, Taraborrelli is currently developing and producing a number of television projects.
Taraborrelli, who has written eighteen books (including updated and expanded editions), has had fourteen of them appear on the New York Times best seller list, the most recent of which was 2014's The Hiltons - The True Story of an American Dynasty. His first best seller was Call Her Miss Ross in 1989. His 2009 biography of Marilyn Monroe - The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe - made a re-appearance on the e-books best-seller list at number two in the summer of 2012.
In November of 2012, it was announced that Reelz cable channel had optioned Taraborrelli's New York Times best-selling book, After Camelot, as a miniseries. It will be his second television miniseries, the first airing on NBC in 2000 and based on his book, Jackie, Ethel, Joan.
Through his newly formed J. Randy Taraborrelli Productions, Taraborrelli is currently developing and producing a number of television projects.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 319 reviews
March 18, 2020
Michael Jackson is one of my favorite artists of ALL TIME!
And more importantly Michael Jackson is my other favorite artists favorite artist.
Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Mariah Carey and Britney Spears have said Michael Jackson is one of the reasons they became artists.
My copy of Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness is from 1991, so it doesn't include any of the child molestation accusations or the trial and of course he doesn't include his death. At first I thought about trying to find a newer copy(and probably still will) but I finally just decided to read this copy and I'm so happy I did.
The public perception of Michael Jackson in 1991 is very different from how he is now perceived. In 1991 he was just beginning to be called Wacko Jacko by the tabloid media but to the wider media Michael Jackson was still "The King of Pop". To most people he was thought of as clean cut and wholesome. Ronald Reagan called him the ideal role model. I was 5 years old in 1991, so I don't remember this version of Michael Jackson. Despite loving his music and dance moves, I've always thought he was... a rather strange person.
And J. Randy Taraborrelli's book confirms that opinion. This biography isn't just a biography of Michael Jackson, its also a biography of the whole Jackson family. And believe me when I tell you this. Michael Jackson wasnt even the weirdest person in his family ( Hi Latoya).
Since it was published in 1991, as I said before the child molestation accusations hadn't happened yet, but the author does make note the fact that Michael Jackson doesn't seem to spend an unusual amount of time with little boys. The author doesn't draw any conclusions but he does point out some suspicious things.
-Like the time Michael Jackson checked himself into a hotel room with 12 year old Emmanuel Lewis as father and son
- Sleepovers involving young boys and no parents.
- James ( Jimmy) Safechuck gets mentioned several times.
- Also these boys parents received lots of money, cars and houses.
The author doesn't voice an opinion but he did mention it before it was widely talked about.
I found this book super fascinating and I feel like I have a deeper understanding of the early years of "The King of Pop". I'll probably eventually buy the updated version because I'm genuinely interested in how the author handles the last half of Michael Jackson's life.
Highly recommended!
And more importantly Michael Jackson is my other favorite artists favorite artist.
Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Mariah Carey and Britney Spears have said Michael Jackson is one of the reasons they became artists.
My copy of Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness is from 1991, so it doesn't include any of the child molestation accusations or the trial and of course he doesn't include his death. At first I thought about trying to find a newer copy(and probably still will) but I finally just decided to read this copy and I'm so happy I did.
The public perception of Michael Jackson in 1991 is very different from how he is now perceived. In 1991 he was just beginning to be called Wacko Jacko by the tabloid media but to the wider media Michael Jackson was still "The King of Pop". To most people he was thought of as clean cut and wholesome. Ronald Reagan called him the ideal role model. I was 5 years old in 1991, so I don't remember this version of Michael Jackson. Despite loving his music and dance moves, I've always thought he was... a rather strange person.
And J. Randy Taraborrelli's book confirms that opinion. This biography isn't just a biography of Michael Jackson, its also a biography of the whole Jackson family. And believe me when I tell you this. Michael Jackson wasnt even the weirdest person in his family ( Hi Latoya).
Since it was published in 1991, as I said before the child molestation accusations hadn't happened yet, but the author does make note the fact that Michael Jackson doesn't seem to spend an unusual amount of time with little boys. The author doesn't draw any conclusions but he does point out some suspicious things.
-Like the time Michael Jackson checked himself into a hotel room with 12 year old Emmanuel Lewis as father and son
- Sleepovers involving young boys and no parents.
- James ( Jimmy) Safechuck gets mentioned several times.
- Also these boys parents received lots of money, cars and houses.
The author doesn't voice an opinion but he did mention it before it was widely talked about.
I found this book super fascinating and I feel like I have a deeper understanding of the early years of "The King of Pop". I'll probably eventually buy the updated version because I'm genuinely interested in how the author handles the last half of Michael Jackson's life.
Highly recommended!
October 3, 2012
As what Michael Jackson says "why not tell people l'm an alien from Mars. tell them I eat live chickens and do voodoo dance at midnight. They'll believe anything you say, because you're a reporter. But if I, Michael Jackson, were to say, "I'm an alien from Mars and I eat live chickens and do voodoo dance at midnight," people would say, "Oh, man, that Michael Jackson is NUTS. He's cracked up. You can't believe a damn word that comes out of his mouth."
From his chilhood to his present Michael is such a genius man, and we all know that he has the power to take every attention of every people around the world, but there is one thing he couldn't do, to take and to have his privacy, to stop every painful gossips about him and to stand his rights in every thing that was thrown at him.
Michael Jackson: "my dream is to go to grocery store without getting bombarded by my fans."
His dream to go to the grocery store has been granted by his friend who owns a mall at L.A, he let him pick every thing that he wanted on the grocery store by closing the whole mall just for him.... :)
From his chilhood to his present Michael is such a genius man, and we all know that he has the power to take every attention of every people around the world, but there is one thing he couldn't do, to take and to have his privacy, to stop every painful gossips about him and to stand his rights in every thing that was thrown at him.
Michael Jackson: "my dream is to go to grocery store without getting bombarded by my fans."
His dream to go to the grocery store has been granted by his friend who owns a mall at L.A, he let him pick every thing that he wanted on the grocery store by closing the whole mall just for him.... :)
October 12, 2018
I’ve been listing to Jackson’s music for as long as I can remember, I’ve got vivid memories of listening to my parents cassette of the ‘Bad’ on a constant look during the 80’s.
I was even luck enough to see him in concert at Wembley stadium in 1997, so I’ve constantly followed he’s career.
Taraborrelli covers so much in a fair and balanced view, at times allowing the reader to make their own mind up.
The book is so in-depth to the point that it explains how Jospeh and Katherine (Michael’s parents) met, it’s clear that for someone so famous and talented he clearly also had troubles.
I even learnt so much from reading this book!
I was even luck enough to see him in concert at Wembley stadium in 1997, so I’ve constantly followed he’s career.
Taraborrelli covers so much in a fair and balanced view, at times allowing the reader to make their own mind up.
The book is so in-depth to the point that it explains how Jospeh and Katherine (Michael’s parents) met, it’s clear that for someone so famous and talented he clearly also had troubles.
I even learnt so much from reading this book!
January 9, 2011
It's worth noting right off the bat that Taraborelli is an author who, despite being demonstably eager to do justice to his subject, struggles with accuracy. The first half of the book - which focuses on Michael's youth until about age 20, just after the release of his first solo album outside Motown, "Off the Wall", in 1979 - is rather obviously the better researched (and clearly more accurate) half of this massive tome. The rest isn't something to be ignored or completely written off, however. Despite having an unfortunate tendency to cite nameless tabloid sources and speculate well outside his realm of knowledge, Taraborelli does an admirable job of attempting to unravel arguably the most influential and complex public (and personal) life in the history of music. Most importantly, however, this biography - while sadly being the only reputable one completed within Michael's lifetime, for better or worse - serves as a respectably thorough jumping off point for those who wish to learn more about the incredibly fascinating life of the most famous icon to grace global popular culture.
June 26, 2024
It is an unsuccessful attempt to write a definitive biography on Michael Jackson. It is well-written (keep in mind that I wrote well-written & not legit because nothing written by a journalist about Michael was/is ever legit). You can learn many things you want about Michael -mostly from the media point of view which is typically narrow & judgmental- starting from his childhood, rise to fame, to the trial in which he was proven innocent, to his departure from the states and his return and eventually to his death. Many parts in the book were questionable, judgmental and tabloid crap.
Comparing it with other horrid books; it flows easily, the author tried his best to not judge -failed many times- and tried to give the most credible sources -failed again in many, many parts- but it seems that we'd never get a full accurate account about our beloved Michael that doesn't rely heavily on tabloid junks.
It's a massive read with a lot of (inaccurate) details but I'd also recommend that you do your research on many of the stories and get the real facts, not just what is written here. Do not stop here because it does NOT show you the real Michael and believe me the real Michael is worth all the researches that you'd do to get to know him.
All in all, it is slanderous, gossipy--sensationalism at its worse. Do not rely on such books because they only want to sell, not caring one bit about fact-checking or even reporting the truth. Do not waste your money on this unless you're a Tabloid Junkie.
Comparing it with other horrid books; it flows easily, the author tried his best to not judge -failed many times- and tried to give the most credible sources -failed again in many, many parts- but it seems that we'd never get a full accurate account about our beloved Michael that doesn't rely heavily on tabloid junks.
It's a massive read with a lot of (inaccurate) details but I'd also recommend that you do your research on many of the stories and get the real facts, not just what is written here. Do not stop here because it does NOT show you the real Michael and believe me the real Michael is worth all the researches that you'd do to get to know him.
All in all, it is slanderous, gossipy--sensationalism at its worse. Do not rely on such books because they only want to sell, not caring one bit about fact-checking or even reporting the truth. Do not waste your money on this unless you're a Tabloid Junkie.
November 18, 2009
The first cd I ever owned was Michael Jackson's Dangerous. It was at that point that MJ would be the most fascinating artist to me. He was an enigma.
Like most people, I was astounded by all the things that he supposedly did (which I'm still not sure of - too much deception involved on both sides), but also by the controversial things that can't be denied. Since his death in June, I have wanted to learn more about him. I read a couple magazines about him and they mostly talked about who he was musically and left out everything that was controversial.
Then I saw this book in the bookstore about a month ago (as of 11.18.09) and immediately wanted to read it. I picked up this book and from the beginning, I was hooked by Mr. Taraborrelli's writing. It is a thick book but it was a quick read.
The ending (or quite possibly, the last 3rd of the book) seemed rushed, as some other reviewers have noted, but the parts that were the best were the years leading up (the story of the Jackson 5's rise to fame and the story of Mike leaving his brothers behind along with the rest of the music industry to start his own astonishing career) to the 1st molestation charge (in the early 90s). As someone else noted, I am not sure how accurate the conversations were from that point, because Mr. Taraborrelli had not met with Mike since that time. But all in all, this book was quite good. I would put it up there with my top 5 favorite biographies.
I wish that Taraborrelli covered a little bit more of the Dangerous album because he gave extensive detail to the making of Thriller and Bad as well as the previous Jackson 5 material. But this was a bias because I truly loved the Dangerous album. However, Taraborrelli did make me feel bad for MJ because he had a rough life. Yes, he had millions and millions of dollars but what price did he pay to get all that. His family, according to the author, were always after his money as well as many other people in his circle. He always had a ton of lawsuits pending against him at all times, partially because of his lack of following through but also because people constantly took advantage of him.
Either way, his life was an enigma and the only person would knows what he was thinking was himself and God. The legacy he lives behind is great as far as the music and dancing is concerned. But the character that he had was not something to be admired or desired. It is quite a breath of fresh air to have read this book because it gives me a renewed perspective about my life and about all that I have constantly taken for granted.
Like most people, I was astounded by all the things that he supposedly did (which I'm still not sure of - too much deception involved on both sides), but also by the controversial things that can't be denied. Since his death in June, I have wanted to learn more about him. I read a couple magazines about him and they mostly talked about who he was musically and left out everything that was controversial.
Then I saw this book in the bookstore about a month ago (as of 11.18.09) and immediately wanted to read it. I picked up this book and from the beginning, I was hooked by Mr. Taraborrelli's writing. It is a thick book but it was a quick read.
The ending (or quite possibly, the last 3rd of the book) seemed rushed, as some other reviewers have noted, but the parts that were the best were the years leading up (the story of the Jackson 5's rise to fame and the story of Mike leaving his brothers behind along with the rest of the music industry to start his own astonishing career) to the 1st molestation charge (in the early 90s). As someone else noted, I am not sure how accurate the conversations were from that point, because Mr. Taraborrelli had not met with Mike since that time. But all in all, this book was quite good. I would put it up there with my top 5 favorite biographies.
I wish that Taraborrelli covered a little bit more of the Dangerous album because he gave extensive detail to the making of Thriller and Bad as well as the previous Jackson 5 material. But this was a bias because I truly loved the Dangerous album. However, Taraborrelli did make me feel bad for MJ because he had a rough life. Yes, he had millions and millions of dollars but what price did he pay to get all that. His family, according to the author, were always after his money as well as many other people in his circle. He always had a ton of lawsuits pending against him at all times, partially because of his lack of following through but also because people constantly took advantage of him.
Either way, his life was an enigma and the only person would knows what he was thinking was himself and God. The legacy he lives behind is great as far as the music and dancing is concerned. But the character that he had was not something to be admired or desired. It is quite a breath of fresh air to have read this book because it gives me a renewed perspective about my life and about all that I have constantly taken for granted.
April 15, 2012
Never written a review; but, this is my thoughts upon finishing:
Being a Jackson fan for as long as I can remember, it took me a long time to even want to read about his life/death.
I researched the author and felt like this would be the most forthcoming, true accounting of facts, and was not disappointed.
The younger years with his brothers, his abusive father, multiple family tours, LaToya's destructive behavior, his devotion to his mother, leaving his faith, his relationship with Lisa Marie, his children...I was humbled by.
Yes, some parts of it shocked me and I couldn't believe things went to the utmost extreme. Who am I to judge, when I'm not perfect.
Granted he was an adult and could have chosen a different way to spend his life; however, to have people he trusted and allowed into his inner circle betray him in the worse possible way, through children was, to me, unforgivable.
The book was not a fan book. It gave details, positive and some negative, about Michael's life. A lot most of us have endured in our own.
I feel we lost an amazing performer, person and his children lost an amazing father.
Being a Jackson fan for as long as I can remember, it took me a long time to even want to read about his life/death.
I researched the author and felt like this would be the most forthcoming, true accounting of facts, and was not disappointed.
The younger years with his brothers, his abusive father, multiple family tours, LaToya's destructive behavior, his devotion to his mother, leaving his faith, his relationship with Lisa Marie, his children...I was humbled by.
Yes, some parts of it shocked me and I couldn't believe things went to the utmost extreme. Who am I to judge, when I'm not perfect.
Granted he was an adult and could have chosen a different way to spend his life; however, to have people he trusted and allowed into his inner circle betray him in the worse possible way, through children was, to me, unforgivable.
The book was not a fan book. It gave details, positive and some negative, about Michael's life. A lot most of us have endured in our own.
I feel we lost an amazing performer, person and his children lost an amazing father.
September 14, 2007
i read this a long time ago... before all the marriages and artificial inseminations... back when everyone called him 'wacko jacko' because of the nose jobs, girly voice and pet monkey... it was an interesting read and now that all of this other stuff is tabloid fodder, the book gives you a much clearer insight as to why this poor guy's so messed up. money certainly doesn't buy happiness.
June 18, 2021
"The most authentic book ever about Michael Jackson?" Ridiculous! Why? Because the author did a couple of interviews with him?
This book is extremely harmful, it does more injurious than good! As Taraborrelli is a journalist, he is expected to be objective, but this book is NOT like that. Although as he writes, it would be readable and enjoyable, but he mixes the facts very badly with the tabloid things, which makes it clearly unbelievable. As Taraborrelli is a journalist, his words are treated by many as facts, which is very dangerous. The first half of the book was still tolerable, but from the middle it was rough and very depressing to read! It’s not enough that the book is full of Randy’s imagined, overly colorful dialogues that come from “someone said” and seem more like gossip. And that’s not enough, and he usually paints a very distorted and one-sided picture of Michael. (Arrogant, infantile, hysterical, selfish, and a strange figure who is very weird.) Even if the author praises it, it still feels as if MJ's just a bad illusionist. Not to mention his "repulsive" appearance and dubious sexuality. He doesn’t take a stand on the delicate parts, he doesn’t refute them, but based on the description, he seems to believe in his guilt. Is this a friend?
Maybe no one really knew Michael, but from here, we’re definitely not going to know who he really was. This book is nothing more than a tabloid, that is too long, full of half-information and fairytales. I don’t recommend it to either MJ fans or those who want to get to know it better.
This book is extremely harmful, it does more injurious than good! As Taraborrelli is a journalist, he is expected to be objective, but this book is NOT like that. Although as he writes, it would be readable and enjoyable, but he mixes the facts very badly with the tabloid things, which makes it clearly unbelievable. As Taraborrelli is a journalist, his words are treated by many as facts, which is very dangerous. The first half of the book was still tolerable, but from the middle it was rough and very depressing to read! It’s not enough that the book is full of Randy’s imagined, overly colorful dialogues that come from “someone said” and seem more like gossip. And that’s not enough, and he usually paints a very distorted and one-sided picture of Michael. (Arrogant, infantile, hysterical, selfish, and a strange figure who is very weird.) Even if the author praises it, it still feels as if MJ's just a bad illusionist. Not to mention his "repulsive" appearance and dubious sexuality. He doesn’t take a stand on the delicate parts, he doesn’t refute them, but based on the description, he seems to believe in his guilt. Is this a friend?
Maybe no one really knew Michael, but from here, we’re definitely not going to know who he really was. This book is nothing more than a tabloid, that is too long, full of half-information and fairytales. I don’t recommend it to either MJ fans or those who want to get to know it better.
November 23, 2017
Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958-2009 Review
Biography Rating: 5 stars out of 5.
Biography Details: 5 stars out of 5. To start I normally do not read biographies about anyone. I am a huge fan of Michael Jackson therefore I wanted to read about him, his life, and career. This biography is very revealing. I learned a lot about him, his family, and other people in his life. His life was not normal by any standards. His father pushed his family really hard to be "winners".
Let me start by saying how much I really dislike his father. He was not a compassionate man when it came to his children. Towards Katherine he was very loving and tender, but not to his children. He beat his children a lot. I mean a lot! When Michael was three his father beat him so hard that he almost killed him. When I read that part....I wanted to punch his father in the face. You do not beat a child so hard that they almost die. That is not how a child should be raised. A child shouldn't have to live in constant fear of their parent/s. Michael definetly had to.
When Joseph Jackson found out that his kids had musical talent he had them practice daily. If one of the kids got a note wrong he got beat. My anger towards this man is still there. I don't know if I will ever get over it after reading this book.
I mean the only good thing about him is that he knew his kids were good enough to become famous. All of his kids were talented. My only problem was when they started they would play in strip clubs. Children should not be exposed to things like that. That definitely had an impact on his kids. They were up to all hours of the night, playing gigs, and then going home to get up for school the next day.
I have deep respect for Katherine Jackson. She had to endure through so many trials. Her husband hitting her once, watching her children get beaten, and her husband cheating on her with many different women. I really wish she ended up getting divorced to Joseph in the end, but she didn't. Also for the fact that she is a Jehovah's Witness. Most witnesses will not get divorced. It does go against the Bible's teachings.
Michael Jackson grew up a Jehovah's Witness. He started to learn what the Bible really teaches. It saddened me when I read that he left. It was hard reading the parts of this book about Jehovah's Witnesses. The author doesn't really know anything about being a Witness. Let me shed some light on that. I am studying to become a Witness. Jehovah's Witnesses are not a cult as many people believe. What Jehovah's Witnesses are trying to do is spread the Good News of Jehovah's Kingdom. That is the main point. We want to save as many people as we can. I think authors should do more research if they are going to talk about a religion. Also a Kingdom Hall is not a church. It is our place of worship, but it's nothing like churches. Let me tell you that much. (If you have any questions then you can ask me in a message.)
Well anyway back to Michael. I love the fact that Michael was in a group with his brothers when he was younger. They made beautiful music together. When they were at Motown I felt that they didn't really get to have creative freedom. Motown wanted it done a certain way. It was crazy how much a song cost to produce in the 60's. I Want You Back their first single which is almost 3 minutes cost 2000 dollars. My mind was blown when I read that. That is a lot of money for that song.
It was even more amazing when Michael Jackson when Motown wanted Michael to do a few solo songs. He was a very talented child.
When the Jackson's moved on to CBS they didn't do as well when they were at Motown. Michael eventually did branch off from his brothers. I was glad when Michael wasn't letting his father manage his music career anymore. His father had complete control of him for years. Off the Wall, his first solo album had amazing songs on it. Michael wrote some of his songs which ended up being amazing. Thriller was his highest selling album! It's still making money to this day. Thriller has had over 100 million copies sold. That is still the highest selling album of all time.
His family pressured him to much to do things for them because they were broke a lot of the time. Michael ended up being forced into things that he didn't want to do. Like the Pepsi commercial which resulted in him catching on fire. Michael really didn't want to do it, but his brothers wanted him to. He would do anything for his family. He really would.
Michael Jackson was a big humanitarian. He would donate to all sorts of charities. When he got money from Pepsi he donated all of the money to burn victims. We Are the World was another way that he gave back to the people. He wrote that song with Lionel Richie. It was beautiful. It brings people to tears.
A lot of people thought Michael Jackson was strange because he was like a child his whole life. Well he really didn't get to have a childhood. He grew up differently then a lot of others did. He was in the limelight for most of his life. That could change a person really quickly. For the better or for the worse. I think the media really did play it's hand in his life. What they said did affect him more than anything else. He just wanted to be left alone. He didn't need every single part of his life exploited like it was.
Also it was clear that Michael did have a few plastic surgeries. He didn't really want to look like his father. His father was his abuser. I feel most people that are abused by a parent do not want to look like them. Seeing that person in them will always bring back the memories of the abuse that was suffered. So I understand why Michael had a few, but he did go a little overboard.
Michael did have a skin condition also. He did use skin bleaching creams to keep his skin an even color. It was also sad to learn that Michael Jackson had lupus which is incurable.
Alright...what really set my anger ablaze when reading this book was the stuff with Jordan Chandler and Gavin Arvizo. When Evan Chandler accused Michael Jackson of molesting his son. My thing with Evan Chandler...when he had Jordan confess...he had his son on sodium amytal. As the book stated this drug is supposed to help people with amnesia gain memories back. Most doctors report that the drug gives false memories. So when Jordan was asked in front of Evan's attorney he was on a drug that would give false memories. Like it's apparent that the only thing that Evan Chandler wanted was money from Michael Jackson. His son even came out and said that nothing happened with Michael Jackson after he died. Evan Chandler also committed suicide four months after Michael's death. I really believe it was because he knew that he was a liar himself. It's hard for me to believe that Michael Jackson could ever harm a child.
Gavin Arvizo's family had a whole bunch of issues as well. They just wanted money from this poor man as well. The family had issues before Michael even entered their lives. They stole from J.C. Penny, but they were given money because apparently J.C. Penny was wrong. Okay, they are major liars. Especially the mother.
The touching scenes with his own children broke my heart. Michael really loved them so much. They were always happy. It was so cute....I really think my heart melted when I read scenes with them.
All and all I really was able to get into Michael's world. I learned so much about him. I still loved him. He was an amazing, talented, and loving person. He will always be remembered that way by all his fans.
Writing Style: 4.5 stars out of 5. The author made this book enjoyable for the most part. I felt like I was in Michael's world the whole time that I was reading this. The only thing that was wrong with the book was that there were a lot of grammar mistakes riddled throughout the book. Some words were missing letters, etc. Other than that his writing was amazing. Also the author is British so a lot of the words were written differently. Thank you for the ride J. Randy Taraborrelli.
Biography Rating: 5 stars out of 5.
Biography Details: 5 stars out of 5. To start I normally do not read biographies about anyone. I am a huge fan of Michael Jackson therefore I wanted to read about him, his life, and career. This biography is very revealing. I learned a lot about him, his family, and other people in his life. His life was not normal by any standards. His father pushed his family really hard to be "winners".
Let me start by saying how much I really dislike his father. He was not a compassionate man when it came to his children. Towards Katherine he was very loving and tender, but not to his children. He beat his children a lot. I mean a lot! When Michael was three his father beat him so hard that he almost killed him. When I read that part....I wanted to punch his father in the face. You do not beat a child so hard that they almost die. That is not how a child should be raised. A child shouldn't have to live in constant fear of their parent/s. Michael definetly had to.
When Joseph Jackson found out that his kids had musical talent he had them practice daily. If one of the kids got a note wrong he got beat. My anger towards this man is still there. I don't know if I will ever get over it after reading this book.
I mean the only good thing about him is that he knew his kids were good enough to become famous. All of his kids were talented. My only problem was when they started they would play in strip clubs. Children should not be exposed to things like that. That definitely had an impact on his kids. They were up to all hours of the night, playing gigs, and then going home to get up for school the next day.
I have deep respect for Katherine Jackson. She had to endure through so many trials. Her husband hitting her once, watching her children get beaten, and her husband cheating on her with many different women. I really wish she ended up getting divorced to Joseph in the end, but she didn't. Also for the fact that she is a Jehovah's Witness. Most witnesses will not get divorced. It does go against the Bible's teachings.
Michael Jackson grew up a Jehovah's Witness. He started to learn what the Bible really teaches. It saddened me when I read that he left. It was hard reading the parts of this book about Jehovah's Witnesses. The author doesn't really know anything about being a Witness. Let me shed some light on that. I am studying to become a Witness. Jehovah's Witnesses are not a cult as many people believe. What Jehovah's Witnesses are trying to do is spread the Good News of Jehovah's Kingdom. That is the main point. We want to save as many people as we can. I think authors should do more research if they are going to talk about a religion. Also a Kingdom Hall is not a church. It is our place of worship, but it's nothing like churches. Let me tell you that much. (If you have any questions then you can ask me in a message.)
Well anyway back to Michael. I love the fact that Michael was in a group with his brothers when he was younger. They made beautiful music together. When they were at Motown I felt that they didn't really get to have creative freedom. Motown wanted it done a certain way. It was crazy how much a song cost to produce in the 60's. I Want You Back their first single which is almost 3 minutes cost 2000 dollars. My mind was blown when I read that. That is a lot of money for that song.
It was even more amazing when Michael Jackson when Motown wanted Michael to do a few solo songs. He was a very talented child.
When the Jackson's moved on to CBS they didn't do as well when they were at Motown. Michael eventually did branch off from his brothers. I was glad when Michael wasn't letting his father manage his music career anymore. His father had complete control of him for years. Off the Wall, his first solo album had amazing songs on it. Michael wrote some of his songs which ended up being amazing. Thriller was his highest selling album! It's still making money to this day. Thriller has had over 100 million copies sold. That is still the highest selling album of all time.
His family pressured him to much to do things for them because they were broke a lot of the time. Michael ended up being forced into things that he didn't want to do. Like the Pepsi commercial which resulted in him catching on fire. Michael really didn't want to do it, but his brothers wanted him to. He would do anything for his family. He really would.
Michael Jackson was a big humanitarian. He would donate to all sorts of charities. When he got money from Pepsi he donated all of the money to burn victims. We Are the World was another way that he gave back to the people. He wrote that song with Lionel Richie. It was beautiful. It brings people to tears.
A lot of people thought Michael Jackson was strange because he was like a child his whole life. Well he really didn't get to have a childhood. He grew up differently then a lot of others did. He was in the limelight for most of his life. That could change a person really quickly. For the better or for the worse. I think the media really did play it's hand in his life. What they said did affect him more than anything else. He just wanted to be left alone. He didn't need every single part of his life exploited like it was.
Also it was clear that Michael did have a few plastic surgeries. He didn't really want to look like his father. His father was his abuser. I feel most people that are abused by a parent do not want to look like them. Seeing that person in them will always bring back the memories of the abuse that was suffered. So I understand why Michael had a few, but he did go a little overboard.
Michael did have a skin condition also. He did use skin bleaching creams to keep his skin an even color. It was also sad to learn that Michael Jackson had lupus which is incurable.
Alright...what really set my anger ablaze when reading this book was the stuff with Jordan Chandler and Gavin Arvizo. When Evan Chandler accused Michael Jackson of molesting his son. My thing with Evan Chandler...when he had Jordan confess...he had his son on sodium amytal. As the book stated this drug is supposed to help people with amnesia gain memories back. Most doctors report that the drug gives false memories. So when Jordan was asked in front of Evan's attorney he was on a drug that would give false memories. Like it's apparent that the only thing that Evan Chandler wanted was money from Michael Jackson. His son even came out and said that nothing happened with Michael Jackson after he died. Evan Chandler also committed suicide four months after Michael's death. I really believe it was because he knew that he was a liar himself. It's hard for me to believe that Michael Jackson could ever harm a child.
Gavin Arvizo's family had a whole bunch of issues as well. They just wanted money from this poor man as well. The family had issues before Michael even entered their lives. They stole from J.C. Penny, but they were given money because apparently J.C. Penny was wrong. Okay, they are major liars. Especially the mother.
The touching scenes with his own children broke my heart. Michael really loved them so much. They were always happy. It was so cute....I really think my heart melted when I read scenes with them.
All and all I really was able to get into Michael's world. I learned so much about him. I still loved him. He was an amazing, talented, and loving person. He will always be remembered that way by all his fans.
Writing Style: 4.5 stars out of 5. The author made this book enjoyable for the most part. I felt like I was in Michael's world the whole time that I was reading this. The only thing that was wrong with the book was that there were a lot of grammar mistakes riddled throughout the book. Some words were missing letters, etc. Other than that his writing was amazing. Also the author is British so a lot of the words were written differently. Thank you for the ride J. Randy Taraborrelli.
June 24, 2020
This part was 36 pages. It truly is sad that he died. He was so young and so talented.
August 16, 2010
What people forgot was that M.J. was a human being.He felt pain, loneliness, he wasn't perfect, he made mistakes & he had his quirks.. This book tries to seperate the man from the legend. Some interesting things I learned: Did U know Thriller was almost shelved?, At one point in time he was scared to drive?, how about Did you know he was the one who started the story about tthe hyperbaric chamber?(He wanted his career to be the Greatest show on Earth and it was!!!) The bad thing is journalists started creating their own fiction about Michael(Maybe it's because he started it first or maybe because he was secretive and did not want to do interviews)You'll read the truth about the Chandlers and Arvizos.What was the real relationship between Michael and Lisa Marie? It will surprise you.U will learn some things about Michael U never knew.This is a very good book.The 1st book I have read that tries to give u a clearer picture of him..Now I believe we will never completely understand why he did some things he did but this book tries to make him more understandable..
Lisa Marie-"If they saw how U really were people wouldn't think I was so crazy for being into U. You drink, you curse, U are funny, and you don't have that high voice all the time."
Michael-"Well just don't tell them."
Lisa Marie-"If they saw how U really were people wouldn't think I was so crazy for being into U. You drink, you curse, U are funny, and you don't have that high voice all the time."
Michael-"Well just don't tell them."
July 31, 2010
Having started this book right after reading a biography of 7 people (Six Wives of Henry VIII) that was 450 pages long, 700+ pages of biography of a 20th century entertainer seemed a tad excessive. Granted, I realize that this is a book that has gone through several editions, and so it's easy for the pages to build up since things that may have been edited out if it had been written at one time stayed since it was written throughout 3 decades. But did I really need to read about Michael Jackson's mother's birthday party?
This book took me almost a month to get through, and I had to extend my loan from the library twice. I read it because I had read earlier this year a book that MJ fans find "scathing" and "unfair" and this one is usually held up as being too nice to him, so I thought it would be a good balance. Interestingly, though, the "scathing" biography pretty much absolves MJ of all molestation accusations, and this one stays much more ambivalent.
There's not terribly much that's new or interesting about this book, except maybe some insights into the Jacksons' childhoods, and while the fact that Randy T. has a personal relationship with the Jacksons in some ways adds an extra dimension, in other ways it makes it more confusing, as you sometimes spend more time analyzing Randy's role in the conversation than the actual conversation. Like -- how did Randy originally meet them? At what point did the relationship change from friends to reporter and reported? Was every conversation as an adult done in the reporter role, or was it ever off the record?
If you are massively massively interested in the tiniest details of the Jacksons' life, this book is for you. If you're just kind of interested in his weirdness, I would recommend the other book I read, Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson. However, BOTH of these books suffer from being rushed out after his death, and contain major typos, missing quotation marks, missing parentheses, etc. If you're like me, this will drive you up the wall.
This book took me almost a month to get through, and I had to extend my loan from the library twice. I read it because I had read earlier this year a book that MJ fans find "scathing" and "unfair" and this one is usually held up as being too nice to him, so I thought it would be a good balance. Interestingly, though, the "scathing" biography pretty much absolves MJ of all molestation accusations, and this one stays much more ambivalent.
There's not terribly much that's new or interesting about this book, except maybe some insights into the Jacksons' childhoods, and while the fact that Randy T. has a personal relationship with the Jacksons in some ways adds an extra dimension, in other ways it makes it more confusing, as you sometimes spend more time analyzing Randy's role in the conversation than the actual conversation. Like -- how did Randy originally meet them? At what point did the relationship change from friends to reporter and reported? Was every conversation as an adult done in the reporter role, or was it ever off the record?
If you are massively massively interested in the tiniest details of the Jacksons' life, this book is for you. If you're just kind of interested in his weirdness, I would recommend the other book I read, Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson. However, BOTH of these books suffer from being rushed out after his death, and contain major typos, missing quotation marks, missing parentheses, etc. If you're like me, this will drive you up the wall.
November 11, 2015
"Michael’s mirror read 'THRILLER! 100 MILLION SALES....SELL OUT STADIUMS' "
- Jermaine Jackson
"The greatest entertainer of all time"
- Berry Gordy
One of the greatest artists in the history of music, Michael Jackson has created magic through his exceptional songs and innovative dance and has taken us to places we have never been.
Committed to his art and determined to entertain, he has inspired and continues to inspire a whole new generation of artists all around the world.
Anyone interested in art of any form and anyone who has been touched by his music and dance should read this book.
J . Randy provides an intimate insight into the life of the King of Pop in great detail. He crafts the story diligently taking us from Gary, Indiana where it all began, Jackson 5, father Joseph, solo career, Thriller, plastic surgeries, Neverland, 1993 allegations, 2005 trial, his children ,This Is It tour to his untimely death on 25th June, 2009.
He has succeeded in keeping the story as close to truth as possible, eliminating personal judgement and tabloid stories.I do feel that the author fails to capture the magic of Jackson on stage and is more inclined towards uncovering the Jackson off stage. The writing is structured and pace is smooth.
Understanding the life of this icon is perhaps impossible but this book is an incredible attempt at just that.
- Jermaine Jackson
"The greatest entertainer of all time"
- Berry Gordy
One of the greatest artists in the history of music, Michael Jackson has created magic through his exceptional songs and innovative dance and has taken us to places we have never been.
Committed to his art and determined to entertain, he has inspired and continues to inspire a whole new generation of artists all around the world.
Anyone interested in art of any form and anyone who has been touched by his music and dance should read this book.
J . Randy provides an intimate insight into the life of the King of Pop in great detail. He crafts the story diligently taking us from Gary, Indiana where it all began, Jackson 5, father Joseph, solo career, Thriller, plastic surgeries, Neverland, 1993 allegations, 2005 trial, his children ,This Is It tour to his untimely death on 25th June, 2009.
He has succeeded in keeping the story as close to truth as possible, eliminating personal judgement and tabloid stories.I do feel that the author fails to capture the magic of Jackson on stage and is more inclined towards uncovering the Jackson off stage. The writing is structured and pace is smooth.
Understanding the life of this icon is perhaps impossible but this book is an incredible attempt at just that.
January 23, 2011
A brilliant read. Taraborrelli is one of the few authors who can write about Michael Jackson without being overly biased or opinionated.
I read this book a couple of years ago when Micheal was falling from fame. I have always been a fan so I loved this insight into the smaller details of his life. I think passive fans may find it a little tedious though.
I usually dont read MJ Bio's as authors either seem to hate him or be overly obsessed with him. Randy is neither. He was a friend who simply tells the story of how his friend fell into termoil and despair.
He niether labels him as guilty or not guilty. The Magic and the Madness are presented as facts and its up to the reader to decide what they think about the king of pop.
I read this book a couple of years ago when Micheal was falling from fame. I have always been a fan so I loved this insight into the smaller details of his life. I think passive fans may find it a little tedious though.
I usually dont read MJ Bio's as authors either seem to hate him or be overly obsessed with him. Randy is neither. He was a friend who simply tells the story of how his friend fell into termoil and despair.
He niether labels him as guilty or not guilty. The Magic and the Madness are presented as facts and its up to the reader to decide what they think about the king of pop.
January 14, 2010
Hands down the BEST book about Michael Jackson there is. Tells in explicit details his entire story; the good and the bad. Very insightful. I devoured this book in like 6 days. Cold read it again. A must-read for any MJ fan or really anyone who is curious about his life. Very detailed.
June 8, 2012
Fiction and fabrication
February 28, 2020
How to keep nearly 700 pages biography interesting? That’s how. That’s why 5 stars.
August 9, 2018
"Michael Jackson. Magija. Manija. Visa istorija" - tai daugiau nei trisdešimt metų pareikalavęs žurnalistinis tyrimas , kuriame iki pačios smulkiausios dalelės atsiskleidžia ekscentriškas pop muzikos karaliaus portretas.
Iš tikrųjų šioji Knyga kur kas daugiau nei tik Michael Jackson biografija. Joje ganėtinai didelis dėmesys skiriamas ne tik Knygos herojui , bet ir visai Jacksonų šeimai , žmonėms kurie turėjo vienokios ar kitokios įtakos pop karaliaus asmenybei ir karjerai.Man labai patiko , kad daug sužinojau apie dainų ir albumų kūrimo procesą ir jų įrašinėjimą , apie koncertinių turų organizavimą ir gastroles ir tai, kad ypač plačiai parodoma visa muzikos verslo virtuvė ir jos tamsioji pusė : manipuliacijos , atlikėjų išnaudojimas , sutarčių ypatumai , ryšiai su visuomenę ir t.t. Taip pat buvo labai įdomu sužinot apie tai kaip atsirado legendiniai Jacksono šokio judesiai.
Didžiulė pagarba J. Randy Taraborrelli už tai , kad nors pats yra žurnalistas , nepabijojo parodyti tamsiąją žurnalistikos pusę ir atskleisti kaip gimė visi melagingi straipsniai apie Jacksono asmenybę ir asmeninį gyvenimą.
Šioje Knygoje paliečiama nemažai skausmingų temų : tokių kaip fizinis ir psichologinis smurtas prieš vaikus , apie vaikus kurie dar visai maži įmetami į pramogų pasaulio mėsmalę , taip iš jų atimant vaikystę ir kokias pasekmes tai palieka žmogui.
Apie patį pop karalių iš šios Knygos sužinosit labai daug ir galėsit patys susidaryt nuomonę apie tai koks žmogus buvo Michael Jackson , nes J. Randy Taraborrelli nors ir itin išsamiai aprašo ir analizuoja Jacksono gyvenimą ir asmenybę , išlieka objektyvus ir stengiasi pateikti tik faktus , nekišdamas savo nuomonės , kad patys skaitytojai susidarytų savo nuomonę.
PS: labai liūdna , kad šį nuostabų J. Randy Taraborrelli darbą išleido obuolys. Nesu iš tų žmonių kuriems rūpi gramatika , bet net ir man akis badė rašybos klaidų tvanas. O dar ir Knygos viršelis labai nekokybiškas.
Iš tikrųjų šioji Knyga kur kas daugiau nei tik Michael Jackson biografija. Joje ganėtinai didelis dėmesys skiriamas ne tik Knygos herojui , bet ir visai Jacksonų šeimai , žmonėms kurie turėjo vienokios ar kitokios įtakos pop karaliaus asmenybei ir karjerai.Man labai patiko , kad daug sužinojau apie dainų ir albumų kūrimo procesą ir jų įrašinėjimą , apie koncertinių turų organizavimą ir gastroles ir tai, kad ypač plačiai parodoma visa muzikos verslo virtuvė ir jos tamsioji pusė : manipuliacijos , atlikėjų išnaudojimas , sutarčių ypatumai , ryšiai su visuomenę ir t.t. Taip pat buvo labai įdomu sužinot apie tai kaip atsirado legendiniai Jacksono šokio judesiai.
Didžiulė pagarba J. Randy Taraborrelli už tai , kad nors pats yra žurnalistas , nepabijojo parodyti tamsiąją žurnalistikos pusę ir atskleisti kaip gimė visi melagingi straipsniai apie Jacksono asmenybę ir asmeninį gyvenimą.
Šioje Knygoje paliečiama nemažai skausmingų temų : tokių kaip fizinis ir psichologinis smurtas prieš vaikus , apie vaikus kurie dar visai maži įmetami į pramogų pasaulio mėsmalę , taip iš jų atimant vaikystę ir kokias pasekmes tai palieka žmogui.
Apie patį pop karalių iš šios Knygos sužinosit labai daug ir galėsit patys susidaryt nuomonę apie tai koks žmogus buvo Michael Jackson , nes J. Randy Taraborrelli nors ir itin išsamiai aprašo ir analizuoja Jacksono gyvenimą ir asmenybę , išlieka objektyvus ir stengiasi pateikti tik faktus , nekišdamas savo nuomonės , kad patys skaitytojai susidarytų savo nuomonę.
PS: labai liūdna , kad šį nuostabų J. Randy Taraborrelli darbą išleido obuolys. Nesu iš tų žmonių kuriems rūpi gramatika , bet net ir man akis badė rašybos klaidų tvanas. O dar ir Knygos viršelis labai nekokybiškas.
February 8, 2015
May 2014. Here I was in the middle of the Amazon jungle at ~20:00 in complete darkness tripping on Ayahuasca. I was deep into my DMT-induced psychedelic journey with all points of reference lost, the concept of time non-existent, all of my memories, all understanding of life as we know it, gone. I had nothing to cling or hold on to. Not my name, language or even my own parents. Everything was shattered and destroyed - everything except for two names: Michael Jackson and [a person who will remain unnamed]. Those became my only anchors to this world. They meant nothing to me at that moment - just a collection of letters, if I even knew what letters were then. However, these names represented the only beacons that showed me where I departed from, so to speak.
I told this short story, because it amazed me that my subconscious somehow produced and let me hold on to these specific names, since I don't consider them to be my idols. If I could have chosen my own "beacons" I would have cast Hulk Hogan, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Ozzy Osbourne for those parts. But it just comes to show you that my subconscious tried to pick the biggest anchors possible and it probably made the right choice, because I love the Hulkster, Arnie and Ozzy, but they are not larger than life. Michael Jackson is LARGER THAN LIFE. You can love him, you can hate him - you may not even have an opinion on him, but you know the name, you heard the songs, you read the stories and you saw the face (one of them, at least).
That it why I decided to read this book: obviously I knew who he was, but I knew nothing about his life. After some half-assed research, I decided that this book is probably the most objective, thorough and balanced biography out there. And after reading it, I'm pretty sure I was right.
Among other things, the book presented a very comprehensive account of Michael's early years and childhood. For example, having grown up in Europe, I knew very little of The Jackson 5 and how successful the band of sibling was (even knocking off some Beatles' song from the charts on a couple of occasions). But those childhood years were not just interesting as trivia - they went a long way in explaining some of Michael's behavior in his later years. For example his aversion to normal sexual relationships as an adult may be attributed to the fact that, while touring with The Jackson 5, his brothers were fucking groupies three feet away from little Michael's bed in shared hotel rooms. Or how about his father cheating on their mother and almost bragging about it to their children. Those are only a couple of examples of the sexual content a child of Michael's age had to deal with on tour - teen girls and groupies were throwing themselves at the kid since he was only 10 years old. And to top it all off, he was exposed to all of this whilst his mother was trying to raise him in the puritanical traditions of Jehovah's Witnesses. How many shades of fucked-up would you grow up to be if you had to deal with that stuff at his age?
Of course, you can't have a Michael Jackson biography without addressing child molestation charges and accusation of pedophilia. I have to give credit to Mr. Taraborrelli, because even though he was obviously an MJ fan, we did his best to stay objective on this subject and didn't sugarcoat the evidence against Michael (like Jordie Chandler actually having an alarmingly detailed description of Michael's "private parts"). But even having plowed through hundreds of pages on this subject, you don't know if it was true or not. This book, more so than the Bible, is a true test of pure faith. You either believe he was an innocent manchild that just loved the company and friendship of kids, or you believe that he was a broken child molester. There is no way to be sure - no unequivocal evidence to prove one way or the other. But the scary thing about this situation is that pedophilia is such a horrible crime, that when you are accused of it, you are instantly on the defensive. It makes you automatically guilty until proven innocent in the arena of public opinion (not the other way around). And no matter how well you defend yourself, you will never be able to wash away the stench of this accusation. If you saw the 2012 movie The Hunt, you know exactly what I mean.
The author did his best to stay impartial, but it was tough for him, because he wants to believe that Michael is innocent. In my personal opinion, Michael was robbed of his childhood. A lot of people who don't accept it as an explanation for his fascination with children (including the author) point to the fact that when he was growing up, Michael did have toys and time to play, but playing with toys isn't what childhood is all about. Michael missed out on the most important part of those years: developing friendships and bonds with other kids of his age. Katherine and Joe [the parents] discouraged the young Jacksons from socializing outside their own family. How can you develop social skills when you've spent your entire boyhood confined exclusively to your family? I mean, there is no mention of a single friend from Michael's childhood. And the insane childhood he had is not only the root of his strange relationship with kids, but also the root of the many other faults he came to develop. I think that Michael grew up to be many things, good and bad. He was a genius performer, a fashion icon, a gifted dancer and singer - a bona fide Legend. But, the book made it clear, that he was also a narcissist with a huge ego, an attention-whore (to put it in ugly, but true terms) and a head case. What he was not, though, is a pedophile. So I choose to believe.
I told this short story, because it amazed me that my subconscious somehow produced and let me hold on to these specific names, since I don't consider them to be my idols. If I could have chosen my own "beacons" I would have cast Hulk Hogan, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Ozzy Osbourne for those parts. But it just comes to show you that my subconscious tried to pick the biggest anchors possible and it probably made the right choice, because I love the Hulkster, Arnie and Ozzy, but they are not larger than life. Michael Jackson is LARGER THAN LIFE. You can love him, you can hate him - you may not even have an opinion on him, but you know the name, you heard the songs, you read the stories and you saw the face (one of them, at least).
That it why I decided to read this book: obviously I knew who he was, but I knew nothing about his life. After some half-assed research, I decided that this book is probably the most objective, thorough and balanced biography out there. And after reading it, I'm pretty sure I was right.
Among other things, the book presented a very comprehensive account of Michael's early years and childhood. For example, having grown up in Europe, I knew very little of The Jackson 5 and how successful the band of sibling was (even knocking off some Beatles' song from the charts on a couple of occasions). But those childhood years were not just interesting as trivia - they went a long way in explaining some of Michael's behavior in his later years. For example his aversion to normal sexual relationships as an adult may be attributed to the fact that, while touring with The Jackson 5, his brothers were fucking groupies three feet away from little Michael's bed in shared hotel rooms. Or how about his father cheating on their mother and almost bragging about it to their children. Those are only a couple of examples of the sexual content a child of Michael's age had to deal with on tour - teen girls and groupies were throwing themselves at the kid since he was only 10 years old. And to top it all off, he was exposed to all of this whilst his mother was trying to raise him in the puritanical traditions of Jehovah's Witnesses. How many shades of fucked-up would you grow up to be if you had to deal with that stuff at his age?
Of course, you can't have a Michael Jackson biography without addressing child molestation charges and accusation of pedophilia. I have to give credit to Mr. Taraborrelli, because even though he was obviously an MJ fan, we did his best to stay objective on this subject and didn't sugarcoat the evidence against Michael (like Jordie Chandler actually having an alarmingly detailed description of Michael's "private parts"). But even having plowed through hundreds of pages on this subject, you don't know if it was true or not. This book, more so than the Bible, is a true test of pure faith. You either believe he was an innocent manchild that just loved the company and friendship of kids, or you believe that he was a broken child molester. There is no way to be sure - no unequivocal evidence to prove one way or the other. But the scary thing about this situation is that pedophilia is such a horrible crime, that when you are accused of it, you are instantly on the defensive. It makes you automatically guilty until proven innocent in the arena of public opinion (not the other way around). And no matter how well you defend yourself, you will never be able to wash away the stench of this accusation. If you saw the 2012 movie The Hunt, you know exactly what I mean.
The author did his best to stay impartial, but it was tough for him, because he wants to believe that Michael is innocent. In my personal opinion, Michael was robbed of his childhood. A lot of people who don't accept it as an explanation for his fascination with children (including the author) point to the fact that when he was growing up, Michael did have toys and time to play, but playing with toys isn't what childhood is all about. Michael missed out on the most important part of those years: developing friendships and bonds with other kids of his age. Katherine and Joe [the parents] discouraged the young Jacksons from socializing outside their own family. How can you develop social skills when you've spent your entire boyhood confined exclusively to your family? I mean, there is no mention of a single friend from Michael's childhood. And the insane childhood he had is not only the root of his strange relationship with kids, but also the root of the many other faults he came to develop. I think that Michael grew up to be many things, good and bad. He was a genius performer, a fashion icon, a gifted dancer and singer - a bona fide Legend. But, the book made it clear, that he was also a narcissist with a huge ego, an attention-whore (to put it in ugly, but true terms) and a head case. What he was not, though, is a pedophile. So I choose to believe.
September 24, 2022
Iv been a huge fan of Michael Jackson since I can remember when he passed it hurt I got back into his music thanks to my husband after watching This is it this book does not leave anything out the good and the bad very blunt and I loved it Mr. Taraborrelli has a way with words there was many things about Michael I didnt even know about until reading this book how messed up he got the trials him being different etc regardless of all that he will always be my favorite singer of all time.
October 21, 2024
Hard to read and hard to put down.
August 2, 2009
This book was first published in 1993, updated in 2004 (when Jackson was accused of child molestation for the second time.) I've read quite a few of Taraborrelli's celebrity biographies, and this one was particularly interesting because he befriended Michael at an early age. The book is strongest dealing with the first 30 years of Michael's life, from his humble beginnings to child stardom with the Jackson 5 and his enormous success as a solo artist. There were lots of stories about Michael's shyness, his business savvy and the family dynamic. Taraborrelli also wrote about the child abuse allegations in a balanced way. Unfortunately, in later years Jackson's talent was overshadowed by his eccentricity, and this colours the second half of the book. Since Michael died suddenly in June the book has sold well, and I wouldn't be surprised if Taraborrelli writes a further update covering the final years of Jackson's life. Though his style is a tad melodramatic, Taraborrelli seems to know his subject and I would trust his take on it over the myriad of biographies that are abound to appear over the coming months.
July 24, 2011
My Michael. :( Taraborelli's final update to his book is a pretty fair read. You can tell tho, that as Michael gets older and Taraborelli has less and less contact with Michael than he did in the early years, the book slowly moves away from facts and moves into speculation about what Taraborelli "thinks" went on towards the last years of Michael's life. Still he paints a reasonably fair portrait of Michael Jackson. Although die hard fans may be upset at some stories or anecdotes that don't portray Michael in a very positive light, I just tried to keep in mind that like all of us Michael Jackson was a human being, with flaws and faults just like the rest of us. I think that this is the go-to book if you want a reasonably fair and accurate account of the life and sudden death of Michael Jackson.
February 11, 2017
DNF, I'll have to get back to it later, when I'm more motivated :/
June 30, 2016
This book was interesting but it leaves much to be desired. There were many typos, errors and contradictions. I'm not sure how much is actually real and what is just conjecture. The author names many "sources" but does not reveal who these sources are. It's written like an article for The Enquirer. I'm not sure if the author was trying to be nice or mean as he flim-flams on both sides. I think at one point he said he and Michael were friends but real friends don't right gossipy, backstabbing books in order to make money. I was left feeling like I didn't really learn anything about Michael or his life. Just opinions -- and snarky ones at that -- about a so-called friend's version of what his life was.
April 20, 2019
There's a lot to admire about this book. Despite its incredible detail, it rarely lags, and Taraborrelli has a genuine compassion for his subject. But it's severely flawed because it devotes hardly any attention to exploring what Jackson spent most of his life doing (composing and performing music). In a book that runs to over 763 pages, the composition of Off the Wall, one of the greatest albums in the history of pop, gets barely 2 pages, while Dangerous, arguably Jackson's most ambitious work, gets nothing (Thriller fares slightly better at 3 pages). This is ridiculous, and illustrative of how Taraborrelli is far more taken with soap opera and Jackson family politics than with anything to do with MJ's music. The whole story has a huge hole in it.
December 20, 2013
A book written for haters of the King of Pop; Taraborrelli is a hack writer who's style fits the pages of National Enquirer and other filthy rubbish. It's a tome for the herd of gloating and gleeful horde of envious mediocrities rejoicing at the betrayal of a Living Legend. Never before has the mob been driven to a frenzy of slander and libel to persecute a man they fear and don't understand. But then again how can one explain the complexities of the universe to a maggot wallowing in shit.
A vulgar piece of garbage for the small-minded.
A vulgar piece of garbage for the small-minded.
August 29, 2020
If you only read one 700+ page book about Michael Jackson this summer, make it this one!
September 9, 2025
i LOVE this author’s other books (which is why i read this), but this one just missed the mark for me
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