 | Many things had been said und written about Michael Jackson… Some of it is worth reading other would have better never been written…
In here, we would like to present you the probably most important but also most popular and most discussed books about Michael Jackson. Of course we cannot lay claim to completeness, also the personal opinion of someone might to depart from that of the author.
Because of that, this array of literature about the King of Pop only provides a basis which maybe alleviates the buying decision of the one or other book...
| | MOONWALK |
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Author:
Michael Jackson
Publisher:
William Heinemann, London (engl. Ausgabe)
Goldmann (deutsche Ausgabe)
ISBN:
0-434-37042-8 (engl.)
3-442-32510-2 (deutsch)
Year of publication:
1988
Number of Pages:
287 (English)
223 (German)
Photos:
Yes
Text:
Megastar Michael Jackson’s singularly brilliant career and intensely private lifestyle have become a magnificent obsession for millions of rock fans and celebrity watchers throughout the world. His double-platinum singles rocket to the top of music charts with a velocity equalled only by the inevitable accompaniment of wild rumors about his eccentric personal life. Now, for the first time, Michael Jackson breaks the fiercely guarded barrier of silence that has surrounded him in a remarkably candid and courageous book – MOONWALK.
In this intimidate and often moving personal account of Michael Jackson’s public and private life, he recalls a childhood that was both harsh and joyful but always formidable. Michael and his brothers played amateur music shows and seamy Chicago strip joints until Motown’s corporate image-makers turned the Jackson Five into world-wide superstars. Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five have combined sales of over 200 million albums. He talks about the happy prankster days of his youth, traveling with his brothers, and of his sometimes difficult relationships with his family over the years. He speaks candidly about the inspiration behind his music, his mesmerizing dance moves, and the compulsive drive to create that has made him one of the biggest stars in the music business and a legend in his own time. The Guinness Book of Records lists Thriller as the biggest-selling album of all time.
In MOONWALK, Michael Jackson shares his personal feelings about some of his most public friends… friends like Diana Ross, Berry Gordy, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney, Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando and Katherine Hepburn. He talks openly about the crushing isolation of his fame, of his first love, of his plastic surgery, and of his wholly exceptional career and the often bizarre and unfair rumors that have surrounded it.
Illustrated with rare photographs from Jackson family albums and Michael’s personal photographic archives, as well as a drawing done by Michael exclusively for this book, MOONWALK is a memorable journey to the very heart and soul of a modern musical genius.
The book:
Of course a “must have” for every fan. The book offers an often amazing view insight the sensitive soul of an artist who was and is often misunderstood by the world.
| | DANCING THE DREAM |
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Author:
Michael Jackson
Publisher:
Goldmann
ISBN:
3-442-42079-2
Year of publication:
1992
Number of Pages:
149
Photos:
Yes
Text:
Dancing the Dream – Only the power of our dreams can change the world
Experienced, dreamed, and intended – mega star Michael Jackson about the dance of life and the children of the world, about the innocence, the magic and the illusion.
About the author:
Michael Jackson himself.
The book:
The 'bible' amongst the Michael Jackson books; no other book offers a deeper insight at the things Michael is moved by.
| | MICHAEL JACKSON - IN HIS OWN WORDS |
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Author:
Catherine Dineen
Publisher:
Omnibus Press
ISBN:
0.7119.3216.6
Year of publication:
1993
Number of pages:
96
Text:
(extraction from the introduction)
Michael Jackson is a conundrum. But through careful reading of his own words, and those of his family, friends and working colleagues, who he is, the man he is, becomes less of a puzzle.
About the book:
The title already says it: Michael Jackson in his own words, from the beginning of his career up to the lastly added Oprah-Winfrey-interview. The author herself says in her foreword: Michael Jackson is a conundrum. But through careful reading of his own words, and those of his family, friends and working colleagues, who he is, the man he is, becomes lesser of a puzzle. There’s nothing more to say than that. Slightly irritating is the missing of references to the quotations except fewer exemptions. The book is partitioned in subject areas to which Michael anytime said anything: Early Days; Songs, Writing and LPs; Showtime; Fans & Friends, People and Places; Movies; Lifestyle, Psychology and Philosophy; The Jackson Family; Motown & Producers; Video Directors, Musicians and Management; Management and Business Deals; Celebrities; and 1993 Update (Oprah Winfrey interview).
| | MICHAEL JACKSON - UNAUTHORIZED |
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Author:
Christopher Andersen
Publisher:
Michael Joseph London
ISBN:
0 7181 3845 7
Year of publication:
1994
Number of Pages:
341
Photos:
Yes
Text:
Michael Jackson is rated as the greatest entertainer ever. Exactly ten years ago his album Thriller broke all records with sales of 40 million. Since then Jackson’s ambition, business acumen and competitiveness have combined with his unique talent and stadium-packing stage presence to bring him universal acclaim.
Yet although he personally presides over an entertainment mini-empire that has netted him an estimated $200 million, the foundations of his fairytale fame and fortune seem as insecure as his confused and vulnerable persona. From a very early age Jackson has been subjected to unprecedented pressures: a maladjusted family background, unreasonable professional demands on him in a childhood that never was by an abusive and exploitative father; the strain of life as the idol of millions; the greatest crisis of his career – the accusation of child abuse; and his startling marriage to Elvis Presley’s only child Lisa Marie.
Christopher Andersen, acclaimed biographer, looks behind the familiar headlines to assess the complex forces that have made Michael Jackson the enigma he is today: superstar, shrewd wheeler-dealer, emotional cripple. The tortured story Andersen tells with compassion and insight is utterly compelling.
About the author:
Christopher Andersen is the author of many books, including high praised biographies of Mick Jagger, Madonna, Katherine Hepburn and Jane Fonda. A former Contributing Editor of Time Magazine and Senior Editor of People, Andersen writes for a wide range of publications. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and two daughters.
The book:
Unauthorized was released three years after J. Randy Taraborrelli’s The Magic and the Madness. The in places much exerted parallels are hardly to ignore, whereupon it is clearly to say that Taraborrelli has had the better foundations and did a better research. Andersen ostensible concentrates his attention to Michael Jackson’s sexuality and leaves no doubt that he apparently is positive about Jackson being homosexual and respectively has a liability to “little boys”. Indeed he doesn’t make big mistakes but nonetheless every single alleged statement in this book has to be seen with great skepticism. Clear contradictions, for instance regarding the case in 1993, simply being ignored and even descended. The author assigned himself to “reliable sources” in Jackson’s former inner circle but these passages particularly leave no doubt that he is being geared to Taraborrelli and furthermore simply took over some parts of his book.
Generally only recommendable if someone also read the pendant to this book, The Magic and the Madness, and therefore is able to differ between the apparent parallels and inconsistencies. As source of information definitely not advisable.
| | THE MAGIC & THE MADNESS |
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Author:
J. Randy Taraborrelli
Publisher:
Birch Lane Press, New York (1991)
Headline, London (1992)
Sidgwick & Jackson (2003)
Pan Books (2004)
ISBN:
0 330 420050 4
Year of publication:
2004
Number of Pages:
721
Photos:
Yes
Text:
The acclaimed biographer on his greatest subject. So much has now been said and written about the life and career of Michael Jackson that is has become almost impossible to disentangle the man from the myth. Rumors abound; his own statements often fail to clarify controversial issues. The truth may be stranger than fiction, such is the uniqueness of the world in which he lives, and his vision of the world. Recent revelations are only the latest installments of a saga that began decades ago, and add more twists to an already tangled family epic.
This book is the fruit of over thirty years of research. Hundreds of interviews including with Jackson himself (though this is an unauthorized biography) provide access to the very closest circles of the Jackson family and their associates. Cutting through tabloid rumours and innuendo, J. Randy Taraborrelli traces the real story behind the Michael Jackson we see and hear today, 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 reveals the behind-the-scenes story to many of the landmarks in Jackson’s life: his legal battles – including the most recent allegations and shocking arrest – his marriages, his passions and addictions, his children. Objective and revealing, it carries the hallmarks of all of Taraborrelli’s bestsellers: impeccable research, brilliant storytelling and definitive documentation.
About the author:
J. Randy Taraborrelli is the author of eleven books, including the bestsellers Madonna: An Intimate Biography, Once Upon a Time: The Story of Princess Grace, Prince Rainier and their Family, Call her Miss Ross, Sinatra: The Man and the Myth and Jackie, Ethel, Joan – Women of Camelot. J. Randy Taraborrelli lives in Los Angeles.
The book:
Within fan-circles certainly the most controversial book. Nevertheless there isn’t any better biography about Michael Jackson – even if the facts hurt sometimes. Accurately researched and with the clear advantage to also know Michael Jackson personally; written in a favorably style which is at the same time confusing sometimes because of the often used literal speech – this caused the impression that the author had been present during the cited conversations. Taraborrelli carefully covers all areas. He also questions all alleged stories and lights up the background of the .93 case as well as the trial 2005 thereby handling the collected statements of former employees, friends, family members, and the star himself, very carefully. Recommendable particularly in the concluding paperback-edition which was published in 2004.
| | ON MICHAEL JACKSON |
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Author:
Margo Jefferson
Publisher:
Pantheon Books, New York
ISBN:
0-375-42326-5
Year of publication:
2006
Number of Pages:
146
Photos:
No
Text:
Michael Jackson was once universally acclaimed as a song-and-dance man of genius; Wacko Jacko is now, more often than not, dismissed for his bizarre race and gender transformations and confounding antics, even as he is commonly reviled fort he child molestation charges twice brought against him. Whence the weirdness and alleged criminality? How to account for Michael Jackson’s rise and fall? In On Michael Jackson – an at once passionate, incisive, and bracing work of cultural analysis – Pulitzer Prize-winning critic for The New York Times Margo Jefferson brilliantly unravels the complexities of one of the most enigmatic figures of our time.
Who is Michael Jackson and what does it mean to call him a “What Is It”? What do P.T. Barnum, Peter Pan, and Edgar Allan Poe have to do with our fascination with Jackson? How did his curious Victorian upbringing and his tenure as a child prodigy on the “chitlin’ circuit” inform his character and multiplicity of selves? How is Michael Jackson’s celebrity related to the outrageous popularity of nineteenth-century minstrelsy? What is the perverse appeal of child stars for grown-ups and what is the price of such stardom for these children and for us? What uncanniness provoked Michael Jackson to become “Alone of All His Race, Alone of All Her Sex”, while establishing himself as an undeniably great performer with neo-Gothic, dandy proclivities and a producer of visionary music videos? What do we find so unnerving about Michael Jackson’s presumed monstrosity? In short, how are we all of us implicated?
In her stunning first book, Margo Jefferson gives us the incontrovertible lowdown on call-him-what-you-wish; she offers a powerful reckoning with a quintessential, richly allusive signifier of American society and popular culture.
About the author:
Margo Jefferson has written for The New York Times since 1993 and received the Pulitzer Prize in 1995. Her reviews and essays have also appeared in The Nation, Vogue, Grand Street, The Village Voice, American Theatre, Dance Ink, and Harper’s Magazine. She lives in New York City.
The book:
Not a conventional biography. The author spars with Michael Jackson in a very different but nonetheless very interesting way. She not only questions Jackson’s own personality, his behavior, his sexuality and hence resulting problems, but also goes into the subject matter of child stars itself and relentlessly lights up the perspectives of the public. Nonetheless the book is only narrowed advisable. For instance there are lesser mistakes in her researches. The biggest problem for some readers however might be her very special examination of Jackson’s sexuality.
| | MICHAEL JACKSON - THE KING OF POP / THE BIG PICTURE |
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MICHAEL JACKSON - THE KING OF POP /THE BIG PICTURE
THE MUSIC! THE MAN! THE LEGEND! THE INTERVIEW!
AN ANTHOLOGY
Author:
Jel D. Lewis (Jones)
Publisher:
Amber Books Phoenix/New York/ Los Angeles
ISBN:
0-9749779-0-X
Year of publication:
2005
Number of Pages:
296
Photos:
Yes
Text:
Introduction by Jel Lewis (Jones):
I have admired and adored Michael Jackson from the first time I heard his name and listened to his music. I have never been more fascinated by an entertainer before or since. I would like to start off by saying that I’m a huge fan of his and have always wanted to meet him and get the opportunity to shake his hand for bringing so much love into the hearts of so many.
As a huge Michael Jackson fan and as a writer, I wanted to do something and give something back to the entertainer for all the good feelings he has given to me and so many fans across this Country and others. My gift to Michael is this positive book about his life and his music career.
The thought to write this book came to me out of the blue when I was reading an old article about him in the December 4-10, 1999 issue of TV. I enjoyed the feature because it was positive reading. It left me with good feelings, compared to the sick feelings I get when I listen to the television and radio and hear all the negative press about him. So, I decided to take advice from Michael himself and make a change, doing my small part by putting out some positive information about the Superstar!
About the author:
Jel D. Lewis (Jones) is the author of both non-fiction and fiction works, including Amber Books title: The African-American Woman’s Guide to Great Sex, Happiness & Marital Bliss. She has also written and published over 100 short stories for college publications and romance magazines, and nearly 200 feature articles on relationships, health, beauty, nutrition, travel and teens for leading magazines and online publications.
Ms. Lewis (Jones) makes her home in a north suburb of Chicago, Illinois.
The book
Not a biography but a collection of different interviews and speeches, song lyrics, awards and similar milestones of Michael Jackson’s career. Especially in last respect not an all-embracing work but rather a listing of certain works and events. More interesting are the interviews and speeches which are reflected in this book:
- Michael Jackson Talks About the Sabbath
- Oxford Union Speech
- Michael Jackson Talks to Oprah
- Diane Sawyer Interview
- OK Magazine Interview – Part 1
- Barbara Walters Interview
- The Daily Mirror
- TV Guide Interview: December, 1999
- MTV Interview
- USA Today
- TV Guide Interview, November 2001
- Steve Harvey Interview
- VIBE Magazine Interview
- Gold Magazine, England, Interview
| | MICHAEL JACKSON - "INNOCENT" UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY |
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Author:
Ron Stewart
Publisher:
Author House
ISBN:
1-4184-1225-2 (e-book)
1-4184-1224-4 (Paperback)
Year of publication:
2004
Number of Pages:
131
Photos:
No
Text:
Michael Jackson is now in: “THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION”. However, soon he’ll be in: “A COURT OF LAW”. Who under the determination of being either: “NOT GUILTY” or determined “GUILTY” of the alleged charges against him. This book brings out unthought of points, and prospectives, based upon a common-sense. Plus, reveals: “NEW INFORMATION”, based upon a logical analysis and prospective. Of the unrecognized, unrealized, undiscovered, unobvious situations and circumstances about: “THE MICHAEL JACKSON CASE”! Some and more of the questions this book asks, and trys to answer are:
Will Michael Jackson have enough evidence for his defense…?
Do the two separate cases have similar comparisons…?
Were Michael Jackson’s arms bruised because of his handcuffs…?
Can Michael Jackson get: “TRUE JUSTICE” in our current court system…?
Could: “THE CASE OF MICHAEL JACKSON HAVE A DEFENSE, TO HIS CASE HIS DEFENSE ATTORNEYS, MAY HAVE NOT YET THOUGHT OF…?
Is it possible that: “THE MICHAEL JACKSON CASE” could help change: “THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN AMERICA, AND IN OTHER DEMOCRATIC FORMS OF GOVERNMENT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD…?
About the author:
He is a man who has been a periodic inventor. He has held a past patent. He is a man who is creative. He is an author who feels, and believes, that every human being is unique to themselves. Therefore, a genius in their own gifts. He is a common: “AMERICAN JOHN DOE”, who has written this book from a common-sense, logical, analytical, prospective. That researches information not thought of, or maybe realized, unobvious. About whatever he choose to write about. He was born, and raised in San Antonio, Texas.
The book:
In a nutshell: unbelievable bad. Bristled with research- and spelling mistakes. The opinionated syntax and the luscious use of uppercase leading to the fact that it’s very displeasing to read; it is to add that it consists in the fist line speculations which is because of the fact that it has been published before the trial took place.
In short: There are wiser and better ways to invest money…
| | MICHAEL JACKSON - AN EXEPTIONAL JOURNEY |
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Author:
Darren Brooks (Text)
Chrome Dreams
Publisher:
Chrome Dreams
ISBN:
1842401785
Year of publication:
2002
Number of Pages:
98
Photos:
Yes
Text:
Ever since the mid-1970s, music writers and commentators on popular culture have attempt to deconstruct the allure of Michael Jackson. Genius. Legend. Enigma. These superlatives have often been used and all them apply collectively, but none of them individually capture the spirit of this complex, richly-talented man. It is this very inability to define him that marks out the former child star as such a fascinating 21st century icon. From performing at the age of four in the family home, to the most famous man on the planet, he has spent almost his entire life in the public eye.
With more than one hundred pages of in-depth text, dozens of brilliant full-color pictures, many of which have not been seen before, a comprehensive discography, tourography and facts section, this is the story of Michael Jackson – King of Pop.
About the author:
No information; publishing release.
The book:
Very colorful and therefore in parts annoying profile of Michael’s career. Disconcerting: Although it’s indicated as a biography there are fractional wrong dates (Michael Jackson was said to be born on August 25 in one place).
| | MY WORLD - THE OFFICIAL PHOTOBOOK VOL. 1 |
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Author:
Michael Jackson (MJ Licensing LLC)
Title:
My World
The official photobook Vol. 1
Publisher:
MJ Licensing LLC
ISBN:
0-9768891-1-0
Year of publication:
2006
Number of Pages:
52
Photos:
Yes
Text:
-
About the author:
Official photo book though not official recognized by the fan community because of it’s relation to a former business partner of Michael Jackson.
The book:
Photo book with partially very nice and rare pictures, handwritten extracts from the lyrics to “Bad“ and “Black Or White“, “Billie Jean“ and “Smooth Criminal“.
| | MICHAEL JACKSON - THE VISUAL DOCUMENTARY |
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Author:
Adrian Grant
Publisher:
Omnibus Press
ISBN:
1-84449-432-2
Year of publication:
2005
Number of Pages:
248
Photos:
Yes
Text:
Michael Jackson – The visual documentary is the most comprehensive book ever published on the world’s greatest pop superstar.
From the fifties to the present day, it is a complete record of Michael’s moves, grooves and music. Illustrated with hundreds of color and black and white photographs, it includes all Michael’s records, concerts, videos and awards, his public appearances and dazzling performances, memorabilia and records you never knew existed.
From Steeltown to Motown, from the Jackson 5 to his own man, from The Wiz to Thriller, Michael Jackson has been Bad, Smooth, Criminal and Invincible, making History along the way. He’s made the most exciting videos, with the deffest moves, played the most spectacular concerts, and filled the world’s largest arenas. He’s been performing since the age of five, breaking records since he was 11 and a star without equal since the age of 21.
Never far from the media spotlight, Michael’s whole aura often seems alienated from reality. THE VISUAL DOCUMENTARY presents all the facts about Michael as never before. Here is everything you need to know about the world’s most famous celebrity.
About the author:
Michael Jackson – The Visual Documentary has been faithfully compiled by Adrian Grant, a writer renowned for his close affiliation with Michael Jackson, and a pioneer on many Jackson fan related projects.
The book:
Large-sized, very informative and from Michael Jackson official recognized “date book” with all events from Michael Jackson’s life. Offers no room for speculations but sticks to the very facts. Rounded off with several partial rare pictures.
| | BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LOVE - INSIDE THE CASE |
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Author:
Diane Dimond
Publisher:
Atria Books
ISBN:
0-7432-7091-6
Year of publication:
2005
Number of Pages:
340
Photos:
Yes
Text:
The explosive definitive account of the Michael Jackson saga, chronicling the King of Pop’s battles against child molestation charges from 1993 to 2005, from Award-winning journalist Diane Dimond, who broke the story first, over twelve years ago.
Michael Jackson has long captured the world’s attention, first as the dynamic lead singer of the Jackson Five, then during his highly successful breakout solo career. But somewhere along the line Jackson transformed himself into something hardly recognizable and was investigated – not once, but twice – for crimes we could hardly imagine.
Even now, after his unexpected acquittal on multiple charges of child molestation, there is a sense that the real truth behind the allegations is not known. The character of Michael Jackson – from his humble beginnings to his rich career and the birth of Neverland Ranch – is destined for great debate among fans, journalists, historians, and psychiatrists for years to come. In the meantime, there is Diane Dimond, the journalist of record in the Jackson case.
In November 2003, when the Santa Barbara county sheriff’s department conducted another raid on Neverland Ranch, Diane Dimond and her camera crews were the only ones there to capture the moment and report the news to the world. Now, for the first time, Dimond recounts the multifaceted details of the Jackson case, utilizing her extensive notes and sources. What she tells us is a shocking story.
Be Careful Who You Love will take you behind the scenes and into the courtroom of one of the most controversial cases of the decade, while giving readers a dramatic glimpse of one reporter’s vigilance and unending quest to uncover the truth.
About the author:
Diane Dimond: served as chief executive investigative editor and on-air correspondent and anchor for Court TV’s investigative unit. Prior to joining Court TV, Dimond was involved in Fox News Channel’s continuing live coverage of the war on terrorism and also worked at MSNBC, where she anchored news hours and covered the 2000 presidential campaign and recount. She has also worked for National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., and WCBS-TV in New York, and has cohosted a nightly news program on CNBC. In 1990, Dimond became the investigative reporter for the syndicated program Hard Copy, and in 1993 she broke the Michael Jackson story. Time magazine cited her continuing coverage of the ease among “The Best TV of ’93.” Diane lives in New York with her husband.
The book:
This woman is rather obnoxious… This is, in the face of this book, no miracle. Instead of adhering to the facts she’s presenting things in a way that it’s soon clear that she thinks of Michael as a wrongly acquitted child molester. Thereby she primarily refers to statements reckoned of these people who were revealed by court as being “money-grubbing” and “not reliable”. Her methods: doubtfully. Her results: often irreproducible. She seldom questions the statements of the cited persons in her book and instead puts her efforts on the attempt to prove the superstar’s guilt by means of questionable statements by former employees. It doesn’t work because even if someone tries to look at the trial only from the view of the prosecution, you cannot overlook the countless contradictions. Beside the (most lurid, of course) cites from the court transcripts the book also does contain several research mistakes what is even more upsetting because of the allegedly explosive content. This woman should have known better…
| | MY THREE YEARS WORKING FOR MICHAEL JACKSON - DEC. 1990 - Dec. 1993 |
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Author:
Robert W. Wegner
Publisher:
1st Books
ISBN:
1-4033-6860-0
Year of publication:
2003
Number of Pages:
64
Photos:
No
Text:
Many people have asked me, “What is Michael Jackson really like?” My answer has always been, wait and read my book. I have attempted to show part of that lifestyle with this book through my observations. Many things occurred during my three years at Neverland Valley Ranch. From Elizabeth Taylor’s wedding, Oprah Winfrey’s interview of Michael Jackson, and the serving of a search warrant by the Los Angeles Police Department.
I have tried to be very subjective in this manner. And, I have left it up in the individual reader to make up their own mind as to whether the accusation of child molestation is true or false.
The reason for the delay in writing this book is because I signed a wavier which prohibited me from divulging anything confidential about Michael Jackson, MJJ Productions or Neverland Valley Ranch for five years after I terminated my employment.
So, here it is everything that happened while I was employed there.
About the author:
Robert W. Wegner worked three years as a member of security at Neverland.
The book:
Offers a less spectacular insight at Neverland. First and foremost the author complains about Michael’s welsh on giving turkeys to all employees and although he claims to be objective he has his very own thoughts about the possible guilt of the superstar. In other respects he reports about lesser and major events at the ranch, criticizes the safety arrangements and tells about his personal impressions he had during his time there. Wegner didn’t return to his employment after an accident at Neverland.
| | DAS MICHAEL JACKSON KULTBUCH |
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The Michael Jackson cult book
Author:
Thomas Jeier
Publisher:
Bastei/Lübbe
ISBN:
3-404-61135-7
Year of publication:
1988
Number of Pages:
188
Photos:
Yes
Original language: German
Text:
Michael Jackson, megastar. The most successful artist of the eighties. Singer, dancer, actor and as headstrong as a prima donna. Millions buying his records, millions admiring his live performances. As child star he already had a top hit in 1969. Followed by solo albums and his first steps in the movies. 1983 he made music history. His album “Thriller” sold 23 million copies. No one else ever managed that. Michael Jackson, the absolute Number One.
This is the book, every single Michael Jackson-fan has waited for. Full to the brim with interesting news from his life and his world. With far over 100 pictures in color and black and white.
About the author:
No information.
The book:
Interesting, throughout positive journey through the life and world of Michael Jackson. Even the usually critical viewed themes like plastic surgery and the eccentric private life of the star are explained in a plausible way, yet defended. A number of interesting photos topping off the book.
Remark in the margin: On the book cover Michael Jackson has blue eyes…
| | MICHAEL JACKSON - DAS PHÄNOMEN |
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| Michael Jackson – The Phenomenon
Author:
Jochen Ebmeier
Publisher:
Atlantis – Schott
ISBN:
3-254-08380-6
Year of publication:
1999
Number of Pages:
264
Photos:
Yes
Original language: German
Text:
He is the most recognized mortal of the earth. He is also the most attacked. Nobody else has brought his coevals to discuss as Michael Jackson did. This book firstly presents the world career of Michael Jackson in another coherence: It is as well a biography as a little story and aesthetics of the modern entertainment art.
Michael Jackson: unresting artist, exceptionally gifted singer and dancer, hard-headed business man, eccentric bad boy, King of Pop – loved and admired by millions. This book tells the biography of the world star – from the beginnings in Gary/Indiana, where little Michael and his brothers got famous under the regime of their ambitious father to the course and highlights of his solo career until today, while Michael Jackson is celebrating his glamorous comeback after years of hostilities. There are reports of his being a child star, of role models like James Brown, of recording in the legendary Motown-studios, of his Moonwalk world premiere, of his collaboration with producer Quincy Jones, the creating of triumphal successes like “Bad” or “Thriller”. The divide between white and black music and its overcoming is another matter as well as jawing matches and the loneliness on the crest of the fame.
About the author:
Jochen Ebmeier, born 1947 in Berlin, study of philosophy and history at the Freien Universität. Since 1972 pedagogical active; 1976 – 1983 in France, since 1989 freer enterpriser in Berlin. Professional publishes.
The book:
Certainly the only serious German biography about Michael Jackson. Ebmeier manages it with all demanded objectivity to even mention difficult issues and also to lighten up the further environment of the star. Thereby he regards to the artist and human being Michael Jackson with the same intensity.
| | GROWING UP IN THE JACKSON FAMILY |
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: autobiographical Overall impression:
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Author:
LaToya Jackson
Publisher:
Knaur
ISBN:
3-426-02402-0
Year of publication:
1991
Number of Pages:
364
Photos:
Yes
Text:
If someone hears the name LaToya Jackson you immediately think about the band Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson. Thereby, it seems, the family stands for love, discipline and coherence. LaToya clears up with these imaginations: The all-surrounding love in reality is nothing else than brutality, and the coherence within the family is in reality nothing else than blind obedience. The children couldn’t fend because the power of their parents was so mightful that they could only stand by silently if one of them got beaten-up or was affronted.
LaToya with this book hadn’t wrote only her biography but furthermore she offers an insight in a family like similar ones all over the world and she relentlessly reveals what really stands behind the perfect show of the Jackson clan.
About the author:
Michael Jackson’s older sister, at the same time the “black sheep” of the Jackson family, who made in the first line headlines against her brother Michael to gain attention.
The book:
Already before the book was published, this autobiography enjoyed a great media attention because of a rumor that LaToys would report about alleged sexual abuse of her brother Michael by a family’s relative. If someone bargains for similar shocking revelations this book actually is really tame. Of course LaToya reports about her family, offers an insight in the life with the Jackson’s and reveals a number of private details. Michael’s only reaction on this book of his sister: “Tell LaToya she should tie a stone around her neck and jump in a sea…”
| | MICHAEL JACKSON - MOONWALKER - DAS BUCH ZUM FILM |
Objectivity: - Information content: - Enquiry: - Overall impression:
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Michael Jackson – Moonwalker
The book
Author:
-
Publisher:
Bastei/Lübbe
ISBN:
3-404-11402-7
Year of publication:
1988
Number of Pages:
92
Photos:
Yes
Text:
Four friends having a good time playing soccer when their life suddenly is threatened by the devilish Mr. Big. The super criminal abducts one of the children and is determined to destroy everything that thwarts the realization of his abysmal bad dreams – even Michael.
Lacy cars, hot dances, groovy songs, breath-taking chases and particularly Michael Jackson guarantee for tension and high-level fun in Moonwalker.
The book:
Photo-corollary-book with explaining texts to the movie.
| | MICHAEL JACKSON - THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK |
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: autobiographical Overall impression:
|
Author:
Bob Jones (with Stacy Brown)
Publisher:
SelectBooks, Inc.
ISBN:
1-59079-072-3
Year of publication:
2005
Number of Pages:
163
Photos:
Yes
Text:
Over three decades ago, a fresh-faced kid from Gary, Indiana exploded onto the pop music scene – changing it forever. Michael Jackson – who went onto record #1 hits including “Ben”, “Don’t stop ‘til You Get Enough”, “Beat It” and “Black or White”, among many, many others – became an international phenomenon. But now, after becoming perhaps the most famous African-American entertainer in history, Jackson risks becoming its most infamous.
Bob Jones, a fixture at Motown Records and later head of Jackson’s company MJJ Communications, remains the only source of the true Jackson story. In fact, it was Jones who dubbed Jackson the “King of Pop”. And for over thirty years, it was Jones who was forced to put out public relation fires and give a positive spin to each successive bizarre story relating to the superstar.
In fact, Michael Jackson’s recent arrest on child molestation charges could bring down the curtain on show business’ longest running freak show. Jackson’s endless plastic surgeries and years of bleaching his skin have transformed the handsome pop star into a grotesque caricature of a female alien. It was Jones’ job to clean up Michael Jackson’s many p.r. messes – examples include Jackson sleeping in an anti-aging hyperbaric chamber and the rumors that the eccentric star wanted to buy the Elephant Man’s remains. Through all this off-the-wall behavior, Jackson has insisted that he cares only about children. “They are the future”, he said. Of course, Michael Jackson may love children, but it is his particular affinity for prepubescent boys which has landed him in trouble once again.
On this subject Bob Jones has much to say that the world is eager to hear. This book offers a behind the scene glimpse of a decadent world of fraudulent marriages and poisonous family relations, of drug abuse and voodoo ceremonies. Bob Jones saw the entire dazzling, yet tragic story.
He has been witness to the rise and fall of popular music’s most talked about figure. Touted by Michael Jackson himself as the most honest and loyal man on the planet, Bob Jones watched with a troubled eye as entertainment’s biggest star destroyed both himself and a potentially legacy with self-hatred and self-indulgence.
About the author:
Bob Jones worked for years as a journalist before being Motown Records in 1969 as publicity manager. At Motown, he created and implemented media campaigns for recording artists including the Jackson Five, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, the Supremes, Rick James, the Temptations, as well as many other top artists.
When megastar Michael Jackson formed a communications division of his company, MJJ, he signed on Jones as Vice-President, making him responsible for news media, community and public relations concerns. Jones remained on the job at Jackson’s side for over thirty years.
He lives in Los Angeles, California with his family.
Currently an analyst/consultant for MSNBC, Stacy Brown is the co-author of the book, Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway and her son, Stevie Wonder. A longtime friend and confidante of the Jackson family, he now lives in New York with his family.
The book:
First there is to say that the complete contents have to be handled with care. Bob Jones and Stacy Brown both had been prosecution witnesses of the 2005 trial. In court, Bob Jones suddenly couldn’t remember miscellaneous statements he made although e-mails acknowledged them. In this book Jones’ reveals that both of the marriages of the artist were a mockery, complimented rumors of Michael being homosexual and even isn’t very objective when it comes to the child molestation allegations. Michael may now bitterly regret his former statement of Bob Jones as “being one of the most honest and loyal people on this planet”.
| | DIE JACKSONS |
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: autobiographical Overall impression:
|
The Jacksons
Author:
Joseph Jackson
Publisher:
Random House Entertainment
ISBN:
3-8090-3028-7
Year of publication:
2004
Number of Pages:
255
Photos:
Yes
Original language: German
Text:
He was their father – he became their manager – single-handedly Joseph Jackson created the most powerful clan in the history of pop music: Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, LaToya, Marlon, Michael, Randy, and Janet Jackson!
The happy songs of the Jackson 5, the pushing rhythms of the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson or the hot soul groove of his little sister Janet: Since more than forty years the sound of the Jackson’s elates countless fans all over the world. But in recent times the picture of the ideal pop extended family gets more and more cracks. Therefore Joseph Jackson himself speaks out: In “The Jacksons” for the first time he tells the whole, unvarnished truth about one of the most exceptional families ever exist!
About the author:
Joseph Jackson, Michael’s father
The book:
One may suspect it: Joseph Jackson not only is the only responsible person for the success of his children but also for the success of his most famous son. And actually it wasn’t that bad, at that time, during the childhood of his pupils…
Joseph Jackson indeed tries desperately to maintain the illusion that everyone in the family loves each other, including Michael. This book forces everyone who knows it better to an unbelievable disapproval.
| | MICHAEL! THE MICHAEL JACKSON STORY |
 Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: Overall impression: | Author:
Mark Bego
Publisher:
Zomba Books
ISBN:
0 946391 39 4
Year of publication:
1984
Number of Pages:
125
Photos:
Yes
Text:
In 1969, an energetic eleven-year-old with big, soulful eyes and a voice that could move mountains burst onto the music scene. He was part of a brother act called the Jackson Five, but it was Michael’s magical voice that captured millions of hearts.
Fifteen years later, Michael Jackson is now recognized as the decade’s biggest superstar, and his fascinating story is a phenomenal legacy of talent, work and creative perfection.
Singer, writer, actor, dancer, phenomenon, here, for the first time in book form is the amazing story of his life and career.
The book:
One of the first publications about Michael Jackson – created in a time where the world of the Jackson’s as well as the public world was still in good order…
Several citations of Michael, family members, and companions and many pictures are completing the work.
| | MICHAEL JACKSON |
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: Overall impression:
|
Author:
Robin Katz
Publisher:
Multimedia Publisher
ISBN:
3-88199-149-2
Year of publication:
1984
Number of Pages:
60
Photos:
Yes
Text:
-
Original language: German
The book:
One of the first publications in German. Throughout positive, in the first line on the basis of pictures buoyed biography with lesser background knowledge. Many pictures. Most interesting part is to find i he in roduction of Robin Katz, who met Michael 1972 in Lo don:
“With fourteen, the “m” of Michael could have stood for marvelous. To bet on – no reporter could concoct better questions than this one he throws at the representatives of this guild: ‘Where do you have this caftan from? …My size? …Look at her raspberry-fingernails, are they real? …Do you know one of the Beatles? Why not? Isn’t this Great Britain here?’”
| | MICHAEL JACKSON - ELECTRIFYING |
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: Overall impression: |
Author:
Greg Quill
Publisher:
Sidgwick & Jackson Limited
ISBN:
0-283-99747-8
Year of publication:
1988
Number of Pages:
95
Photos:
Yes
Text:
-
About the author:
Greg Quill is an entertainment writer and music critic fort he Toronto Star. During the 1970s he was a songwriter/guitarist fronting bands in Canada and his native Australia, where he recorded several albums and had a number of chart success. Many of his songs have been recorded by other Australian artists, as well as American and British performers.
The book:
Less critical work which picks up every alleged stories and doesn’t challenge them. Many pictures, particularly from the “BAD”-tour.
| | MICHAEL JACKSON |
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: Overall impression:
|
Author:
Jürgen Seibold
Publisher:
V.I.P.
ISBN:
3-8118-3901-2
Year of publication:
1992
Number of Pages:
80
Photos:
Yes
Text:
In the later 60s and early 70s he together with his brothers as the Jackson Five captured he world. In the beginning of the 80s he broke every record as a solo singer with his album “Thriller”. His masterpiece “Bad” and the current LP “Dangerous” finally secured “Jacko’s” special position in the music business. He is the uncrowned King of Pop in every aspect. His video clips are perfect and fascinating. With them the dance acrobat also visually becomes a pop icon. With his world tour in 1992 finally, which is as well in technically as in personal equipment simply gigantic, Jackson delivers the non-plus-ultra life show par excellence.
About the author:
-
The book:
Throughout kind German biography which is completely orientated to before released English books.
| | THE TRIALS OF MICHAEL JACKSON |
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: Overall impression:
|
Author:
Lynton Guest
Publisher:
Aureus
ISBN:
1-899750-40-1
Year of publication:
2006
Number of Pages:
168
Photos:
Yes
Text:
News of Michael Jackson’s appearances in court on pedophile charges in 2006 was broadcast to hundreds of millions of people around the world. Everyone had opinions about the testimony and the witnesses as the drama was played out in the small town of Santa Maria in California. This book not only tells the story of that trial but of what was secretly going on behind the scenes – a far more important and mysterious tale than that unfolding in the courthouse.
The Trials of Michael Jackson reveals the sensational events which led to the downfall of a megastar at the hands of the mighty Sony Company and an obsessive but compliant prosecutor. Using previously unpublished material, personal interviews and evidence gathered during research on three continents, Lynton Guest uncovers the truth about the bitter feud between one of the biggest corporations in the world and pop music’s greatest legend.
For the first time, the reasons behind Martin Bashir’s infamous documentary and the strange decisions taken by the Santa Barbara prosecutor are laid bare. The incredible machinations of the men from Japan and their American allies were designed to ensure nothing less that the destruction of Michael Jackson and billions of dollars of profit for Sony.
The Trials of Michael Jackson is a roller-coaster ride, from the ashes of a defeated Japan in 1945 to the twenty-first century celebrity culture which now spans the globe. It provides the most authoritative look yet at the music business and its extreme excesses over the last forty years. But more than anything else The Trials of Michael Jackson shows how the man who gave us Thriller, the biggest selling record of all time, was hunted down and all but destroyed by forces beyond even his control. As Jackson attempts to put his life back together, those who seek to benefit from his demise have not gone away. They remain in the shadows, watching and waiting. It’s time they were held up to the light.
About the author:
Lynton Guest entered the music business in 1967 aged sixteen. As a member of the group ‘Love Affair’, he had a number one hit in fourteen countries with one of the most iconic pop records of the sixties, ‘Everlasting Love’.
In the 1980s Lynton went to Kings College, London, where he graduated with honours in Ancient and Medieval History. While studying at Kings, he began writing prolifically for newspapers and magazines and had his first book (on the business of football) published in 1990. Three more books on football followed, all of which were sports best-sellers. During this time he also contributed regularly to the London Sunday Telegraph.
In 2005, Lynton released a CD of remixes of some of his favorite records from the sixties, including ‘Everlasting Love’. The CD, called ‘OnceAndFuture’ by Science of Sound won the prize for the Best Compilation CD of 2005 at the Los Angeles Music Awards. He is an Associate of Kings College.
The book:
Long awaited and by many contrarieties accompanied book by an author who had appropriate practice in the music business. Not always absolute plausible, Guest shows the many contradictions and inconsistencies of the trial against Michael Jackson, ventures excursions into Sony’s and its executive’s history and reveals the real reason for the taking place and realization of the trial: it has all been (a Japanese) conspiracy.
The main issue clearly concentrates to the machinations and habits within the record industry and Guest explains more or less plausible why Michael Jackson had been manipulated by Sony in a big style and how it is possible that one of the formerly richest superstars in the world today almost is bankrupt. Thereby Guest faces the star good-willingly and admiring and he rather questions the machinations of his environment. For adherents of the conspiracy-theory of course this book is a bonanza; the rest of us at least get knowledge of several details behind the scenes of the trial and about how the world of entertainment really works.
| | THE MANY FACES OF MICHAEL JACKSON |
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: Overall impression: |
Author:
Lee Pinkterton
Publisher:
Ozone Books
ISBN:
0-7119-6783-0
Year of publication:
1997
Number of pages:
64
Photos:
Yes
Text:
Michael Jackson is the most commercially successful recording artist of all time. He has sold 210 million records and has won over 60 awards. He is much more than just a singer – he is a dancer, choreographer, songwriter, producer, film maker and humanitarian. His music and videos have touched so many people that he can no longer ever be regarded as a mere recording artist – he is a pop culture phenomenon.
This unofficial biography documents the career of Michael Jackson – the King of Pop from his early days in the Jackson Five to the present day.
The book:
Michael’s history reduced to 34 sides (minus pictures) – can this work? The answer certainly had to be: No. The author is rather exerted to centralize all written stories and tales about Michael Jackson as curt as possible without getting into own speculations, but this only works conditional. The pictures inside this colorful biography also compensate in a very sparse way. The book cannot give consideration to its title.
| | THE BAD YEAR |
 Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: Overall impression: |
Author:
Rick Sky
Publisher:
HarperCollinsPublishers
ISBN:
0 00 638373 4
Year of publication:
1994
Number of pages:
185
Photos:
Yes
Text:
Michael Jackson – bestselling artist and electrifying performer – is adored by millions around the globe as the King of Pop. But on 23 August 1993 came the accusations of child abuse which shook the world and stunned his fans. A furious flurry of claims and denials, allegations and counter allegations followed. Then, as the lawyers squared up to do battle, Jackson flew to Europe and disappeared amidst rumors of drug addiction and breakdown.
Now, drawing on his many interviews with Jackson and those closest to the enigmatic star, Rick Sky tells the truth about those traumatic months. From behind-the-scenes on the Dangerous tour and the dramas at Bangkok to his friendships with Elizabeth Taylor and Macaulay Culkin Michael Jackson: The Bad Year reveals a fascinating portrait of the man behind the myth.
About the author:
Rick Sky is the pop music editor of Britain’s Daily Mirror, and has interviews almost all of the world’s top rock stars. He has contributed to dozens of publications around the world, including Spin, The Chicago Tribune and Max, and is the author of The Show Must Go On: The Life of Freddie Mercury and The Take That Fact File.
The book:
Probably the most comprehensive collection of facts/statements/claims of the .93 case. Rick Sky allows in a relative unconditional way everyone to get a word who at that time had to say anything at the issue. Thereby he goes into sexual details and often a sensitive reader may feel that so many “witnesses” can’t go wrong. For this is to add that of all those people quoted in this book only a fistful really did testify against Michael Jackson during his trial in 2005 and that these who appeared in court were exposed by the defense as being incredible very soon. After all Rick Sky abdicates to tell his own opinion and because of that the book seems to be an impassible register of statements and claims from that time. A chronology of the case tops the book off. As a source for information about the Chandler case this book is conditional recommendable but after all it’s not that bad as the title may assume it.
| | DAS GROßE LEXIKON ÜBER MICHAEL JACKSON |
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: Overall impression:
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The big lexicon about Michael Jackson
The compendium of the King of Pop: All singles, albums, hits, flops, rumors and truths
Author:
Marcel Feige
Publisher:
Lexikon Imprint Publisher
ISBN:
3-89602-504-X
Year of publication:
2002
Number of pages:
430
Photos:
Yes (only black and white)
Original language:
German
Text:
Many things had been written about Michael Jackson – but not everything of it matches the truth. In this book Marcel Feige collects all important information and facts about the superstar and reveals rumors and facts.
Michael Jackson’s career for many people is like a fairy tale. Since childhood he stands in the spotlights, trimmed to be a star – if Michael Jackson has moved anything in the last 30 years than musically. The records he’d broken are countless as well as his awards. Until today no one has ever outdone him. Inasmuch he still has the right for his title ‘King of Pop’. With his soul, his funk, his disco and his pop he created hymns for eternity in the seventies but particularly in the eighties.
“If the rock-historians in the future will look back at the eighties, they’ll see a decade of great music-idols”, journalist Casey Kasem explains. “They’ll write about the charisma of ‘boss’ Bruce Springsteen, about the show talent of Madonna, about the energy of Prince, but… mainly they’ll write about the most exciting phenomenon, a sensation called ‘Michaelmania’.”
“The big lexicon about Michael Jackson” presents the unique career of a musical genius, from the very beginning with the Jackson 5 up to The Jacksons to the point of his ground-breaking solo career, which starts in 1979 with the album “Off the Wall”.
But not only Michael Jackson’s music stands in the center of this book – his family, his friends and wife’s are as well presented as musical companions, producers and fans. In addition there’s an extended discography, a register of all video clips and a large service part.
About the author:
Marcel Feige, born in 1971, lives as an author in Berlin. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf has published following books: “Deep in techno – the complete story of movement”, “Big Brother TV – how reality-soaps change the TV”, “Tattoo Theo – the tattooed of the Kiez” and “Forever tattoo – the history of tattooing in Germany”. Lexikon Imprint has published “The Tattoo- and Piercing-Lexicon” and the “Comic-Lexicon”. Marcel Feige also can be find in the internet: www.marcel-feige.de
The book:
What does the inclinational reader expect from an almost 430 pages strong book named “The big lexicon about Michael Jackson”? Well, certainly not the following: Started with a listing of speculations regarding the Chandler-case, above a report of a HIStory-concert in Hockenheim [Germany] in which songs are listed that had never been played during this tour, up to virtually constant negative presentation of Michael Jackson in the core, this book conveys even to the most objective reader nothing but prejudice, speculations, and questionable interviews even – in one case – with a “former Jackson-fan”.
These collected flood of disrespects isn’t to revalue even by the real information – the prosaic listing of single and album releases of Michael Jackson is adumbrated by “information” – and therewith speculations! – about his sexual life and continuously repeated citations. Misinterpretations (Michael Jackson admits in his song lyric’s ‘I’m not going to spend my life bein’ a color’ [Black Or White] that he doesn’t want to be black) and the continued discussion of Michael Jackson’s private life makes this book nothing but an annoyance. If someone’s looking for a good lexicon, he or she should adhere to Adrian Grant’s “The Visual Documentary”. With this, the only conclusion had to be: keep your hands off!
| | FREAK! INSIDE THE TWISTED WORLD OF MICHAEL JACKSON |
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: Overall impression:
|
Author:
David Perel and Suzanne Ely
Publisher:
Harper Entertainment
ISBN:
0-06-077598-X
Year of publication:
2003/2005
Number of pages:
311
Photos:
Yes
Text:
Wacko Jacko – A pop superstar since the age of eleven. Michael Jackson went on to earn enormous wealth and international adoration. But by the 1980s, things had already begun to get weird, what with Michael’s bizarre facial reconstructions and skin bleaching, his odd preoccupations and phobias, and his unhealthy obsession with young boys. Before the eyes of the world, Michael Jackson was unraveling, culminating in his shocking indictment on child molestation charges. FREAK! is the riveting, no-holds-barred story of the rise and fall of a true American icon – a blazing star who spun madly out of orbit.
With 8 pages of revealing photographs and new information on Jackson’s indictment and trial.
About the authors:
David Perel is the editor-in-chief of the National Enquirer and President of AMI Books. His investigative journalism has been praised by the New York Times, Columbia Journalism Review, Los Angeles Times Magazine and ABC’s “Nightline”. He has appeared as an expert commentator on many TV news and began his career at The Washington Post.
Suzanne Ely is an adjunct assistant professor of entertainment journalism at The New School University in New York City. She is a former editor for Star Magazine and reporter for the National Enquirer. She has covered celebrities, film, music, travel and popular culture for national publications, including In Touch, Blender, Interview, Esquire and USA Today. She has a master’s degree in journalism from New York University.
About the book:
Directly on the first side you’ll find a definition of the word “freak” – what spontaneously tempted to not read on. If you nonetheless do so, you’ll find yourself confronted in its course with solely negative statements of miscellaneous coevals whose background neither get questioned nor get explained. Interesting appendages come to grief in the very same moment by questionable statements that cancel out its relevance. So in one sentence it’s mentioned that Michael says he would suffer from vitiligo – but because his sister LaToya claims that this isn’t true and that he had always liked “white boys” at all it’s pretty soon clear who’s the one who gets believed.
Generally the book is orientated to the biography “Unauthorized” by Christian Anderson and almost seems to be a copy of that book. Again there’s a register of statements by former ex-employees claiming to have witnessed a lot but strangely all of them disappear when the trial finally started in 2005. Rumors are not only specified but they are also presented as facts and they get interpreted at the same time…
Side-long discussions about an alleged Winnie-the-Pooh-Tattoo which (demonstrable) never existed (as proved by the trial in 2005), the attempt of a plausible explanation why the marriage with Lisa Marie Presley already was a fake and finally the last sentence (“He’s the oddest and most outlandish creature on earth – a FREAK!”) only punctuate the blank value of this book.
Attention:
There are two versions of this book available; one more actual version from the above mentioned authors and one, released in 2003, by Nick Bishop for AMI Publish. The content is, with exception of the newer parts inside the reprint, are identical, only the photos are different.
| | MICHAEL JACKSON - MAKING HISTORY |
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: - Overall impression:
|
Author:
Adrian Grant
Publisher:
Omnibus Press
ISBN:
0.7119.6723.7
Year of publication:
1998
Number of pages:
32
Photos:
Yes
Text:
A lavishly illustrated full color photo book featuring an exclusive interview with the King of Pop
* Michael Jackson openly talking about the ‘History World Tour’, his music & future
* A look at the mega-hit singles and videos from the History album, including Scream, You Are Not Alone, Earth Song and They Don’t Care About Us.
* Michael’s spectacular short movie – Ghosts.
This book has been compiled by Adrian Grant, a close associate of Michael Jackson for the past ten years. Making HIStory offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the world’s biggest pop superstar in action.
About the book:
Indeed elaborate photo book including an interview in which Michael speaks out about songs like “Blood On the Dance Floor” and “Tabloid Junkie”. Alone because of that rarely quoted interview and because of the many photos recommendable.
| | ALL THAT GLITTERS |
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: Overall impression:
|
Author:
Raymond Chandler
Publisher:
Chanadon Publications LTD
ISBN:
0-9541973-8-0
Year of publication:
2004
Number of pages:
348
Photos:
No
Text:
“He [Michael] said that we had a little box, and this was a secret – and it’s a box that only he and I could share. You put the secret in the box and nobody can know about what’s in the box but him and me. He said that we weren’t conditioned, but if this box were revealed to other people, like regular people of today’s society, they’re conditioned and so they would believe it was wrong. And so that’s why I shouldn’t reveal what’s in the box.”
(From the boy’s 1993 interview with a psychiatrist)
The 1993 Michael Jackson scandal has remained a closely held secret for over ten years. Other than speculation and innuendo, the facts have never been revealed – UNTIL NOW. Inside All That Glitters, Ray Chandler, the boy’s uncle, provides the hard evidence. From the day the boy met Michael, through six months of frenzied publicity, and into the scarring years that followed, this is a story told by one who witnessed the events as they unfolded, and he has the proof to back it up. Did the King of Pop sexually molest a thirteen-year-old boy in 1993? In this account, the master of reinvention is unmasked.
About the author:
Raymond Chandler was born in New York City in 1946. He attended SUNY Stony Brook, where he earned a B.A. in 1968 and a B.S. in 1975. After moving to Santa Barbara, California in 1976, he worked in the construction field for twenty years. He earned his J.D. from the Santa Barbara College of Law and was admitted to the bar in 2001. He currently practices law in Santa Barbara.
About the book:
Indeed there’s something positive to say: lurid persons will hardly get satisfied. Raymond Chandler fortunately abdicates on detailed descriptions of the alleged “abuse”. Of course he takes them granted as a fact and of course he presents the view of the victim and his family members. At the best the impressions of Evan Chandler regarding Michael Jackson are interesting. The author tries to imply that Evan chandler never had the intention to extort Michael Jackson, but that doesn’t work one way or the other. After all the implicate of the impression that its Michael Jackson’s own blame that he found himself detached in the public’s view left a bad taste. But because of the explanation attempts, the in partial odd argumentation (why does Michael Jackson have one of the most experienced lawyers if he’s actually innocent?), plus the second half of the book, only consisting of one question: How can we destroy Michael Jackson? and with that nip of every sense of objectivity in the bud the final result must be that this only is an annoying book.
The author constantly complains about the fact that Evan’s conversation had been taken out of context but he does all the same in the second half of this book with extracts from J. Randy Taraborrelli. There also is to mention that the author himself warns of often using the 4-letter-word… rightly.
| | MY FAMILY THE JACKSONS |
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: Overall impression:
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Author:
Katherine Jackson
Publisher:
St Martins Mass Market Paper; St. Martin's paperbacks ed edition, NY, NY, USA
ISBN:
0-312-92350-3
Year of publication:
Oktober 1990
Number of pages:
226
Photos: Yes
The author:
Katherine Jackson, Michaels mother
The book:
The family story told from the view of Katherine Jackson. The book is to read unspectacular but at least contains some anecdotes about Michael.
| Michael Jackson - King of Pop
|
Objectivity: Information content: Enquiry: Overall impression:
|
Autor:
Christian Marks
Publisher:
X-Medien AG
ISBN:
3-9806524-1-6
Year of publication:
2001
Number of pages:
304
Photos:
Yes
Original language: German
Text:
-
About the author:
-
The book:
Large-sized & official = incredible good? Unfortunately not. Partially very bad picture qualities, stolen interviews, everything without any references, and for that an unbelievable high price – commonly that’s called racket.
Doesn’t offer any surprises of the contents. Really annoying in addition the demand that the books were dedicated exclusively to its readers – some who knows Michael also know his hand-writing…
Legitimate in no way the astronomic high price; the only advantage – compared to the entire coverage unimportant, though – are a few rare pictures of Michael.
| | TOUCHED BY THE JACKSONS |
Objectivity:
Information content:
Enquiry:
Overall impression: |
Author:
Phoenix
Publisher:
Spirit Publishing
ISBN:
0-9663719-0-9
Year of publication:
1998
Number of pages:
224
Photos:
Yes
Text:
Phoenix… a name so legendary in itself. A name that stands for power, grace, and strength. Only a name such as Phoenix could represent the man behind it, for he is Phoenix, and he is rising…
The multi-talented Phoenix has been captivating audiences for over a decade as a dynamic singer, dancer, and impersonator, mirroring the world’s greatest entertainer in history – Michael Jackson. Phoenix’s God given talents and his extraordinary impersonation of the King of Pop himself, have taken him all over the globe, performing with numerous world renown celebrities. Phoenix, a loyal admirer of the world famous Jackson family for almost three decades, was inspired as a child to follow his dreams, wanting to be just like one of the Jackson Five. With enough determination, sweat, and perseverance, he made his dreams a reality. And his dreams continue to come true with his compelling new book about the world’s most famous family in entertainment… the Jackson family.
You will become transfixed in this story of the Jacksons and their incomparable success, their trials and tribulations, and most importantly, their honorable family values, and how they have influenced Phoenix’s life. This moving tale of the Jacksons’ Triumph as a family, their Victory as recording artists, and their Destiny to be the world’s greatest family in entertainment, will inspire you und have you feeling that you were touched by the Jacksons!
The book:
In the strict sense this is the biography of “Phoenix”, this is why it primarily refers to his story and his admiration for the Jackson 5. Thereby it concentrates in the first instance on the music. Principally it’s about the impressions of a fan who watched the history of the Jacksons from the beginning and finally became an impersonator of Michael Jackson himself.
| | SEARCHING FOR MICHAEL JACKSON'S NOSE |
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No information because it's not a book about Michael Jackson
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And other preoccupations of our celebrity-mad culture
Author:
Scott Feschuk
Publisher:
McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
ISBN:
0-7710-4752-5
Year of publication:
2003
Number of pages:
228
Photos:
No
Text:
Warning! Mature subject matter!
The pages between these covers contain plenty of strong opinions on the nature of television and celebrity, some coarse language, a bit of naughty nudity, loads of shrewd insights, plus an awful lot of laughs. Scott Feschuk’s send-up of our second-most favorite entertainment is not intended for little children, even though there are no scenes of violence, and it’s possible that some humorless adults (and network executives) will be offended by this gleeful satire of what we watch on television.
Among many other scandalous revelations about the twisted seductions of the boob tube, Searching for Michael Jackson’s Nose Provides shocking evidence that reality television is tame (or should that be “lame”?) in comparison to the reality of television. So be warned, this book holds enough exposés and parodies of this familiar yet scary medium – and the celebrities and sometimes monstrous personalities it has spawned – to make you throw your remote at the screen.
Readers’ discretion is strongly advised.
About the author:
Scott Feschuk is the National Post’s television critic – or was when Searching for Michael Jackson’s Nose went to press. Who knows what fiendish pressure will be brought to bear on his employer once Hollywood gets its mitts on it? Should he survive the storm of praise and criticism this book will undoubtedly elicit, Feschuk might just try his hand at another one.
About the book:
Despite its abusive title (of course chosen fully aware) the book itself only deals with Michael Jackson on two sides. That is, when the author argues of the question how future newspaper headlines about the superstar may look like.
Sample?
BUBBLES THE CHIMP SUES JACKSON
Via Gestures, Suggests King of Pop Touched Him “Down there”
Also Claims He Wrote All of Bad, Most of Dangerous
In other respects this book deals in a satirical way the medium television and its accompaniments.
| | MICHAEL JACKSON | 
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(Minibook)
Author:
Sabine Waldbach
Publisher:
Heye Mini
ISBN:
3-453-13951-8
Year of publication:
1998
Number of pages:
128
Photos:
Yes
Original language: German
Text: (Introduction)
Scandals and hits, derisive detractors and millions of loyal fans all over the world – Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop” is a phenomenon.
Already as child he became an acclaimed star, since the 70s he’s recording solo albums and with his album “Thriller” he eventually managed the final rise to a superstar.
But where does this man come from? What is his private life like? How about the childhood of the singer, who broke during the year’s one sale record after another?
Those and other questions this book will answer to.
About the author:
No information.
The book:
Preposterous, at the best because of its unconditional size for collectors interesting “creation”.
Doesn’t even answer one question, not least because of its size. Only contains photos of the adult Michael.
| | REDEMPTION - THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MICHAEL JACKSON CHILD MOLESTATION ALLEGATIONS |
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Author:
Geraldine Hughes
Publisher:
Branch & Vine Publishers, LLC
ISBN:
1-57688-036-2
Year of publication:
2004
Number of pages:
184
Photos:
No
Text:
What really happened in the 1993 child molestation case involving Michael Jackson?
For the first time since 1993, the sole legal secretary of Barry Rothman steps forward with new information about the 1993 child molestation case against Michael Jackson and notes the striking resemblance between the 1993 case and the recent allegations. Barry Rothman was, of course, the attorney of Dr. Evan Chandler, the father of the then 13-year old boy whom Mr. Jackson allegedly molested.
In order for justice to be served, all the facts have to be presented. Ms. Hughes’ reason for writing this book is to let the world know that the entire ordeal was an elaborate plot to extort money from Mr. Jackson. There are facts concerning this case that never came to the public’s attention – facts that will cast a shadow of doubt over the allegations.
Why did the small cry of a child make us forget the Michael Jackson we have known for three decades? His only acts toward children prior to the allegations were to love, care and nurture them. How did we forget that, instead of wasting his millions on alcohol and drugs, he has spent his millions to save the lives of children across the world?
For all of the millions that Michael Jackson gave, for all of the love that he has shared, for being a peacemaker… Gob gave Michael Jackson a Ram In The Bush.
It’s never too late for the truth. It’s never too late for Redemption!
About the author:
Geraldine Hughes, one of L.A.’s top legal secretaries, worked for Barry Rothman, the attorney who represented the father of the little boy who accused Michael Jackson of child molestation in 1993. She is a 23-year veteran litigation legal secretary with later experience as a law office manager.
She is also an aspiring gospel singer/songwriter who was called to the mission field.
Ms. Hughes is currently fulfilling her ministry call as an urban missionary working with at-risk children in Watts, California.
Redemption: The Truth Behind the Michael Jackson Child Molestation Allegations is her first book.
About the book:
The author is assured of Michael Jackson being innocent. Although this book certainly contains some profoundly issues which had been overlooked by the media all too gladly – it is in some ways hard to read. Continued judicial definitions and repeated bible quotations leave no doubt about the distinct deism of the author. Also it may not be forgotten that – despite all information – that Geraldine Hughes had actually never been present during the conversations between Barry Rothman and his client but attends to the available matters, as well as any other author of this issue does, or to heard word-frazzles when, for example, Evan Chandler left the office.
Without any doubt, “Redemption” certainly is an immense important book which indeed cannot reveal the backgrounds of the .93 scandal but at least is able to put another aspect on it.
| | MICHAEL JACKSON - AMERICAN MASTER |
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Author:
C. Mecca
Publisher:
Cam Publishing
ISBN:
0-9655174-0-3
Year of publication:
1996
Number of pages:
237
Photos:
Yes
Original language:
English
Text:
“Michael Jackson American Master” is more than a chronicle of the accomplishments of a man. It transcends his childhood, and bypasses the title of the King of Pop. It defines mastership, and elevates Michael Jackson to Master of our time and generation. It incorporates the element of self-help, and addresses the many issues facing our world today. In using intuition and inspiration along with the creative thought process, it brings the readers to the realization that they also can attain the same mastership quality in their own lives.
While Michael Jackson is the megastar of the world, his creativity and talent encompass more than his musical expertise. Michael’s keen insight und interpretation of the world are more than his singing and dancing. His artistic gifts reflect in every aspect of his life, and spread throughout the planet. His sensitivity to the universal principles of nature if apparent in his ability to comprehend and experience his life by being be true to himself. The populace observes such accomplishments with wonder and awe.
Each of the twelve chapters can be treated as a journey, through which the reader becomes aware that Michael Jackson is the true example of a master for our time. Join Michael in discovering the mastership qualities which are inherent in each of us.
The author:
Any individual who is manifesting the gifts of his talent is the vehicle to share the components of the very core of his being with others. C. Mecca has spent years attempting to discover the true essence of life. This purpose has driven her on an endless journey into many diverse fields, from education to youth home management. She has worked with children most of her adult life, and is concerned for the welfare of all the children on our planet.
The components of life are encased within the whole scope of creation and the universal principles from which they originate. In her desire to have a comprehensive understanding, the author has spent years studying through two of her greatest passions - - children and books.
It became apparent that the passions of others held the clue. She realized that her understanding must be recorded for future generations in accordance with the universal laws of which the masters are an integral part in enhancing man’s understanding. Her works could have never been accomplished without acknowledging the masters’ creativity and comprehension of the invisible forces of the universe, which embrace all of us as we experience life on the planet.
In harmony with the teachings of the master, and applying the techniques of Michael Jackson in using his one’s own creativity, proper networking, and taking previously-applied methods to a higher level, Michael Jackson American Master was self-published by the author and a team of talented, courageous, dedicated and committed people.
Watch for C. Meccas next book, “Michael Jackson: Pathway to the Master”.
The book:
In progress
| | DAS MYSTERIUM VON MICHAEL JACKSON UND SATHYA SAI BABA |
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The Mystery of Michael Jackson and Sathya Sai Baba
Author:
Margot Schürings
Publisher:
Adwaita
ISBN:
3-934281-00-1
Year of publication:
1999
Number of pages:
192
Photos:
No
Original language: German
Text:
• A provocative book which conflates what seems to be completely incompatible to the thinking
• The “King of Pop” and the greatest scientist of all times are guideposts for forgotten knowledge and the awakening from a century-old dream of humanity
• Michael Jackson and Sathya Sai Baba are unique, everyone in his way. Abused and beloved – libeled and praised – mortified and glamorized
• Margott Schürings, Doctor of Philosophy, has selected Michael Jackson and Sathya Sai Baba for this book, they are not elected
• The first and only book – world-wide – that lightens up the spiritual side of Michael Jackson
• For all those who had gone consciously on the journey at which goal you will notice that this was just a journey from yourself to yourself…
… the dream proceed…
this time it is a daydream…
About the author:
Margot Schürings, Doctor of Philosophy
The book:
- in progress
| | JACKO - HIS RISE AND FALL |
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Jacko: His Rise and Fall. The Social & Sexual History of Michael Jackson
Author:
Darwin Porter
Publisher:
Bloodmoon Productions
ISBN: 978-0-9748118-5-7
Year of publication:
2007
Number of pages:
542
Photos:
Yes
Text:
Despite Michael Jackson’s spectacular fame, no one has ever published a comprehensive biography with inside information about his highly dramatic life. All of that changed with the release of this book.
Meticulously researched over several tumultuous decades, it explores and explains many of the secrets that Michael Jackson wanted to keep hidden from the world. It examines the man behind the myth, a public figure whose eyes are often hidden behind dark glasses, his face obscured by an even darker mask.
It’s peppered with quotes from the subject himself. But for deeper insights, author Darwin Porter turned to the hundreds of Jackson associates who were linked to the growth, maintenance and decline of this spectacular career and severely bruised public image.
Ironically, long after the headlines died, thousands of celebrity watchers and pop music fans continued their obsession with this charismatic star, wildly celebrating his acquittal from child molestation charges in California. But after restless wanderings in Bahrain, Ireland, England, and France, where Michael will go next is a question the author tires to answer.
Ironically, everyone who knows Michael’s music, but despite its commercial and artistic success, the world is more concerned with what he does whenever he’s not onstage. His saga is unique in the American entertainment industry, moving from the poverty of America’s Rust Belt (Gary, Indiana) to the oil-enriched desert sands of Bahrain, with detours en route to Neverland, Michael’s private Land of Oz.
The most talked-about and written-about megastar in history, Michael Jackson is stranger than we ever knew, as will be revealed within the pages to come.
This is the story of a brown-skinned boy with a big nose who moonwalked his way into “the world of white”, with a re-sculpted face and financial assets that the rest of the world seemingly felt free to pillage. Michael’s talent was and is the stuff of legends: He didn’t exactly pounce out of the womb singing and dancing… but he came close.
Michael is Peter pan, the child-man who invited to his bed boys who were too young, yet too far advanced in their savvy not to react, sometimes with venom. Jordie Chandler walked away with $25 million after “sleeping over”. Cancer-stricken Gavin Arvizo, who sued Michael and lost, got nothing.
During the 1980s, at the peak of his career, Michael was the most famous man on the planet, a sex symbol known for wearing fetish gear and grabbing the crotch onstage. Post-millennium, he became the object of ridicule and scorn, hounded by the press and by the courts, the object of as many as 50 new lawsuits a year. This book examines the route of his decline. It’s a story of a pop-culture icon who wandered into a treacherous Garden of Eden and tasted its forbidden fruit.
This biography will lead you to a rare, behind-the-scenes look at Michael Jackson, with insights into a glittering cast of characters that only a lifetime like his could have linked together. They include Jackie Onassis, the Reagans, the Clintons, Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Madonna, Princess Di, Prince (the singer), Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Tatum O’Neal, Brooke Shields, Sammy Davis Jr., Coretta Scott King, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy Jr., Johnnie Cochran, Sophia Loren, Frank Sinatra, Louis Farrakhan and even Lisa Marie Presley and that dad of hers.
Enquiring minds might ask: “Is Michael a pedophile or an innocent victim of his own fame?” You decide. Within this book, like the evidence in a jury trial, it’s all spread out before you.
It’s been said that what Michael wants engraved on his tombstone is: “Don’t Judge Me.” Hopefully, after reading this book, observers of the Jackson saga might form some unexpected conclusions of their own.
The author:
In addition to “Jacko: His Rise and Fall”, Darwin Porter has penned at least four other unauthorized biographies. Each of these has salvaged the otherwise forgotten oral histories of America’s entertainment industry, and each of them has appeared in serialized form in major newspapers of Britain. They include “The Secret Life of Humphrey Bogart: The Early Years (1899-1931)”; “Howard Hughes: Hell’s Angel”, a book about the Hollywood involvements of an American emperor; “Brando Unzipped”, a “lurid, raunchy, and perceptive” biography of Marlon Brando that’s “as X-rated as the man himself”; and “Katharine the Great”, a starkly unapologetic exposé of the life and personal quirks of über-diva Katharine Hepburn.
The book:
Currently the most updated biography, even containing the World Music Awards 2006 and his return in the United States. Unfortunately, there’s nothing else positive to say about this practically exclusively on Michael’s sexuality focused “work” (which, of course, isn’t cleared at all). The content is to summarize lapidary in few words: Michael Jackson is gay – only he doesn’t know it right now. Therefore everyone else does who has known him for one or the other issue.
Frightened enough, the author obviously was present during private telephone calls and conversations between Michael Jackson and his friends. The language is mostly raunchy (that concerns as well the comments of the questioned celebrities); since long time confuted rumors are presented as the “truth” and the fact, that Michael Jackson suffers from vitiligo gets persistently ignored. By 542 pages one should expect authenticy; instead the author simply hasn’t done his homework. He confounds events, names songs wrong (“Strangers in Moscow”, etc.) and obviously wasn’t himself present by really important incidents (trial, WMA performance) or doesn’t need to inform himself about it. That’s why his ‘report’ from the WMA is bristled with mistakes. The great announced answering of such essential questions like “Who is the biological father of Michael’s children?” of course doesn’t work at all. After all his claims are partly so profoundly and personal that possibly a legal reaction of the concerned people seems at least possible (what doesn’t have to include Michael himself).
| | MICHAEL JACKSON - FACTS FROM THE DANCEFLOOR |
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| | MICHAEL JACKSON - THE KING OF POP'S DARKEST HOUR |
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| | MICHAEL JACKSON - THE SOLO YEARS |
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| | MICHAEL JACKSON & THE JACKSON FAMILY |
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| | MICHAEL JACKSON - THE KING OF POP |
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