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What are the best books about Michael Jackson?

Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

Yeah moonwalk is great. I really like the man in the music too
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

Well after that horrible mistake that I had made. Of getting that Michael Jackson Unauthorized book when I was 15. I still have that really horrible book. And I so wish I could burn that book. But thankfully I had since learn from that mistake. And I had gotten these MJ books that I think are really great. Even though some might have a few mistakes in it. Like the Opus book. I had heard there was some mistakes in it. But I just over look them. The ones in purple I think are some of the very best ones ever written.

Opus book (Though this book might be very hard to come by now. I am very lucky I had gotten it when I did.)
Dancing The Dream
Moonwalk
For The Record
Michael Jackson Treasures
Michael Jackson Platinum Edition Collectors Vault
Michael Jackson (I think that is what it was called. The book is from 1984. And I think the author's name is Stewart Reagan.)
and Michael Jackson: Man In The Mirror along with the years

Both the Treasures and the collector's Vault are really great. Since all sort of stuff comes with them. Back when we still had him. I used to treat my Dancing The Dream book like it was my bible. I just could not get enough of it. I think that is the most greatest book that I had ever read.:heart::wub:
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson: Man in the Music is amazing!
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson and the Blackface Mask

Michael Jackson's Dangerous (33 1/3)

On Michael Jackson

Xscape Origins

Michael Jackson the Maestro

M Poetica: Michael Jackson's Art of Connection and Defiance

Defending A King

The Magic and the Madness
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

I'm a bit off topic here, but I have a question:
There was another thread that listed a lot of MJ-related books in pdf format. I didn't bookmark that page at the time and now I don't seem to be able to find it anymore. Does anybody know what I'm talking about and could post that thread or webpage in here again?
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

Erandi said:
I'm a bit off topic here, but I have a question: There was another thread that listed a lot of MJ-related books in pdf format. I didn't bookmark that page at the time and now I don't seem to be able to find it anymore. Does anybody know what I'm talking about and could post that thread or webpage in here again?
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I think you may be thinking of this http://jetzi-mjvideo.com
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

I would skip The Magic and the Madness
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

Of the ones I've read, so far my list would be:

Man In The Mirror
Moonwalk
The King of Style, Dressing The King Of Pop
Earth Song
Dancing The Dream

Some of the International titles look interesting. I wish Gonzague Saint Bris's book had an Engish version as I don't read French.
 
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Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

Why do some fans keep recomending The Magic and the Madness if it's filled with tabloid crap and innuendo regarding Jordan Chandler (Evan himself was his source)? Interviewing Michael in the 70's doesn't make Taraborelli an MJ expert and with every edition, he changed the details of stories that were supposed to be the same.
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

Well it sheds light into MJ's thinking in the late 70s when he admitted that he never wanted to have his own kids, but would be happy to adopt.
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

I had no idea Jetzi was still around! Wow. That's kind of awesome lol
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

reibish said:
I had no idea Jetzi was still around! Wow. That's kind of awesome lol
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One of the first MJ sites I ever came across, and probably one of the oldest and last still standing. I think the last time before MJ's death I had looked at the site was in the early 2000's, and when I came across it in 2009, I found that almost nothing had been changed, which I loved. Nostalgia at it's finest.
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

Snow White luvs Peter Pan said:
Why do some fans keep recomending The Magic and the Madness if it's filled with tabloid crap and innuendo regarding Jordan Chandler (Evan himself was his source)? Interviewing Michael in the 70's doesn't make Taraborelli an MJ expert and with every edition, he changed the details of stories that were supposed to be the same.
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When I read it, I take the WHOLE thing with a big salt-shaker. There are definitely parts when I roll my eyes, but some things in it make a lot of sense to me, and so I read it fairly objectively. That being said, Taraborelli is someone who makes his living off dramatizing celebirty biographies, but he was quite a good source of sanity during a lot of the media circus after Michael's death (I'm talking about him speaking with fans one on one or on facebook, not his TV appearances, and he talked about the difference in that a lot. I never really watched his TV stuff because it was so rage-inducing, but he has his own 'brand' and persona to promote).

One of the biggest things to take away from MatM is that Michael was not an angel or a saint, and that his public persona wasn't everything about him. The book goes to extremes on both ends of tabloid versus truth, but I think it is good to read only to have additional information. I'm fairly ambivalent on the book but I do read it from time to time. There are certainly truly tabloid BS books out there that I would never touch, but of all the "meh" or tabloidy ones to read, MatM is going to be one to have on a shelf. Many non-fans or casual ones have read it and it's good to know what's in it so things can be spelled out for truth or fiction. I totally understand why people hate it, I was livid the first time I read it, but it's kind of a necessary evil I think.
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

^^The first edition could be the "best" one. It was noticeable he did his homework, if has less tabloid crap and he wrote if with more fairness compared to the latest ones.
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

Very true. There is a noticeable difference between the different editions.
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

The Magic and the Madness did a lot of harm to Michael. So when a book is filled with lies and half-truths how are you going to decide what is "your truth" from it? It's all subjective. Haters use The Magic and the Madness too, only they decide that to them different parts of it "ring true" than to fans. Exactly because it masquerades as some objective book it is very dangerous. It is not objective by any means. It's tabloid and it's written in a deceiving way. For example Taraborelli deliberately did not tell that for much of the Chandler parts his source was Evan. How is that fair and objective? I mean it's OK that he would hear both parties. BOTH. But then the ethical thing to do is to say this claim comes from Evan Chandler. So that then the reader can evaluate the source's bias and agenda. Instead he presented those stories as if they were established facts, not telling who his actual source was. I find it horrifying how myths and lies out of the Taraborelli book are often referred to, even by fans, as facts of Michael's life.
 
respect77;4092425 said:
The Magic and the Madness did a lot of harm to Michael. So when a book is filled with lies and half-truths how are you going to decide what is "your truth" from it? It's all subjective. Haters use The Magic and the Madness too, only they decide that to them different parts of it "ring true" than to fans. Exactly because it masquerades as some objective book it is very dangerous. It is not objective by any means. It's tabloid and it's written in a deceiving way. For example Taraborelli deliberately did not tell that for much of the Chandler parts his source was Evan. How is that fair and objective? I mean it's OK that he would hear both parties. BOTH. But then the ethical thing to do is to say this claim comes from Evan Chandler. So that then the reader can evaluate the source's bias and agenda. Instead he presented those stories as if they were established facts, not telling who his actual source was. I find it horrifying how myths and lies out of the Taraborelli book are often referred to, even by fans, as facts of Michael's life.
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Taraborrelli’s book is rather partial.

Have his arguments (or at least some of them) ever been officially refuted?
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

mj_frenzy said:
Have his arguments (or at least some of them) ever been officially refuted?
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It's up to him to prove any claim he provides without giving a source or evidence. It's also up to him to provide evidence of how he can quote alleged conversations verbatim when he was not in the room. Taraborelli presenting Evan Chandler's claims as if they were facts will not make those claims official truth, just because they are in a book. They are still just the claims of one biased party.
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

respect77 said:
The Magic and the Madness did a lot of harm to Michael. So when a book is filled with lies and half-truths how are you going to decide what is "your truth" from it? It's all subjective. Haters use The Magic and the Madness too, only they decide that to them different parts of it "ring true" than to fans. Exactly because it masquerades as some objective book it is very dangerous. It is not objective by any means. It's tabloid and it's written in a deceiving way. For example Taraborelli deliberately did not tell that for much of the Chandler parts his source was Evan. How is that fair and objective? I mean it's OK that he would hear both parties. BOTH. But then the ethical thing to do is to say this claim comes from Evan Chandler. So that then the reader can evaluate the source's bias and agenda. Instead he presented those stories as if they were established facts, not telling who his actual source was. I find it horrifying how myths and lies out of the Taraborelli book are often referred to, even by fans, as facts of Michael's life.
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THANK YOU.Not only he doesn't say Evan is his source, he claims Michael and his team are his source. I would never refer to this book or use it as a source and I don't own a copy. Just because something is not extremely negative doesn't make it positive or even objective. This is book is mostly tabloid stories and while tabloids get it right every once in a while they're still not reliable. You can find those positive stories Taraborelli presents as his own interviews or conversations if you just look them up, he found most of it in the press and other people books anyway.

Psychoniff said:
Well it sheds light into MJ's thinking in the late 70s when he admitted that he never wanted to have his own kids, but would be happy to adopt.
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"Sheds light into MJ's thinking"? This statement is way too strong for this book. The only thing that "shdes light into MJ's thinking" is MJ's words you hear coming out from his mouth or at least from someone that you know for a fact has spent a lot of time with him. Taraborelli's alleged conversation with MJ are mostly fabricated (and when I say mostly fabricated I mean either they didn't happen with Taraborelli in the room or they didn't happen at all and MJ is being misquoted) so don't even start with "MJ admitted this and that" unless you heard him "admitting" this stuff.

Michael always said he would like to adopt children but he also said he wanted children of his own one day in his early interviews and in his later interviews he said he did have his own children but still would like to adopt "one from each continent". Even if he did say that in his teens, which I don't believe is true plus I've never heard of it - why is it called an admission and why is it quoted here as if it's some sort of proof to anything?

You have just demonstrated how this book is nothing more than a tabloid in disguise of a biography book.
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

InvincibleTal said:
"Sheds light into MJ's thinking"? This statement is way too strong for this book. The only thing that "shdes light into MJ's thinking" is MJ's words you hear coming out from his mouth or at least from someone that you know for a fact has spent a lot of time with him. Taraborelli's alleged conversation with MJ are mostly fabricated (and when I say mostly fabricated I mean either they didn't happen with Taraborelli in the room or they didn't happen at all and MJ is being misquoted) so don't even start with "MJ admitted this and that" unless you heard him "admitting" this stuff.

Michael always said he would like to adopt children but he also said he wanted children of his own one day in his early interviews and in his later interviews he said he did have his own children but still would like to adopt "one from each continent". Even if he did say that in his teens, which I don't believe is true plus I've never heard of it - why is it called an admission and why is it quoted here as if it's some sort of proof to anything?

You have just demonstrated how this book is nothing more than a tabloid in disguise of a biography book.
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Michael did say in at least one interview towards the end of the 70s that he would like to adopt. I think that's where Taraborelli took that from, not through some exclusive access to Michael or his inner circle.

This was in 1977:

Robinson: How many children would you like to have?

Michael: 20. Adopted. All races.
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Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

respect77 said:
Michael did say in at least one interview towards the end of the 70s that he would like to adopt. I think that's where Taraborelli took that from, not through some exclusive access to Michael or his inner circle.
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That's what I said - he talked about adoption all the time, early years and later. What I don't believe he said and have never heard him say, is what's written in the post I quoted above ("he admitted that never wanted to have his own kids").

Another example of Taraborelli's habit to use other's interviews as his own and then misquote Michael, if that's indeed in his book.
 
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respect77;4092444 said:
It's up to him to prove any claim he provides without giving a source or evidence. It's also up to him to provide evidence of how he can quote alleged conversations verbatim when he was not in the room. Taraborelli presenting Evan Chandler's claims as if they were facts will not make those claims official truth, just because they are in a book. They are still just the claims of one biased party.
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They lent credibility to his book by not (officially) refuting any of his claims…
 
mj_frenzy;4092453 said:
They lent credibility to his book by not (officially) refuting any of his claims…
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Who are "they"?
 
mj_frenzy;4092455 said:
MJ’s closest environment (family members, counsels, etc.).
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They never address any ugly rumour or claim, but that does not mean those claims are true. It's very difficult to fight journalists. Michael sued Victor Guiterrez and won a lawsuit against him, yet nothing changed, the media still quoted that guy on MJ as if he was an expert.
 
Re: What are the best books about Michael Jackson

respect77 said:
They never address any ugly rumour or claim, but that does not mean those claims are true. It's very difficult to fight journalists. Michael sued Victor Guiterrez and won a lawsuit against him, yet nothing changed, the media still quoted that guy on MJ as if he was an expert.
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At least they should have showed their intentions (in public) irrespective of the final outcome of the case(s).
 
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