10 fascinating Michael Jackson books: the good, the bad, the just plain weird

 

By now, the news has reached every home, every hut, every hamlet across the length and breadth of the globe -- the one-time King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died today after suffering from a cardiac arrest.

While Michael Jackson didn't always put out music that I would go out of my way to listen to (though, for the record, I do own and regularly listen to Off the Wall -- groovy stuff, that), the best part about Mr. Jackson wasn't always his music: it was following his evolution from that of an incredibly talented and handsome young black man to that of a disturbingly odd and distinctly odd-looking white man.

Mr. Jackson is the kind of musician that books, and authors, love -- no matter how much is written about him, it just can't manage to encompass both his incredible talent and incredible eccentricity.

Here are 10 books that take a stab at addressing various parts of Mr. Jackson's life, work, and various legal brouhahas. Some are clearly pro-Mr. Jackson, some are clearly anti, and some just try to get to the core of what this enigmatical man was. A few were written by Mr. Jackson himself.  If you've got a hankering for a glimpse of the real Michael Jackson, you can't do better than to cast your eye here.

1. Michael Jackson Conspiracy - Aphrodite Jones

Remember Mr. Jackson's nutty criminal trial? Of course, how could you forget it. It was like a three-ring circus with all the thrills of Disneyland thrown in for good measure. Ms. Jones' book gives a comprehensive and compact account of every aspect of the trial, while putting forward her belief that Mr. Jackson had been wrongfully and repeatedly vilified by the press.  

2. Dancing the Dream: Poems and Reflections - Michael Jackson

A collection of poems and essays written by Mr. Jackson himself. Great literature? No. P.C.? Oh, yes. Interesting? Definitely.

3. Michael Jackson, the King of Pop: The Big Picture -- The Music! The Man! The Legend! The Interviews: An Anthology - Jel D. Lewis Jones

This enthusiastically (!) titled book actually has a great deal of detailed Jackson-themed information. The book includes lists of his songs, lyrics, and films, descriptions of all his major interviews, and details of his various marriages and their aftermath.

 

4. Jacko, His Rise and Fall: The Social and Sexual History of Michael Jackson - Darwin Porter

This biography weighs in at over 500 pages and is THE most comprehensive Michael Jackson biography around. Every aspect of Mr. Jackson's life, from his experiences of childhood abuse to his funky relationships to his unfortunate interest in the company of young boys is explored thoroughly here in energetic writing.

5. Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness - J. Randy Taraborrelli

Another Jackson biography with some unusual thoughts about the Jacko- Lisa Marie Presley union (which, at the time, my dear old Dad pronounced as about as likely to succeed as a cat and dog married in Thailand. Good call, Dad). A more impartial and less emotional rendering than most Jackson-themed books.

6. Michael Jackson: For the Record - Chris Cadman and Craig Halstead

If it's Mr. Jackson's music, not his crazy personal life  that you're into (and there's no denying the man was one talented singer and songwriter), this exhaustive look at his musical career is the book for you.

7. Be Careful Who You Love: Inside the Michael Jackson Case - Diane Diamon

Another detailed look at the Michael Jackson case, this one with a very different take on the proceedings from Michael Jackson Conspiracy.

 

8. FREAK!: Inside the Twisted World of Michael Jackson - David Perel

The title says it all: this book includes every sensationalist tabloid rumor you've ever heard about Michael Jackson (and some you probably haven't).

9. Moon Walk - Michael Jackson

Mr. Jackson's childhood and rise to fame in his own words. Especially fascinating are the bits of the book that deal with his reminiscences of various celebrities (Marlon Brando, Paul McCartney) and his defense of his decision to have plastic surgery.

10. Thriller 25th Anniversary: The Book, Celebrating the Biggest Selling Album of All Time - Michael Jackson

Remember how crazy popular "Thriller" was when it first came out? We were all listening to it. This book brings it all back, with behind-the-scenes info about the writing and recording of each song and exclusive interviews with a number of the people who worked to make "Thriller" the blockbuster that it became.

R.I.P., Mr. Jackson.