Starred review from September 15, 2015
Is there anything left to say about Michael Jackson? Knopper (Appetite for Self-Destruction, 2009) thinks so. Michael Jackson, or MJ, refused to be limited by his race, gender, musical tastes or styles, even his own facial structure, writes Knopper. He wanted to be the biggest musician in the world, to make sounds no one else had ever made before and more, and he succeeded. But Knopper describes in often disturbing detail the price Jackson paid for his ambition. He chronicles his difficult childhood in Gary, Indiana, and his obvious talent as he quickly became the star of his musical family, transitioning to full-fledged solo star while both his music and his physical appearance changed. After the global triumph of Thriller, after Billie Jean and the moonwalk seen around the world, Michaelmania set in. Jackson broke sales records and racial barriers: MJ integrated radio and MTV. We know what happened nexthealth issues, drug addiction, increasingly eccentric behavior, sex scandals, the growing sense of isolation, and, finally, his untimely death. But to read everything under one cover and in context is very powerful. Yet despite Knopper's best efforts to discover the real MJ, the subtitle could also be The Enigma of Michael Jackson.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)
August 24, 2015
Music reporter and Rolling Stone contributing editor Knopper (Appetite for Self-Destruction) chronicles the meteoric rise, fall, and untimely death of the King of Pop in this inarguably exhaustive but sometimes unsatisfying biography. With hundreds of personal interviews conducted by the author, this may be the most comprehensive chronology of Jackson’s life currently in print. Unfortunately, Knopper errs heavily on the side of business rather than music—even though the book’s title would seem to indicate the opposite—and the various musicians, lawyers, and executives who shaped Jackson’s career (though some hits, like “Thriller,” receive suitably rigorous write-ups). The exception is his coverage of the history of the Jackson 5, which is recounted in extraordinary detail. Knopper also focuses on Jackson’s personal life, especially the infamous molestation charges. Though his attention wanders a bit too far from Jackson’s artistic genius, Knopper has nevertheless produced a fascinating account of the tortured artist’s tumultuous life that will be an invaluable resource to music historians and fans alike. Agent: David Dunton, Harvey Klinger Inc.