As a passionately devoted Michael Jackson fan (I was blessed enough to have been able to attend his memorial at the Staples Center), and as a musician and fellow published writer, there are many things I could say about this book. But I think the main thing that needs to be said is that in writing a book that focuses on Michael's work rather than attempting to dissect his personal life, Joseph Vogel has, I feel, more accurately and honestly captured who Michael was than any tawdry or dirt-dishing biography ever has or could. Michael WAS his music, and the music was Michael. It's time we all took a minute to give the man's unquestionable musical genius some credit without picking apart every scandalized lie he was beaten down with in the press. This book makes the reader remember just WHY Michael was the one and only King of Pop; unfortunately it also makes his loss all the more painful and deeply felt. We as fans lost a genius singer, songwriter, musician and dancer; the associates interviewed in this book lost a mentor, teacher and FRIEND. Thank you, Mr. Vogel, for writing a well-written, well-crafted and thorough book that should have been written years ago, and for presenting it in a way that makes it easier for people to understand a man who was so greatly misunderstood in life. I wish Michael were still alive to appreciate the gesture. He would have loved this book!
