Customer Reviews

Ebony Special Tribute: Michael Jackson In His Own Words

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are alot of so called tribute magazines out there. They fall into 3 catagories:

1)Cheaply thrown together in order to make a buck off of Michael. Offering little to no substantial content.

2)Magazines that still vilify him in his death and still feel a need to cover him in lies or negativity. These topics to me include any discussions that involve his appearance or discussion of those false charges which he was found (many forget) NOT GUILTY of.

3)Well, researched, beautiful, work that pays tribute and honor to the man that was Michael Jackson.

This magazine falls into the last catagory. Michael had a longstanding relationship with Ebony, even granting them his last interview and photo shoot. This edition is a beautifully made tribute that the magazine took time in making in order to give fans a true collectors magazine.

What makes this magazine special is that it contains many rare photos from Ebony's own archives, interviews from Michael himself, and reflections from his good friends and employees of Michael (including his hairstylist, which I really liked her memories of him :)). These reflections are not gossip, like what we have been seeing all over the news, but instead, cherished memories of their time spent with him. One of these treats is that from his concert manager who was organizing his tour. He shares with us his last night spent with Michael,the night before he passed. He also speaks about how Michael was so warmed by how the fans had recieved him. It is heartwarming and tender.

This magazine offers much more, but I won't spoil it for anyone. I will just say, if you only get just one, get this one.

If you get only one commemorative issue devoted to Michael Jackson, this is the one. It has beautiful, rare photos from Ebony's archives and an excerpt of a final, in-depth 2007 interview with Michael to promote the 25th anniversary of Thriller. This tribute, unlike most of the others out there, was put together with love and respect for Michael and it shows.

Table of contents are as follows:

8 - chairman and ceo's note: never can say goodbye

11 - introduction: remember the time

12 - context: history

14 - chapter 1 - nova: in the beginning

32 - chapter 2 - supernova: the making of an icon

50 - chapter 3 - metamorphosis

78 - chapter 4 - legacy eternal

I have purchased and read the Rolling Stone, People and Life tribute magazines (not Time Magazine, due to it's negative reader reviews), and this one is by far, the best. It offers a positive tribute to the Legend, as it should be. There are also some great photos exclusive to this magazine and well, the whole thing is just done beautifully. Buy this, you won't be disappointed.

Beautiful photos , all the interviews ever made in Ebony is here,done with respect and dignity and who else than Michael Jackson himself , could really tell the facts and stories.
One of my favorite quotes is from 1981, which means he was only 23 years old, when he said :
"I want to continue to grow. To me, the biggest sin of all sins is to be given a gift, a talent, because it's actually a gift from God, to take that and not to cultivate it and make it grow, that's the biggest sin in the world."
Well,ís'ent the world full of busy people, forgetting their real purpose in life, not conecting to their talent or giving up on persuing what they really want.
Hi thanks for giving me a bad consience, Michael.I'll work on it.
I never was a fan, fan but as so many people, esp. about the same age as him, I grew up with him, and he was always there and his death has affected me deaply.
Therefore it is great a magazine like this excist, giving him the credit for his life and work, no he was not odd, he was an artist above all.

Like the nice pics of Michael, however the introduction was irritating-"we do what black folks do when a loved one passes" what does she think "white folks" do-eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance around the corpse? Michael has fans across the color spectum, so I thought this comment was rather cheap. Also, you can always count on Jesse Jackson to make several racially oriented statements, which he did in his comments before the interview. Black, black. blackness, give it a rest Jesse! Micheal loved everyone, which is part of the reason why he had so many fans.

This book is so beautifully compiled. It truly is a loving, respectful, glorious tribute to a loving, respectful, glorious man! If you love Michael Jackson, this is the book for you. I wrote a letter to Ebony, thanking them for honoring Michael in such a beautiful way. You will not be disappointed. The contributions are full of wisdom and gratitude towards Michael for all he gave to this planet. The pictures are perfect. Enjoy!

I enjoyed this book, immensely. The pictures were awesome. The interviews were open and it seemed Michael spoke from his heart. It brought tears to my eyes to re-live his words and life. I will always cherish and keep this book.

The title of this Tribute Magazine says it all. If you want to know the truth about a celebrity, go directly to the person himself or those who knew him best. (Always "consider the source." Never believe the tabloid press, the tabloid internet sites, or tabloid tv.) As a white person who was not fooled by the attempted, shall I say, "destruction" of MJ, I knew that I had to go to Ebony for the truth. I was not disappointed.
The photos are beautiful and not the grainy type so often seen in other hastily assembled tribute publications.
Michael's words reveal the genius within and the true spirit of the man, God rest his gentle soul.
Well worth the purchase price ...

hard to tell who loves MJ, who doesn't, but you can always trust his own words. Always love you, Michael.

This book has nice photos Mj quotes and contributions from folks like Berry Gordy, Quincy Jones, Smokey Robinson, Suzanne de Passe, Aretha Franklin, Ne-Yo, Raymone K Bain, Al Sharpto and Jesse Jackson,I plan to donate my MJ books to the local library after I've read them. It is a way to get out that he was innocent and that his kind of entertainment talent only happens once. I am a new fan; post MJ's death. To keep his legacy alive we need to spread the word. I'd like to see a book dedicated soley to MJ's humanitarian deeds. He was such a loving and caring person.