People Tribute: Remembering Michael 1958-2009 [Hardcover]

People Magazine (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 2009 | Series: People Tribute

Partly by chance, partly by design-is there anyone else who so wanted to be different?-there was never a life like Michael Jackson's. Preposterously talented, fronting the Jackson 5 from early childhood, he captivated kids, and more than a few grown-ups, with fancy footwork, effortless high C's and charisma to burn.

And that was only prelude. Thriller launched Jackson into a new level of celebrity stratosphere - more media, more attention, more intensity - that even Elvis or the Beatles had never experienced. How he dealt with that fame - how he used it, and how it, arguably, overwhelmed him - became, in later years, the heart of the Michael Jackson story.

Remembering Michael looks back at the triumphs, and struggles, of a life like no other.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Packed with unforgettable photographs and archival reporting, People’s special tribute to the late pop star looks back at a life like no other. From his impoverished upbringing in Gary, Ind., to child stardom, to the unprecedented global success of Off the Wall and Thriller, to ground-breaking videos, his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, and the well-publicized dramas of his later years, Thriller: Remembering Michael Jackson, tells the King of Pop’s story as only People, America’s diary of popular culture, can tell it.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: TIME (August 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1603201319
• ISBN-13: 978-1603201315
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 0.6 x 11.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( J ) > Jackson, Michael

More About the Author

The Sinatra Club, the mob memoir I co-authored with Colombo Family man Sal "Crazy Sally" Polisi will be released by Simon and Schuster's Gallery Books on Tuesday, July 24.
Below is Publisher's Weekly red star review.
And watch for an exerpt scheduled to run in the New York Daily News on Sunday, July 22.


The Sinatra Club: My Life Inside the New York Mafia
Sal Polisi and Steve Dougherty. S&S/Gallery, $26 (384p) ISBN 978-1-4516-4287-2

Polisi's early life was marred by abandonment, abuse, and loss. His greatest joy came from going to the racetrack with his Uncle Tony and listening to stories about famous gangsters--indeed, it was Uncle Tony who introduced him to the Colombo mob family. Polisi's connection to the notorious family would lead him to selling heroin, robbing banks, stealing trucks, and, in 1971, opening an illegal all-hours gambling den dubbed "The Sinatra Club." John Gotti would later become a partner in the business, as well as a friend of the author. Polisi provides fascinating details about some of his crimes as a member of the first "Three-Families hijack crew," which included Gotti's protégée, Ronald "Foxy" Jerothe, and Tommy "Two Guns" DeSimone, the man who inspired Joe Pesci's character in GoodFellas. He also details the murder of Joe Gallo, wars between families, and compelling evidence to suggest JFK's assassination was a mob hit. But in addition to an exhilarating trip though Italian-American mafia history, Polisi's text doubles as a heartfelt memoir, wherein he candidly expounds on the pain of neglecting his family and the devastating losses that eventually impelled him to leave "The Life" behind and testify against his former colleagues. (July)
Reviewed on: 07/16/2012

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good photos, but not a good tribute issue for the King of Pop July 31, 2009

By V. Yakkundi

Format:Hardcover

I was expecting People magazine to do a good tribute issue celebrating Michael Jackson's life and legacy and although part of the issue talks about his amazing music and dancing, nearly half the issue is spent just talking about tabloid garbage. I wouldn't recommend this to any fans of Michael Jackson (myself being a Michael Jackson fan) because of this. Although it did have some very good photos, there was too much tabloid junk to recommend anyone else wasting their money on this.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars what kind of TRIBUTE is this??? August 11, 2009

By Vicky

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

at first, i thought it was good to have it because it was a TRIBUTE to MJ. However, it turns out to be a tabloid junkie itself. A lot of its pages say unfair things about MJ - just like all the tabloids had written about him. Even worst, i can't accept it "creates" a list of reasons for MJ's changing appearance: (page 71) "...lack of education, fading fame, disappearing wealth..." Do you believe that? so, it is not a tribute at all - it is a trash covered with flowers aimed to earn money from MJ's fans.
if u know MJ, even just a little, you have noticed that the way he treated fans, others and even media people (who hunted him like hunting a rare animal) very gently and respectfully. That proves that he was very well-educated. How dare "people tribute" says "he lacks of education"? I can't accept that. this make me feel that this tribute was made by someone who hates MJ so much and stays so unfair to MJ. i regret that i bought it. it is just like wasting your money to buy you angry.
i write this comment because i don't want to see any MJ's fan (i am) do such a stupid thing like i did.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a good tribute August 5, 2009

By educating consumer

Format:Hardcover

Nice photos, but too tabloidly to be a proper tribute..and there's overlap from the Michael Jackson/Farrah Fawcett magazine issue People put out (including any inaccuracies). Anyway, there isn't a whole lot of writing in this "book".

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Good start...then insulting, then tabloid August 19, 2009

By A. Kanik

Format:Hardcover

I was happily going through the book and admiring the "tribute" and the photos and
coverage when bang! I turned the page and was confronted with a delibarately selected "freakish" looking photo of Michael, and a caption that read "And then....things got a little WEIRD."

From then on, the tribute lost is quality, and became tabloid junk. It covered the the man's "oddities." It covered the trial, and so on, but without going beyond mediocre tabloid content and quality.

It was highly disappointing to be presented such material in a so-called "Tribute" on a man of unparalleled talent, genius, success, and humanity. And a man who gave so much to the world, and who inspired and was loved by so many.

Michael Jackson deserved a better, more proper tribute. And so did we. We want more material on the man, the music, the talent that we love...

I remember a comment from his Memorial on June 7th: "There wasn't nothin' strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to go through."

The People Tribute continued on the obsession to focus not on the man's music,
the talent, and extraordinary achievements, but on the tabloid news that was mediocre at best.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A decent tribute August 7, 2009

By Bookloverextraordinaire

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The text of the book is filled with a lot of information that I already knew about Michael Jackson, but I didn't purchase this tribute for that reason. I wanted to see the pictures of Michael that spanned througout the years. This tribute delivers in that regard. There are many pictures that I've seen before, but there are some that I haven't seen. Here are some of the "highlights" of the tribute in my opinion:

1. A letter that he had written in 1984 to his critics. It is in his own handwriting.
2. Some of his art that was displayed in his home that depicted him as a knight and etc.
3. Many pictures of Michael where is looks so joyful and happy in his life.
4. Pictures of collectibles, such as some of the clothing and shoes that he wore. The sequenced gloves.
5. Progression photos from when he was around age 6 to age 50. Personally, I thought he was so handsome before all the plastic surgery, and I thought his nose beautiful just the way it was.
6. A picture of Michael looking at himself in the mirror. You can only see his hands holding a small mirror and him gazing into it. That's probably one of my favorites.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars MJ Tribute October 19, 2009

By Transported Away

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I think that Michael Jackson was the most gifted and talented entertainers that ever lived. I was and still am shocked by his sudden death. I liked the People tribute to him. The photos are great! My only problem is that they should have left out some of the senational stuff. I'm tired of the rehashing of his plastic surgery and things of that nature. Who cares?! I don't! Whether he had a little or a lot, he was still beautiful to me.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Buy, Recommended! July 31, 2009

By M. J. Powell

Format:Hardcover

I was surprised by the value of this book; it has some great pictures in it. I am so happy that I purchased it. There is a lot more than what you see on the internet, and I think it is a nice tribute. I would recommend it for any MJ fan.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have! August 31, 2009

By Becca

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

A must have for any true MJ collector. He will be greatly missed. May he finally have the peace he was never afforded while with us. I hope that someday all the "tabloid lies and 15 minutes of fame junkie reporter's words" will be silenced and the humanitarian that he was be remembered.