Review: Moonwalk by Michael Jackson

4 stars for Moonwalk by Michael Jackson.

I still remember how shocking and unbelievable I find it to be when the media broadcast the demise of Michael Jackson in Jun 2009. My immediate reaction is that I must have heard it wrongly on the radio. After all, the King of Pop is only 50 years old, how can he have breathed his last that soon? But when I start seeing friends' posting one after another in facebook of Michael Jackson's passing, the reality of it all sinks in.

Though I am no fan of this seventh child of the Jackson family, I have long heard of his talent and contributions to music and dance, notably one of his complicated dance techniques which he named moonwalk, to which this book is fittingly titled after.

In his enthralling memoir, Michael Jackson starts off simply by talking about his birth place and family. Growing up with his parents who both love music, he hears it all the time at home and it aids to cultivate his passion to sing at a tender age. The King of Pop reveals that he sings because he truly enjoys it and loves to sing, and not because he is compelled to go into music business as some other child stars are made to. To him, singing is as natural as breathing.

It is obvious that Michael Jackson loves, adores and respects his mother tremendously. In his eyes, Katherine Jackson is a great provider and a very hard working mother. Even with nine children, she treats each of them like an only child with love, warmth and attention. She is fully supportive of their dreams to sing and perform and continues to help them realise their potential through the years. To that end, every one of his albums or the group's albums has been dedicated to their mother.

On the other hand, his father has always been a mystery to him and he thinks that it is due to his father's difficulty to relate on father and son issues. Though a strict fatherly figure, Michael Jackson is quick to point out that Joe Jackson does his fatherly role well to protect his children and look out for their interests; he is always watching for things that can help his children down the road and very on the ball with all the latest stuff to assist in their show business. Nevertheless, Michael Jackson expresses regret for not having developed real closeness to understand his father whose inner thoughts and feelings remains a mystery to him always.

In Moonwalk, Michael Jackson talks much about The Jackson 5, its inauguration and how it evolves over the years as the members all recognise the need to grow with changes and thus are always trying to improve themselves and surprise their audience. He shares on how he gets his education from the stage by watching and learning other talents at work. He also writes about their exciting experience recording with Motown and how the team writes, produces and shapes their music by fine-tuning the song to perfection while they cut a track repeatedly for weeks.

This book is well written chronologically with simple, easy to understand wording and good grammar with well constructed sentences. Regrettably, as I am not a fan of his, I am not able to fully appreciate much of what Michael Jackson shares in great details on his singles, albums and concert tours. I somehow manage to get myself lost somewhere along the way after 55% of the book because there are just too many song titles, world tours, names of recording company and managers to which I am totally clueless. Though Michael Jackson explains and gives understandably good reasons for his behavior and avoidance of the public, I will be fibbing with eyes wide open to say that I am not a wee bit disappointed that there is very little mention of his very personal life in his only autobiography.

Overall, an enjoyable and heartwarming read into the finer details on the contributions and achievements of the late King of Pop to music and dance.

Publisher: Crown Archetype
Publication date: 27 Oct 2010

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The pop singer Michael Jackson breaks the barrier of silence that has surrounded his private life. He recalls a childhood that was both harsh and joyful, the transformation of the Jackson Five into worldwide stardom, his sometimes difficult relationships with his family, and the inspiration and drive behind his music. He also talks about show-business friends such as Diana Ross, Paul McCartney, Fred Astaire and Marlon Brando, and about his decision to have extensive plastic surgery. The book is illustrated with family photographs.

*Blurb from FantasticFiction*

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