Vanguard Press, September 2009
In 2000-2001, Michael Jackson sat down with his close friend and
spiritual guide, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, to record what turned out to be
the most intimate and revealing conversations of his life. It was
Michael's wish to bare his soul and unburden himself to a public that
he knew was deeply suspicious of him. The resulting thirty hours are
the basis of The Michael Jackson Tapes. There has never been,
and never will be, anything like them.
In these searingly honest conversations, Michael exposes his
emotional pain and profound loneliness, his longing to be loved, and
the emptiness of his fame. You discover why he was suspicious of women
and how only children provided the innocence for which he so
desperately longed.
In his own words, he takes us into the jarring moments of his
childhood and speaks of the measures he took to try and heal. He
divulges how he came to be alienated from his strong religious anchor
and describes his views on the nature of faith. Michael brings us into
his tortured yet loving relationship with his siblings. He opens up
about his father and his yearning for a time when they might finally
reconcile. He talks about his most personal friendships and shares with
us his terror of growing old.
Despite his unprecedented fame and recent death, there remain
unanswered questions about his life. The answers, presented here in The
Michael Jackson Tapes, will both intrigue and move you. You will be
surprised, riveted, and troubled as you peer into the soul of a tragic
icon whose life is an American morality tale and whose flame was
extinguished much too early.
hardcover | ISBN: 9781593156022 | Publication Date: September 2009
Reviews:
"'The Michael Jackson Tapes' includes Jackson talking about his fear of growing old, his relationship with children, his friendships with Madonna and Brooke Shields, and his remarkable shyness around people that made his surround himself with mannequins."
--CNN