In the last few weeks, I have been invading Flipkart and bookstores more often than usual and overstocking my bookshelf. I am not a single genre person; I have tried most with an exception to sci-fi which hasn't yet caught my fantasy. Autobiographies & biographies have become a favorite in the last few years although I can't credit myself for having read too many.
My latest acquisition was something I was particularly excited about and from the time it was delivered to time, I took about 5 - 6 hours and lapped it all up. It is the latest book of on my absolute favorite artists - MJ; called Remember The Time.
His life has always interested me and I have tried to read all I could find about him. This latest book, written by his body guards is an interesting read for one main reason - I don't see them glorifying Michael Jackson for the mega star that he was. The real experiences they had as they protected him during the final two odd years of his life reads as honest and at some points even bitter. He was beyond the regular description of famous, he was a living legend. His music appealed to every section of section and his story of hard work and success right from the Jackson 5 to his solo career making generated interested in all the tabloids. Unfortunately many remember him more for the controversies that surrounded him starting from the late 80s and early 90s.
The book is very easy reading; It is almost like they are sitting across the room and narrating the story to you between sips of chai. It is a long story and yes they give out a lot of details which may make you believe that the book loses paces in some chapters. It is a different perspective (according to me at least) as most of the usual pieces/ books on him focus on the court cases against him on the child molestation counts and all the crazy stuff the media rumored him to be be involved in - sleeping in a special chamber to maintain his youth etc. This book shows a very harsh reality of his final years; where he struggled financially and on the personal front as well. It explains so much of his paranoia - you wouldn't imagine these scenes occurring in the life of a man loved by billions across the world. It talks about how he didn't have a home of his own and was continuously on the move to get away from the glare of the paparazzi; how his life focused only on his children and making music for himself because that made him happy; how they saw him make mistakes in trusting the wrong people as they led him down the wrong path and they couldn't say or do anything. The writers i.e. his body guards continuously reiterate how he always wanted to be left alone with his family.
The book on the whole, leaves you sad; I have to admit (at least I was sad) but there are also glimpses of the small joys in life - beyond the money and the fame. More than anything, there is the realization that actors, singers, artists etc are all human at the end of the day - Their lives, fortunately or unfortunately are no different from us regular people. RIP Michael Jackson !
My latest acquisition was something I was particularly excited about and from the time it was delivered to time, I took about 5 - 6 hours and lapped it all up. It is the latest book of on my absolute favorite artists - MJ; called Remember The Time.
His life has always interested me and I have tried to read all I could find about him. This latest book, written by his body guards is an interesting read for one main reason - I don't see them glorifying Michael Jackson for the mega star that he was. The real experiences they had as they protected him during the final two odd years of his life reads as honest and at some points even bitter. He was beyond the regular description of famous, he was a living legend. His music appealed to every section of section and his story of hard work and success right from the Jackson 5 to his solo career making generated interested in all the tabloids. Unfortunately many remember him more for the controversies that surrounded him starting from the late 80s and early 90s.
The book is very easy reading; It is almost like they are sitting across the room and narrating the story to you between sips of chai. It is a long story and yes they give out a lot of details which may make you believe that the book loses paces in some chapters. It is a different perspective (according to me at least) as most of the usual pieces/ books on him focus on the court cases against him on the child molestation counts and all the crazy stuff the media rumored him to be be involved in - sleeping in a special chamber to maintain his youth etc. This book shows a very harsh reality of his final years; where he struggled financially and on the personal front as well. It explains so much of his paranoia - you wouldn't imagine these scenes occurring in the life of a man loved by billions across the world. It talks about how he didn't have a home of his own and was continuously on the move to get away from the glare of the paparazzi; how his life focused only on his children and making music for himself because that made him happy; how they saw him make mistakes in trusting the wrong people as they led him down the wrong path and they couldn't say or do anything. The writers i.e. his body guards continuously reiterate how he always wanted to be left alone with his family.
The book on the whole, leaves you sad; I have to admit (at least I was sad) but there are also glimpses of the small joys in life - beyond the money and the fame. More than anything, there is the realization that actors, singers, artists etc are all human at the end of the day - Their lives, fortunately or unfortunately are no different from us regular people. RIP Michael Jackson !
