Everyone knows Michael Jackson—the myth. This is the revealing true story of Michael Jackson—the man. To Frank Cascio, Michael Jackson was many things—second father, big brother, boss, mentor, and teacher, but most of all he was a friend. Though Cascio was just a few years old when he first met Jackson in 1984, at the peak of the pop star’s career, Jackson was at the center of his life for the next twenty-five years, allowing Cascio to observe firsthand the greatest entertainer the world had ever seen. In that time, he became the ultimate Michael Jackson insider, yet remained publicly silent about his experiences. Until now. In My Friend Michael, Cascio refutes the rumors, lies, and accusations that have accumulated over the years, providing a candid look at the Michael Jackson he knew for more than two decades. Offering an uplifting and definitive account of the legend, Cascio details how he grew up alongside Jackson, traveling the world with him on concert tours and eventually working for him. Through this lens, Cascio captures Jackson’s most private and tumultuous moments, while also setting the record straight on the entertainer’s notorious and misunderstood lifestyle—from his Peter Pan reality and his sexuality to the false allegations against him. As Cascio shows, there was a great deal more to Michael Jackson than the headlines about him have suggested. Cascio reveals his friend in all his complexity, bringing to light his passions and joys as well as his flaws and eccentricities. Including stories about Jackson that have never before been made public, Cascio creates a balanced, human look at the pop star, one that shows Jackson as the very real person he was—a lively friend with an endearingly juvenile sense of humor. What emerges is a clear-eyed yet deeply respectful portrait of Jackson—a man who was at times unremarkably average but also terribly scarred by his life in the spotlight. Packed with never-before-seen photos, anecdotes, and insights, My Friend Michael is a trove of Michael Jackson lore that both celebrates his life and redefines our understanding of the man behind the myth.

More than six years after his death, Michael Jackson continues to fascinate the world. Shana Mangatal was one of Jackson's only constant and true rocks of stability for nearly two decades. Their relationship was quiet and sweet and real—a closely guarded secret, known only to a few trusted employees and friends. Shana is now coming forward to tell their love story. Her story is rich with every little detail. She witnessed the scandals, lawsuits, the release of groundbreaking albums and subsequent world tours, big-budget short films, addictions. Michael and Me entertains and inspires, but above all, Shana continues to treat Michael (and his legacy) with respect. This is not an exploitative tell-all, but rather a book that shows the side of Michael people never knew. In it, Shana paints a more intimate picture of this beloved, yet very misunderstood man.

Now in paperback, an intimate, loving portrait of Michael Jackson--Jermaine Jackson illuminates the private man like never before and offers unrivaled access into a rarefied world. Jermaine Jackson--older than Michael by four years--offers a keenly observed memoir tracing his brother's life starting from their shared childhood and extending through the Jackson 5 years, Michael's phenomenal solo career, his loves, his suffering, and his tragic end. It is a sophisticated, no-holds-barred examination of the man, aimed at fostering a true and final understanding of who he was, what he was, and what shaped him. Jermaine knows the real Michael as only a brother can. In this raw, honest, and poignant account, he reveals Michael the private person, not Michael "the King of Pop." He doesn't flinch from tackling the tough issues: the torrid press, the scandals, the allegations, the court cases, the internal politics, the ill-fated This Is It tour, and the disturbing developments in the days leading up to Michael's death. But where previous works have presented only thin versions of a media construct, he provides a rare glimpse into the complex heart, mind, and soul of a brilliant but sometimes troubled entertainer. As a witness to history on the inside, Jermaine is the only person qualified to deliver the real Michael and reveal what made him tick, his private opinions and unseen emotions through the most headline-making episodes of his life. Now with an emotional afterword addressing 2011's dramatic Conrad Murray trial, this biography is filled with keen insight, rich anecdotes, and behind-the-scenes detail. You Are Not Alone is the book for any true Michael Jackson fan and for anyone trying to make sense of the artist whose death was so premature.

"A decade in the writing, the haunting story of a son's quest to understand the mystery of his father's death--a universal memoir about the secrets families keep and the role they play in making us who we are. Michael Hainey had just turned six when his uncle knocked on his family's back door one morning with the tragic news: Bob Hainey, Michael's father, was found alone near his car on Chicago's North Side, dead, of an apparent heart attack. Thirty-five years old, a young assistant copy desk chief at the Chicago Sun-Times, Bob was a bright and shining star in the competitive, hard-living world of newspapers, one that involved booze-soaked nights that bled into dawn. And then suddenly he was gone, leaving behind a young widow, two sons, a fractured family--and questions surrounding the mysterious nature of his death that would obsess Michael throughout adolescence and long into adulthood. Finally, roughly his father's age when he died, and a seasoned reporter himself, Michael set out to learn what happened that night. Died after visiting friends, the obituaries said. But the details beyond that were inconsistent. What friends? Where? At the heart of his quest is Michael's all-too-silent, opaque mother, a woman of great courage and tenacity--and a steely determination not to look back. Prodding and cajoling his relatives, and working through a network of his father's buddies who abide by an honor code of silence and secrecy, Michael sees beyond the long-held myths and ultimately reconciles the father he'd imagined with the one he comes to know--and in the journey discovers new truths about his mother. A stirring portrait of a family and its legacy of secrets, After visiting friends is the story of a son who goes in search of the truth and finds not only his father, but a rare window into a world of men and newspapers and fierce loyalties that no longer exists"--Provided by publisher.

A hilarious tale of history come to life. From the nation's favourite storyteller, Michael Morpurgo, best-selling author of War Horse. Living with a ghost can have its difficulties, I discovered, even if he is your friend. Remember Sir Walter Raleigh, who laid his cloak in a puddle so Queen Elizabeth I could walk across? Well, Bess meets his ghost and finds out she's his ancestor! How will Bess explain Sir Walter to her family? Especially when he breaks her brother's fishing rod, steals a horse and smokes cigars in her room? My Friend Walter is a uniquely funny story, perfect for reluctant readers, from the author of War Horse. Michael Morpurgo has written more than one hundred books for children and won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children's Book Award and has been short-listed for the Carnegie Medal four times.

Damien Crown devotes his life to being his brother's superman. Like all heroes, he's locked in a deadly war with a formidable foe-his brother's depression. Instead of perishing in a climactic battle as comics suggests, he dies at the screech of tires and the blare of a car horn. But in those last precious moments, he regrets not taking off the cape and living his own life. But those regrets don't last long when Death becomes his life-coach. Given a new body and one more year to live, Damien seizes the opportunity to reinvent himself. Forbidden by Death from making contact with his old family, he knows the trek will be hard, but he's happy to leave behind the pressures of his old life. Until his brother attempts suicide. Now, the only way to save his brother is to break Death's rules. But with a life any kid would kill for, Damien finds himself stuck between who he was, and who he wants to be. He can don his cape and die for his brother, or hang it up and finally live for himself.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A moving account of resilience, hope, fear and mortality, and how these things resonate in our lives, by actor and advocate Michael J. Fox. The entire world knows Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, the teenage sidekick of Doc Brown in Back to the Future; as Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties; as Mike Flaherty in Spin City; and through numerous other movie roles and guest appearances on shows such as The Good Wife and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Diagnosed at age 29, Michael is equally engaged in Parkinson’s advocacy work, raising global awareness of the disease and helping find a cure through The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the world’s leading non-profit funder of PD science. His two previous bestselling memoirs, Lucky Man and Always Looking Up, dealt with how he came to terms with the illness, all the while exhibiting his iconic optimism. His new memoir reassesses this outlook, as events in the past decade presented additional challenges. In No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, Michael shares personal stories and observations about illness and health, aging, the strength of family and friends, and how our perceptions about time affect the way we approach mortality. Thoughtful and moving, but with Fox’s trademark sense of humor, his book provides a vehicle for reflection about our lives, our loves, and our losses. Running through the narrative is the drama of the medical madness Fox recently experienced, that included his daily negotiations with the Parkinson’s disease he’s had since 1991, and a spinal cord issue that necessitated immediate surgery. His challenge to learn how to walk again, only to suffer a devastating fall, nearly caused him to ditch his trademark optimism and “get out of the lemonade business altogether.” Does he make it all of the way back? Read the book.

Michael Bennett is a Super Bowl Champion, a three-time Pro Bowl defensive end, a fearless activist, a feminist, a grassroots philanthropist, an organizer, and a change maker. He's also one of the most scathingly humorous athletes on the planet, and he wants to make you uncomfortable. Bennett adds his unmistakable voice to discussions of racism and police violence, Black athletes and their relationship to powerful institutions like the NCAA and the NFL, the role of protest in history, and the responsibilities of athletes as role models to speak out against injustice. Following in the footsteps of activist-athletes from Muhammad Ali to Colin Kaepernick, Bennett demonstrates his outspoken leadership both on and off the field.Written with award-winning sportswriter and author Dave Zirin, Things that Make White People Uncomfortable is a sports book for our turbulent times, a memoir, and a manifesto as hilarious and engaging as it is illuminating.

The investigation and Trial of Michael Jackson lasted from November 2003 to June 2005. Leading up to the trial was jury selection. A man named Jeffrey Welbaum was selected as a juror, more specifically an alternate juror. Jeffrey is a controversial juror due to the fact his mother in-law worked at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch and he was still selected as a juror. Jeffrey was able to keep his notebooks after the trial since he was an alternate juror. There were only several alternate jurors that had notebooks that fully documented the trial. This book is one of them which is a summary or shortened version of the trial that documents what Jeffrey found meaningful from trial testimony documented witness by witness. In 2006, Vincent Amen purchased the notebooks from Jeffrey Welbaum and later the rights to publish them as a book. There is a great value to the notebooks with positive implications. What does a juror note from Trial testimony to ultimately render a verdict? This question may have never been explored before prior to publishing these notebooks. For prosecutors and defense attorneys alike, these notebooks can be helpful in determining how to try cases. Based on all evidence shown and witness testimony, what a juror finds meaningful to note can provide a means to being more effective in organizing and trying a case. Enjoy reading the notebooks and based on what is documented, try to come to your own conclusion or verdict.

In this deeply personal memoir, an Irish Michael Jackson fan reflects on her relationship with the star, who she met hundreds of times, at venues, at hotels, and inside the privacy of his home, and who she last spoke with, at a rehearsal studio in Los Angeles, on the last night of his life. "You're my fairy tale, Michael." "Oooh," said Michael, and he brushed my cheek with his hand, making me flutter. This was the moment, under a starry sky in Las Vegas, when Talitha Linehan told Michael Jackson how she'd viewed him since childhood, not just as a man but as a magical being. It was a perception that never wavered, throughout hundreds of encounters she had with him over more than a decade, in public and in private, at venues and hotels across the world, inside his most famous home, Neverland Valley, and inside his final home, in Los Angeles. In this deeply personal memoir, Talitha recalls a journey that began when she discovered Michael, while growing up in the Irish countryside, and that ended when she last spoke to him, at a rehearsal studio in LA, on the last night of his life. By drawing on diary entries, she reveals the joy and heartache of loving and losing the most famous star on the planet and a man she simply loves with all of her heart. Fans of the star will relate to the emotional heart of Talitha's journey and gain new insight into the man behind the megastar, and his life, in public and in private, during his final years.