Book Review: Man in the Music

It feels good to have completed the book “Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson” by Joseph Vogel and the forward by Anthony DeCurtis. The book was published in 2011. I purchased this book at Livingston Mall's Barnes and Noble for $24.95. I feel as though I completed it too fast. Well, it took about a month to read in between my busy schedule. Once I started reading the novel, I hated to put it down. It is a very well written and entertaining piece of literature. This book was not your ordinary biography of Michael Jackson, this book explored and went in depth about his more creative and visionary side. This showed how his music evolved with changes in his life, social change, and the musical evolution going on around him.



The book is broken down into eight chapters and it is about 269 pages. It includes numerous color photos throughout the book. Each chapter is named after each of Michael’s major solo albums starting with Off the Wall. The last chapter however is called “The Final Years” which still seems unreal to see knowing he has passed on. There is an introduction and that is what will drawn you into the book because it explains how Michael is very passionate about his craft and how he used it to make change and bring people together. People overseas didn’t even know who our American presidents were but they knew Michael Jackson, which is a point mentioned in the book. From his music with the Jackson 5 up until recent times his music is still remains a powerful influence to the world.



Michael was very dedicated to making great music, but the fact that he made history while doing so makes him a historic powerful figure. Breaking down racial barriers, with his video “Thriller” premiering on MTV as the first African American to do so to social barriers, with his song “The Girl is Mine” bringing interracial love to the mainstream with Michael and Paul McCartney feuding over the same woman. This book goes into great lengths to show how Michael was a musical genius.



The breakdown of each album not only talked about each album but what was happening in Michael’s life and around the world at those particular times. Michael’s music had to adjust and evolve to keep his fan base and to stay on top of his game. I even noticed how his music had to change because of the changes in his life from the accusations to the lack of privacy; his music became a bit more aggressive. He even brought more political and social issues to the forefront.



This is a very informative book as it breaks down each album or era of Michael’s career and breaks down each song at the end of each chapter. It also mentions songs from that era that were also unreleased. So if you want to learn more about Michael’s music and his creative mind, this book is great. It’s not a direct biography but it has major points in his life that affected his career. I would love to say more but I suggest you check this book out. I definitely give it a high rating.