On Michael Jackson, Margo Jefferson
Book: 32
Title: On Michael Jackson
Author: Margo Jefferson
Genre: Social science, cultural studies, biography
One-sentence summary: This is at once a biography of Michael Jackson, though not at all a comprehensive or chronological one, and an analysis of his impact on society, society's perception of him, and the social and personal roots of both his talents and his pathologies.
Why did you get this book? I find Michael Jackson to be a fascinating cultural phenomenon, honestly: both who/what he is, and what society wants him to be/has made him into.
Do you like the cover? Silver text on a white background? Sure, whatever. I guess it's a nice little link between Jackson's shiny larger-than-life persona and the this-is-a-serious-cultural-analysis-not-s
Did you enjoy the book? I did. Jefferson's a great writer and her observations are astute. I wish she would have delved more deeply into them, though - the book is short and I felt like though everything she said was true and insightful, there was a lot more to be said, a lot deeper she could have gone. But it was quite good.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Yes, and yes, if she wrote something else I was interested in.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping it. No idea where to shelve it though. Cultural studies? Biography? I have no idea.
Anything else? I actually do feel like I understand Michael Jackson a little better, having read this book. And I consider that no small feat. Nice job, Margo Jefferson.
Scale of 1 to 10: 8/9
Number of pages: 146
Total pages for the year: 9207
Title: On Michael Jackson
Author: Margo Jefferson
Genre: Social science, cultural studies, biography
One-sentence summary: This is at once a biography of Michael Jackson, though not at all a comprehensive or chronological one, and an analysis of his impact on society, society's perception of him, and the social and personal roots of both his talents and his pathologies.
Why did you get this book? I find Michael Jackson to be a fascinating cultural phenomenon, honestly: both who/what he is, and what society wants him to be/has made him into.
Do you like the cover? Silver text on a white background? Sure, whatever. I guess it's a nice little link between Jackson's shiny larger-than-life persona and the this-is-a-serious-cultural-analysis-not-s
Did you enjoy the book? I did. Jefferson's a great writer and her observations are astute. I wish she would have delved more deeply into them, though - the book is short and I felt like though everything she said was true and insightful, there was a lot more to be said, a lot deeper she could have gone. But it was quite good.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Yes, and yes, if she wrote something else I was interested in.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping it. No idea where to shelve it though. Cultural studies? Biography? I have no idea.
Anything else? I actually do feel like I understand Michael Jackson a little better, having read this book. And I consider that no small feat. Nice job, Margo Jefferson.
Scale of 1 to 10: 8/9
Number of pages: 146
Total pages for the year: 9207
