Before You Judge Me

May 2, 2016
Frequent collaborators Smiley and Ritz (My Life with Maya) trace the roller-coaster weeks leading up to the unexpected 2009 death of music icon Michael Jackson in this sympathetic, if not entirely revelatory, tale of musical highs and personal lows. In the 16 weeks leading up to what would have been Jackson’s comeback tour, what was originally set to be 10 shows became 50, adding to Jackson’s already anxious demeanor about returning to the public eye. Smiley and Ritz wisely spend as much time on the ins and outs of Jackson’s managerial team as they do on his emotional health. As well as the war over who would manage Jackson, the book covers much behind-the-scenes rumbling from the Jackson family, who were eager to stage a Jackson reunion concert. Jackson wanted no part in this but reluctantly considered it to please his mother, Katherine. Smiley and Ritz underscore Jackson’s childlike fascination with cartoons and toys while nimbly sidestepping the unsavory molestation allegations and court battle, and they show how he found the most freedom when lost in the joys of music, both performing and creating. Woven throughout is Jackson’s disturbing dependence on heavy-duty drugs for sleep—he referred to propofol as “milk.” His accidental overdose death is all the more tragic in the context of a time when it seemed his career was getting back on track. Agent: David Vigliano, AGI Vigliano Literary.

May 1, 2016
TV and radio host Smiley (My Journey with Maya, 2015, etc.) and his frequent writing collaborator Ritz tell the story of the 16 weeks preceding the death of singer Michael Jackson (1958-2009).Before he died, the King of Pop was preparing for a series of comeback concerts in London. He was also doing a lot of shopping, playing with his three children, watching Shirley Temple movies, making questionable business decisions, receiving almost daily Botox injections, taking an increasing number of prescription painkillers, and suffering from a degree of insomnia that caused him to enlist a doctor to administer the anesthetics that led to his death. The authors delve through a wealth of research material to create a nearly day-by-day account of Jackson's last weeks, with occasional glimpses into his earlier life. Smiley and Ritz are clearly sympathetic to their subject, sometimes to the point of glossing over Jackson's more questionable choices and actions. In occasionally purple prose, the authors ratchet up the suspense and drama of this period of the singer's life, ending most of the brief chapters with some variant on, "Sleep, the most precious of commodities, eluded him," or "sleep, precious sleep, comes not at all." The most intriguing sections of the book unravel the complicated business relationships in which Jackson was involved, his attempts to separate himself from his parents and siblings, and his efforts to push his art further while his fans were demanding more of the same. The authors, who set out to understand why their subject died at 50, end up asking a different question: "Given the extraordinary obstacles he faced, the stresses that pulled him apart, how did Michael survive as long as he did?" This compact biography should please Jackson's fans even if it doesn't break new ground in exploring the singer's life.

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Starred review from April 1, 2016

On June 25, 2009, when Michael Jackson, the king of pop, was pronounced dead, the world lost one of its most iconic and influential performers. Fans worldwide mourned the loss. TV and radio host Smiley (Death of a King; My Journey with Maya; PBS's Tavis Smiley) and veteran music biographer Ritz provide a singular examination of the last four months of Jackson's life, as he prepared for the blockbuster concert series "This Is It" in London. With compassion and unwavering empathy, Smiley weaves Jackson's music into the turmoil that enveloped the pop star. Drug addiction, financial ruin, the ghosts of the torment he suffered at the hands of his abusive father--all haunted Jackson throughout his life, one he spent searching for privacy, normalcy, and the love of his children. Readers will listen to Jackson's lyrics with a new sense of knowledge and discomfort. Smiley intends to relate an account that will remind readers that, despite his eccentricities, Jackson was human, hence the title. VERDICT This heart-wrenching portrait of Jackson's experience will appeal to fans who wish to remember him for what he was: one of the world's greatest entertainers.--Tyler Hixson, Library Journal

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2016
Just as he did for Martin Luther King Jr. in Death of a King (2014), PBS broadcaster and best-selling author Smiley (a fan of the singer since he was a five-year-old growing up in Indiana), and his collaborator, Ritz, chronicle the 16 weeks leading up to the King of Pop's untimely death. The authors have written the story in the present tense and from inside Jackson's psyche ( Michael realizes he must do what he has long sought to avoid ). Many of the details are sad, bordering on the pathetic ( Michael wanted . . . an upturned nosemuch like the nose of Bobby Driscoll, the child actor hired by Disney to be the voice and likeness of Peter Pan ), but others are delightfully surprising (his admiration for Moby-Dick), and a few are to be expected (his love for Treasure Island). They discuss Jackson's insomnia, peripatetic lifestyle, addiction to painkillers, and belief that things, ultimately, will work themselves out, but always with an emphasis on and deep respect for his unparalleled artistry. This is a sympathetic and admiring look at the final days of a great entertainer who couldn't or wouldn't grow up. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With its release on the anniversary of Jackson's death, Smiley's latest will have an immense media presence and elevated reader interest.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)