Originally published in 1988, this 2009 edition of Moonwalk has an introduction by Barry Gordy, and an afterword by Shaye Areheart, one of Jackson's original editors.

Fans will love the 1998 sketch by Michael, and his personal signature that appears on the fly leaf. There are other sketches by Michael in the book as well as many great photographs of him and the Jackson siblings and parents.

We know Michael died after an overdose of sleep-aid drugs. This makes his statement on page 172 even more tragic. ". . .the way Elvis destroyed himself interests me, because I don't ever want to walk those grounds myself."

Even though I knew Michael's life story beginning to end, I found reading it in his own words and perspective fascinating. He tells us he was the seventh of his parent's nine children. "I remember my childhood as mostly work . . . I wasn't forced into this business by stage parents... I did it because I was compelled to do it, not by parents or family, but by my own inner life in the world of music." Jackson was five years old when it all began, and eight when fame and fortune came to call.

Carefully Michael relates these early years with a sense of melancholy in his writing voice. Adolescence left an emotional wound with long-lasting effects. He says he became subconsciously scarred by his gangly body and a really ugly case of acne. "The effect on me," he says, " was so bad that it messed up my whole personality."

Long sections of the book deal with how Michael creates his music, dance, and videos. The amount of creativity he put into each as well as the hours and hours of hard work boggles the mind.

His explanation of why he surrounded himself with children makes perfect sense. There is never even the slightest suggestion that these relationships were anything but innocent. "Children notice everything. They aren't jaded. They get excited about things we've forgotten to get excited about anymore. They are so natural too, so unselfconscious. I love being around them, they are amazing people . . ."

There is such a depth of honesty when he talks about the writing of this book. He did it so people could know him, the music he likes, the books, the foods, etc. He was a vegetarian, which is something I didn't know. Also it surprised me that he read poetry, loved classical music, and fine art.

We all know of the deep friendships he had with Elizabeth Taylor and Diana Ross. Not everyone knew how close he was to Marlon Brando, Katherine Hepburn, and Jane Fonda.

At the end of this story (1988) he talks of the tragic passing of many great people who have suffered or died because of pressure and drugs, especially liquor. "It's so sad you feel cheated as a fan that you didn't get to watch them evolve as they grew older. One can't help wondering what performances Marilyn Monroe would have put in or what Jimi Hendrix might have done in the 1980's."

Everything you'll read in Moonwalk makes Michael Jackson's untimely death in 2009 and the manner in which he died ironic. Forget the cruel accusations and debasements our world put him through in his tumultuous last years. He was truly a great artist who like many before him, lived life to the tune of a different drummer, and the world knew him not!