Fiction Books

Peter Pan, by J.M Barrie





Julien’s auction:

1911 Edition of ‘Peter Pan’ This copy of J.M. Barrie’s classic book is estimated at $50 – $100.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach





One of Michael’s all time favorite books.


Kobe Bryant, Remembering Michael, Time Special 2009

One of the things he always told me was, Don’t be afraid to be different. In other words, when you have that desire, that drive, people are going to try to pull you away from that, and pull you closer to the pack to be “normal.” And he was saying, It’s O.K. to be that driven; it’s O.K. to be obsessed with what you want to do. That’s perfectly fine. Don’t be afraid to not deviate from that. One of the books that he gave me that helped him communicate with me was Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which was about that.


Cousin Anthony Jackson on twitter, August 29th 2010:


#messagetomj I remember when you read Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach all the way through in one sitting at Disney World. Thank you for always being there for me and for teaching me to believe in dreams! We miss you..Happy birthday!


Frank Cascio, “My Friend Michael”:

One of the books Michael told me to read on the trip was Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Jonathan, out of all the seagulls saw that here was more to life than just being a seagull – more than what was right in front of him. Michael wanted to live that way – to fly beyond all expectations, to live an extraordinary life. He instilled that ambition in me, often asking me, “Do you want to be Jonathan, or one of the other birds?”


Wikipedia summary:

The book tells the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a seagull who is bored with the daily squabbles over food. Seized by a passion for flight, he pushes himself, learning everything he can about flying, until finally his unwillingness to conform results in his expulsion from his flock. An outcast, he continues to learn, becoming increasingly pleased with his abilities as he leads an idyllic life.

One day, Jonathan is met by two gulls who take him to a “higher plane of existence” in that there is no heaven but a better world found through perfection of knowledge, where he meets other gulls who love to fly. He discovers that his sheer tenacity and desire to learn make him “pretty well a one-in-a-million bird.” Jonathan befriends the wisest gull in this new place, named Chiang, who takes him beyond his previous learning, teaching him how to move instantaneously to anywhere else in the Universe. The secret, Chiang says, is to “begin by knowing that you have already arrived.” Not satisfied with his new life, Jonathan returns to Earth to find others like him, to bring them his learning and to spread his love for flight. His mission is successful, gathering around him others who have been outlawed for not conforming. Ultimately, the very first of his students, Fletcher Lynd Seagull, becomes a teacher in his own right and Jonathan leaves to teach other flocks.

To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee


Wikipedia:

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature. The plot and characters are loosely based on the author’s observations of her family and neighbors, as well as on an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she was 10 years old.

The novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with the serious issues of rape and racial inequality. The narrator’s father, Atticus Finch, has served as a moral hero for many readers and as a model of integrity for lawyers. One critic explains the novel’s impact by writing, “In the twentieth century, To Kill a Mockingbird is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and its protagonist, Atticus Finch, the most enduring fictional image of racial heroism.”

The Old Man And The Sea, by Ernest Hemingway




Listed as one of Michael’s favorite books presented to the Young Adult Services of the Chicago Public Library in 1979, source: “Michael Jackson, The Early Years”


Amazon description:

Here, for a change, is a fish tale that actually does honour to the author. In fact The Old Man and the Sea revived Ernest Hemingway’s career, which was foundering under the weight of such post-war stinkers as Across the River and into the Trees. It also led directly to his receipt of the Nobel Prize in 1954 (an award Hemingway gladly accepted, despite his earlier observation that “no son of a bitch that ever won the Nobel Prize ever wrote anything worth reading afterwards”). A half century later, it’s still easy to see why. This tale of an aged Cuban fisherman going head-to-head (or hand-to-fin) with a magnificent marlin encapsulates Hemingway’s favourite motifs of physical and moral challenge. Yet Santiago is too old and infirm to partake of the gun-toting machismo that disfigured much of the author’s later work:

“The brown blotches of the benevolent skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea were on his cheeks. The blotches ran well down the sides of his face and his hands had the deep-creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords.”

Hemingway’s style, too, reverts to those superb snapshots of perception that won him his initial fame:

Just before it was dark, as they passed a great island of Sargasso weed that heaved and swung in the light sea as though the ocean were making love with something under a yellow blanket, his small line was taken by a dolphin. He saw it first when it jumped in the air, true gold in the last of the sun and bending and flapping wildly in the air.

If a younger Hemingway had written this novella, Santiago most likely would have towed the enormous fish back to port and posed for a triumphal photograph–just as the author delighted in doing, circa 1935. Instead his prize gets devoured by a school of sharks. Returning with little more than a skeleton, he takes to his bed and, in the very last line, cements his identification with his creator:

“The old man was dreaming about the lions.”

Rip Van Winkle, by Washington Irving





Listed as one of Michael’s favorite books presented to the Young Adult Services of the Chicago Public Library in 1979, source: “Michael Jackson, The Early Years”


Amazon Description:

Rip van Winkle is an amiable man whose home and farm suffer from his lazy neglect; a familiar figure about the village, he is loved by all except his wife. One autumn day he escapes her nagging to wander up into the mountains, and there after drinking some liquor offered to him by a band of very strange folk, he settles down under a shady tree and falls asleep. He wakes up twenty years later and returns to his village to find that not only is his wife dead but war and revolution have changed many things. He, on the other hand, although older is not appreciably wiser and soon slips back into his idle habits. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” tells of conscientious schoolmaster Ichabod Crane. Orderly and strict in school, out of school his life is disorderly and his head full of fearful fantasies. He is in love with the beautiful Katrina but has a rival for her hand, a dashing young hero who, together with his prankster friends, plays on Ichabod’s superstitions, notably with the story of a headless horseman who haunts the region. Tragedy strikes when their hapless victim encounters just such an apparition when returning home one dark and especially dismal night…Three equally compelling stories, “The Spectre Bridegroom”, “The Pride of the Village” and “Mountjoy”, complete this collection of classic tales from the inspired pen of Washington Irving, one of America’s greatest writers.

The Verger, by Somerset Maugham





Listed as one of Michael’s favorite books presented to the Young Adult Services of the Chicago Public Library in 1979, source: “Michael Jackson, The Early Years”


Amazon description:

THE VERGER When a lowly verger is fired because of his illiteracy, it turns out to be his lucky day.

The Complete Works of O. Henry





Listed as one of Michael’s favorite books presented to the Young Adult Services of the Chicago Public Library in 1979, source: “Michael Jackson, The Early Years”


Description on Wikipedia:

O. Henry’s stories are famous for their surprise endings, to the point that such an ending is often referred to as an “O. Henry ending.” He was called the American answer to Guy de Maupassant. Both authors wrote twist endings, but O. Henry stories were much more playful. His stories are also well known for witty narration. Most of O. Henry’s stories are set in his own time, the early years of the 20th century. Many take place in New York City and deal for the most part with ordinary people: clerks, policemen, waitresses.

The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame





Fans who visited the Los Olivos area relaying stories from the people who worked there about Michael visiting:
http://mjbliss.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/magical-journey-neverland-2011.html


We quickly narrowed in on the antique store where I had previously met Dorothy, the owner of the Mole Hole who had met Michael several times.

Dorothy had also shared that Michael would take day trips out to Solvang, walk the streets, poke around and shop. He especially loved the book store, ‘Grand Tales’, which is no longer there but was on the corner next to the Mole Hole when Michael lived at Neverland. One day he was on just such a visit and entered the book store looking for his favorite book, ‘The Reluctant Dragon’ by Kenneth Grahame. She knew already from previous conversations with Michael this was his favorite book and made sure to keep them on hand. He would enter, she would greet him and then immediately smile and point him right toward the book. She said he liked to just stand in the store and read the books but also bought many. Dorothy was eager to share with me that Michael was a valued member of the community and gave generously to the local Rotary and also donated many items for auction to raise money for the town. You can always tell a true fan of Michael’s by the look on their face when they talk about him, and in Dorothy I saw that look of deep love and admiration on her face as she happily and freely talked about Michael Jackson. She shared that Michael was always polite, kind and generous. She jumped at the chance to share about one time in particular that clearly showed Michael’s sweet and considerate character. He clearly was just out shopping, looking for some quiet time and dropped into the bookstore. She had just pointed him toward his favorite book when suddenly patrons and tourists in town began to realize it was Michael Jackson. Soon he was surrounded by a crowd. Dorothy discreetly approached him and quietly offered to shut down the store so he could shop freely in peace. His response was an emphatic, “No, No this is your business!”, then stood there for hours, all afternoon, signing autographs and giving hugs. He never left once to take a break, get a drink or go to the bathroom. He just gave LOVE all day long. Yes, this was the kind heart of Michael Jackson.


Wikipedia description:

The Reluctant Dragon is an 1898 children’s story by Kenneth Grahame, which served as the key element to the 1941 feature film with the same name from Walt Disney Productions.

The story takes place in the Berkshire Downs in Oxfordshire (where the author lived and where, according to legend, St George did fight a dragon).

In Grahame’s story, a young boy discovers an erudite, poetry-loving dragon living in the Downs above his home. The two become friends, but soon afterwards the dragon is discovered by the townsfolk, who send for St George to rid them of it. The boy introduces St George to the dragon, and the two decide that it would be better for them not to fight. Eventually, they decide to stage a fake joust between the two combatants. St George harmlessly spears the dragon, and the townsfolk rejoice (though not all of them, as some had placed bets on the dragon winning). St George then reveals that the dragon is reformed in character, and assures the townsfolk that he is not dangerous. The dragon is then accepted by the people.

The Red Balloon, by Albert Lamorisse





Listed as one of Michael’s favorite books presented to the Young Adult Services of the Chicago Public Library in 1979, source: “Michael Jackson, The Early Years”


Amazon Description:

A magical book that has become an enduring children’s classic, The Red Balloon is the story of a young boy and his best friend–a bright red balloon. Chock-full of photographs of the boy, the balloon and the captivating city of Paris.

A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year.

They Cage the Animals at Night, by Jennings Michael Burch





Hollywood Reporter:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/michael-jacksons-unrealized-dream-career-in-the-film-industry-20090722


The Hollywood Reporter reports that three months before Jackson’s June 25th death, the singer had signed on to put up $8 million and co-direct an indie film about foster kids to be titled They Cage the Animals at Night that was based on a book by Jennings Michael Burch. Writer/director Bryan Michael Stoller tells the Reporter Jackson felt close to the story because his own childhood was tumultuous: “Michael told me often he felt like he grew up as an orphan, like a foster kid, because he never was in one home. To him every hotel was like a different foster home. He said he used to sit in the window and see kids playing outside and cry because he couldn’t be part of that.”

Though Jackson insiders deny the singer had an official agreement to work on the film, Stoller says Jackson brought author Burch to Neverland for an interview, which Stoller filmed and is looking to release now. The writer/director adds he and Jackson watched many movies together at Neverland, and To Kill a Mockingbird was the star’s favorite.


Barnes and Noble Description:

One rainy day in Brooklyn, Jennings Michael Burch’s mother, too sick to care for him, left him at an orphanage, saying only, “I’ll be right back.” She never returned. Shuttled through a series of bleak foster homes and institutions, he never remained in any of them long enough to make a friend. Instead, Jennings clung to a tattered stuffed animal, his sole source of warmth in a frightening world. This is the poignant story of his lost childhood. But it is also the triumphant tale of a little boy who finally gained the courage to reach out for love-and found it waiting for him.

The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein


Michael famously named the tree in Neverland that he would write songs in “The Giving Tree,” a reference to this book:





“I called it my giving tree because it inspires me. I love climbing trees in general but this tree I loved the most because I climb up high and look down at its branches and I just love it… So many ideas. I’ve written so many songs from this tree. I wrote “Heal the World” in this tree, “Will you be there”, “Black or White”, “Childhood”. I love climbing trees. I think water balloon fights and climbing trees.. those are two of my favorites.” – Michael Jackson





Also found stored in the Vaccaro vault





Amazon description:

To say that this particular apple tree is a “giving tree” is an understatement. In Shel Silverstein’s popular tale of few words and simple line drawings, a tree starts out as a leafy playground, shade provider, and apple bearer for a rambunctious little boy. Making the boy happy makes the tree happy, but with time it becomes more challenging for the generous tree to meet his needs. When he asks for money, she suggests that he sell her apples. When he asks for a house, she offers her branches for lumber. When the boy is old, too old and sad to play in the tree, he asks the tree for a boat. She suggests that he cut her down to a stump so he can craft a boat out of her trunk. He unthinkingly does it. At this point in the story, the double-page spread shows a pathetic solitary stump, poignantly cut down to the heart the boy once carved into the tree as a child that said “M.E. + T.” “And then the tree was happy… but not really.” When there’s nothing left of her, the boy returns again as an old man, needing a quiet place to sit and rest. The stump offers up her services, and he sits on it. “And the tree was happy.” While the message of this book is unclear (Take and take and take? Give and give and give? Complete self-sacrifice is good? Complete self-sacrifice is infinitely sad?), Silverstein has perhaps deliberately left the book open to interpretation. (All ages) –Karin Snelson

Peter and the Wolf - Sergei Prokofiev





Amazon description:


Since its premiere in 1936, Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf has become a classic beloved by generations of children and adults. For this enchanting new version of the story, Bono and his childhood friend Gavin Friday have collaborated on a stunning boxed set that includes a clothbound book and enhanced CD. The beautifully produced hardback book contains 64 pages of Bono's original paintings-with help from his daughters Jordan and Eve-to illustrate the story. And the enhanced CD features a fresh and funny rendition of the musical score, narrated in a sly and hilarious reading by Gavin Friday and performed by the Seezer Ensemble. Royalties from the project will benefit the Irish Hospice Foundation.

Pinocchio – Pierre Lambert





Albris description:


A lavish, museum-quality celebration of the art of one of Walt Disney's best-loved films and an animation masterpiece. The exceptional quality of the paper, the color reproduction, printing, and lamination all combine to create a truly extraordinary volume that deserves to be ranked among the world's most exquisite fine-art books. 321 four-color and b&w illustrations throughout.

Complete Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson





Owner of Bookstore “Dutton’s Books in Brentwood”
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/27/entertainment/et-jackson-books27


“He loved the poetry section,” Dave Dutton said as Dirk chimed in that Ralph Waldo Emerson was Jackson’s favorite. “I think you would find a great deal of the transcendental, all-accepting philosophy in his lyrics.”


Wikipedia summary on Emerson’s work:


Emerson wrote on a number of subjects, never espousing fixed philosophical tenets, but developing certain ideas such as individuality, freedom, the ability for humankind to realize almost anything, and the relationship between the soul and the surrounding world. Emerson’s “nature” was more philosophical than naturalistic; “Philosophically considered, the universe is composed of Nature and the Soul.”

While his writing style can be seen as somewhat impenetrable, and was thought so even in his own time, Emerson’s essays remain among the linchpins of American thinking, and Emerson’s work has greatly influenced the thinkers, writers and poets that have followed him. When asked to sum up his work, he said his central doctrine was “the infinitude of the private man.”