Moonwalk (book)

Moonwalk is a 1988 autobiography by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was first published by Doubleday on February 1, 1988, five months after the release of Jackson's album Bad in 1987, and was named after Jackson's signature dance move, the moonwalk. The book contains a foreword by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who was the First Lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963.

Moonwalk reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller list. The book was reissued by Doubleday in October 2009, following Jackson's death in June of that year.

Production
Kennedy, who was an editor at Doubleday, secured the book deal and paid Jackson an advance-fee of $300,000. As part of the deal, Jackson wanted Kennedy to write a foreword, which she initially refused, as she did not want her name on any books, but later agreed to write three paragraphs. She also edited the book. The first manuscript of the book was written by Robert Hilburn, and was refused by Doubleday because it lacked "juicy details". A second manuscript was written by Stephen Davis, which Jackson drastically edited. Jackson finally resolved to write the book himself, with help from Shaye Areheart.

Due to Jackson's globally high profile, Moonwalk 's publication-process was secretive. Relatives of Doubleday employees were hired as couriers in order to deliver portions of the book from the company's head office in Manhattan to the printing plant in Fairfield, Pennsylvania. At the printing plant, the book was given the code name "Neil Armstrong", after the first "moonwalker".

Narrative
Dedicated to Fred Astaire, the book discusses Jackson's show business friends, his girlfriends, his rise to fame, his appearance, and his thoughts on plastic surgery. Jackson stated that up to that point, he had two rhinoplasties and the surgical creation of a cleft in his chin. He attributed the change in the structure of his face to puberty, weight loss, a strict vegetarian diet, a change in hair style and stage lighting.

In the book, Jackson tells of the beatings he received from his father, Joseph. He wrote that while rehearsing with The Jackson 5 any mistake that that he or his siblings made prompted Joseph to beat them; he states that Joseph was "real strict" and "something of a mystery". In September 1988, Jackson apologized to his father for some of the book's content. He explained that he had not written it wholly himself, and that the critical portions were produced by another person. The book also covers Jackson's resentment of the press; he asks, "What happened to truth? Did it go out of style?"

Reception
Moonwalk debuted at number one on both the British newspaper The Times and the Los Angeles Times bestseller lists. Reaching number two in its first week on The New York Times Best Seller list, Moonwalk reached number one the following week. Within a few months of its release, Moonwalk had sold 450,000 copies in fourteen countries.

Ken Tucker, of The New York Times, stated that if the book had been written by anyone else, it would be dismissed as "an assiduously unrevealing, frequently tedious document." However, he adds that "these are precisely the qualities that make it fascinating".

Re-release
Moonwalk was re-released on October 13, 2009, as a result of Michael Jackson's death, with a new foreword by Motown founder Berry Gordy and an afterword by Shaye Areheart.