Thanks, Ivy, for all your hard work and time, in writing these summaries! :clapping:
This will take some time to digest, but I think it's possible to read between the lines to understand Jermaine's frustration, sometimes anger, and jealousy. To paraphrase, he says, "I wanted the glory, too." That pretty much sums it up? At times, he must have been mystified by Michael's EXTREME success -- that he just didn't have? I found that theme in the book to be quite sad, actually. "Charisma" isn't something you can learn, or practice. It IS. Or it isn't. (Michael had it, and Jermaine. . . does not.)
It's hard to conflate the time-line Jermaine gives (i.e. how little he really saw Michael), and his accounts of a deeper knowledge of Michael and events in his life. Because of that, a lot of the book couldn't help but be invention. It's clear that it was MICHAEL who cut him off (and probably all of the rest of the family), and not some "mistake" made by his staff. Michael gave the directives of who to admit into his life (and phone), and not the other way around.
I wondered how Jermaine would handle Word to the Badd. I must say, I didn't expect him to say, "I didn't WRITE that part!" (the "changed your shade" part). Even so, he put his NAME on it, didn't he? And he sang it! I think it would have been far better if he'd taken responsibility? That seems to have been a turning point in Jermaine's life/career. The song was SO vicious (IMHO), that it really did torpedo his single, album, and career. Family quarrels are best kept. . . private? I remember well when Word to the Badd was released, and it was quite shocking, and there was a backlash in the press. I think he could have done damage-control with a public (and groveling?) apology. I don't recall that he did? Anyone?
It's clear he saw Michael rarely after the Victory tour, and because of that there are things he just can't know -- those parts are surely invention, or gleaned through conversations with Karen Faye, and others. So there is no way to know about accuracy there.
Personally, for his own sake, I wish Jermaine had written a book about. . . Jermaine. With honesty about his childhood and perceptions of the family. Given all he said in the book that points to extreme jealousy about Michael, I wish he'd had the confidence (and veracity?) to write his OWN book, about himself. Instead, we get a book with Michael's picture on the cover. That has to hurt Jermaine, on some deep, deep level.
Jermaine has every right to write a book, and people have every right to buy it, or NOT buy it. The major blunder remains "the secret plan." That's extremely unfortunate, on the eve of the trial, and makes it seem that Michael, himself, thought he was above the law. I'd expect that was the "hook" that got the book published, but unfortunately, that's what the press is picking up on, too (and largely omitting the part, "Michael didn't KNOW about it!")
