Jael Rucker’s How Come Nobody Ever Apologizes to Michael Jackson? has become a three-part book series, with the first two volumes now available to readers.
For the past 17 years, journalist and researcher Jael Rucker has been researching Michael Jackson’s story, beginning her work in 2009. That research has now resulted in a planned three-part book series examining Michael’s life, the media coverage surrounding him, and the events that ultimately led to the 2005 trial.
Originally intended to be published as a single book, How Come Nobody Ever Apologizes to Michael Jackson? was divided into three parts because of Amazon’s page limitations for physical books.
According to Rucker, she spent more than a day trying to determine what could be removed to keep the book as one physical volume. Ultimately, she decided that cutting a substantial amount of material would do a disservice to Michael Jackson and to the story she had spent years researching.
The result is a three-part series.
Part 1: The Makings of a King and the Beginning of the Corruption
The first volume, How Come Nobody Ever Apologizes to Michael Jackson?: Part 1: The Makings of a King and the Beginning of the Corruption, looks at Michael Jackson’s rise and the beginnings of what Rucker describes as the corruption of his public image.
The book focuses on media coverage, double standards, the rush to judgment and the way Michael Jackson’s story has been presented to the public over the decades.
Rucker describes the book as a meticulously researched examination of the narratives surrounding Michael, particularly the continuing tendency to repeat sensationalized claims while overlooking important evidence and court outcomes.
Part 1 was released on August 29.
Part 2: The Lead-Up to the 2005 Trial
The second volume is titled How Come Nobody Ever Apologizes to Michael Jackson?: Part 2: The Lead-Up to the 2005 Trial.
As its title suggests, this instalment moves towards one of the most significant periods of Michael Jackson’s life: the events leading up to his 2005 trial.
One of the reasons Rucker chose to divide the original book was her belief that important details surrounding the 2005 case should not be lost simply to meet a physical book’s page limit.
She specifically points to aspects of the 2005 trial that she believes have been overlooked or substantially reduced in later media portrayals, including the role of Michael’s defence team and testimony from Chris Tucker.
Rucker highlights Tucker’s testimony concerning his own previous experiences with the Arvizo family, his recognition of behaviour he considered suspicious, and his warning to Michael Jackson.
The book therefore aims to provide readers with the broader context surrounding the case rather than focusing only on the most familiar headlines.
Part 3 is still to come
The project is planned as a three-part series, meaning there is still one more volume to be released.
At the moment, readers can find Parts 1 and 2, while further details regarding Part 3 are expected from Jael Rucker.
For those who originally pre-ordered the book before the decision was made to split it into three volumes, Rucker has also announced that digital copies of Parts 2 and 3 will be provided free of charge.
Written for Michael, with charity in mind
There is another important element to the project.
Rucker originally wanted to make How Come Nobody Ever Apologizes to Michael Jackson? available for free. However, Amazon’s publishing system did not allow her to distribute the book in the way she had intended.
Instead, Rucker has committed to donating 100% of the net profits from the books to charities that Michael Jackson supported during his lifetime.
That means the project is not simply about publishing another book about Michael Jackson. It is also intended to support causes connected to the humanitarian work Michael championed throughout his life.
Where can you get the books?
Both currently released volumes are available in English through Amazon.
The approximate UK prices are:
Kindle: around £2.50
Paperback: around £9.75
Hardback: around £15
Prices may vary depending on the format, marketplace and current Amazon pricing.
You can find Jael Rucker’s books and author information on her Amazon author page.
For Michael Jackson fans interested in exploring Rucker’s extensive research into Michael’s story, How Come Nobody Ever Apologizes to Michael Jackson? is now developing into a substantial three-volume project, with two parts available and a third still to come.
And perhaps most importantly, the author’s stated aim is that the complete story should be told rather than having important details removed simply to make the book fit into a single volume.
