An English edition of Isabelle Petitjean’s acclaimed book Michael Jackson: Black or White? An Extraordinary Artist Confronting a Racialized Music Industry is set to be published in October 2026, bringing the author’s in-depth examination of Michael Jackson’s career, artistry and relationship with race to an English-speaking audience for the first time.
Originally published in French in 2019 under the title Michael Jackson: Black or White ? Un artiste hors norme face à une industrie musicale racialisée, the book was prefaced by Michael Jackson’s longtime studio colleague Brad Buxer. An effort to fund an English translation was launched by fans in 2024, and that campaign has now resulted in the long-awaited English edition becoming a reality.
Published by Éditions Delatour, the English-language book is scheduled for release in October 2026.
The printed edition will be in English and is currently listed at €30.33.
Exploring Michael Jackson Beyond the Headlines
Petitjean’s book examines one of the defining characteristics of Michael Jackson’s extraordinary career: his ability to cross boundaries that had long separated audiences, genres and cultures.
While it has often been said that Jackson broke down human, social, artistic and racial barriers, Petitjean goes further by asking how he actually accomplished this.
How did a Black child from Gary, Indiana, rise to become the biggest pop star in the world in an industry historically perceived as predominantly white? What choices, strategies and circumstances enabled Michael Jackson to reach such a vast and diverse audience?
The book explores the cultural and historical forces that shaped Jackson’s journey, while examining the complex relationship between his Black identity, his artistic ambitions and the increasingly global nature of his career.
Rather than presenting the story as a simple or binary one, Petitjean looks at the many factors that contributed to Jackson’s unique trajectory.
“Why Did Michael Jackson Unsettle So Many?”
One of the central questions explored by the book is why Michael Jackson challenged so many established expectations.
Jackson repeatedly crossed social, artistic and racial boundaries, refusing to remain within the limitations traditionally assigned to him. His music reached across racial and cultural lines, his videos transformed the relationship between Black artists and mainstream television, and his performances helped redefine what a global pop star could be.
Petitjean also examines the discussion surrounding Jackson’s physical appearance and the ways in which his outward identity became the subject of intense public scrutiny.
The book approaches these questions through historical, social, cultural and musical perspectives, attempting to understand rather than simplify the contradictions surrounding one of the most singular artists of the modern era.
From French to English
The English translation represents the culmination of an initiative that began with fans several years ago.
In 2024, a fundraising campaign was launched to help bring Petitjean’s book to an English-speaking audience. The campaign ultimately helped make the translation possible, meaning that readers outside the French-speaking world will finally be able to discover the author’s work in English.
For Michael Jackson fans who have followed the book since its original French publication, the October release therefore marks an important milestone.
Michael Jackson: Black or White? An Extraordinary Artist Confronting a Racialized Music Industry is currently listed by the publisher as an upcoming October 2026 release.
Book details:
Title: Michael Jackson: Black or White? An Extraordinary Artist Confronting a Racialized Music Industry
Author: Isabelle Petitjean
Language: English
Format: Printed book
Size: 17.5 x 25.5 cm
Publication: October 2026
EAN/ISBN: 9782752105318
Price: €30.33
The English edition is available to pre-order with the publisher, Éditions Delatour.
Thank you MJFrance for the information.
