[1] The author describes the family as "dysfunctional", and attributes many of Jackson's characteristics to his contentious relationship with his abusive father.

[4] In writing the book, Taraborrelli claimed to have "interviewed 400 people and even hired a private detective to sniff out sources he'd been searching for", and asserted that an associate of Jackson's had offered "a cash settlement to squash publication".

[3] On the sixth anniversary of the death of Michael Jackson, Mehta Publishing House released the book in the Marathi language.

[6] Michael Anderson of The New York Times was also critical, characterizing Taraborrelli as a "pruriently obsessive fan", and stating that the subject "seems to escape the author", and that the book "is crammed with nudge-nudge, wink-wink trivia... but does little to illuminate Mr. Jackson's irresistibly captivating stage presence".

[1] The Gay & Lesbian Review said that Michael Jackson – The Magic, the Madness, the Whole Story was a "comprehensive and even-handed biography".