By Sara Hoffmann
Senior Editor

I’m a big music fan—and I like all kinds of music. To say the selections on my iPod are eclectic would be an understatement. So when I found out I’d be editing Lerner’s bio on Michael Jackson (cover pictured), I was over the moon. I mean, who’s a bigger figure in music than Michael Jackson?

I thought I knew a fair amount about the King of Pop before I started editing this book. We all heard plenty about him last summer when he was all over the news. But I learned a lot I never knew when working on this project.

I think my favorite story about MJ had to be the one about the school talent show he entered as a first grader. He sang “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” from The Sound of Music. Some of the teachers were so moved by his performance, they were crying. Little Michael, meanwhile, couldn’t figure out why everyone was acting so strangely. He’d simply been doing what came naturally to him—singing and performing in an open, heartfelt way.

Reading about someone who does a thing with such skill and unselfconscious joy is inspiring. For me, it really drove home the magnitude of Michael Jackson’s talent. For more great stories and information on MJ, check out our new biography.