La Toya: 2growing Up in the Jackson Family

by La Toya Jackson

Book Overview

Michael Jackson's older sister reveals her memories of life in the Jackson household, recounting a tale of violence, drug abuse, exploitation, and infidelity and discussing her brother's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525933433
• ISBN13: 9780525933434
• Release Date: September 1991
• Publisher: Dutton Books
• Length: 261 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Don't believe it wasn't the real la toya talking it was the monster jack Gordon made her

Don't believe it wasn't the real la toya talking it was the monster jack Gordon la toya write another book and explain how jack Gordon made her do everything and threaten to kill her and Michael and the family etc her new book is called starting over

DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE TRUTH!

I've read a few books about the Jackson Family,some fictional accounts (written by family members)and a couple of fact based ones. This one, as well as the book titled "Be Careful Who You Love" are positively riveting and honest. I have tried to share the experience of reading the true stories with other avid readers and especially die hard Jackson fans and they just don't want to hear or know anything but what the spin doctors,publicists and Michael Jackson spoon feed them. That's unfortunate because if you have children;if your children are being cared for in your absence by other adults, you NEED to not be afraid of discovering the truth about the Jackson family. La Toya is nobody's airhead. She is incredibly intelligent,a fact not many of us know and she is marvelously candid and articulate. Reading her book, I got a completely different perspective of the kind of woman she is. She deserves to be better thought of and listened too. This is my open letter to La Toya. You are worthy. You have overcome the horrors of your childhood wonderfully.

Dark and delightful

Society should thank Latoya for exposing abuse. More books should be written to reveal what goes on behind closed doors. Thumbs up!

Nice Book Latoya!

I read this book when I was very young, and still remember it. Latoya Yvonne Jackson leaves no stones unturned as she airs some of the Jackson's dirtiest laundry. After reading this book, readers will come to find the things that Michael Jackson and others have said about their past is just a taste of what happened. Latoya details their past, and keeps her readers interest along the way. I was wondering how much of Latoya's book is true. But, after Janet's breakup with Rene Elizondo, my instinct told me to take mostly everything else Latoya was saying at face value. Remeember, for so many years Janet had been telling the public she and Rene were just boyfriend and girlfriend, and years later we find that they were married all along? Latoya said they were married in the book... Latoya also tells us that Joe was very abusive to his entire family and was cheating on Katherine for as long as she could remember. She also noted that Joseph even had another child named JauVonnie. She said Joe sexually abused all the female members of the family. Latoya also says she was abused by her husband, Jack Gordon. This book is most interesting, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to go deep into the lives of the most infamous family in the world, The Jacksons. Easy Read.

La Toya--The Butterfly Has Been Released!

La Toya did what many people today wish they could: reveal, and then heal from an abusive relationship(s). She opened the gates of the Jackson's homes in Gary, Indiana and at Hayvenhurst in CA for the world to see. This very informative book shed light on the hidden, the quiet or even the most beautiful Jackson of them all. In it 'Toy, Toy' (a name she hates to be called) reveals the family struggles with abusive parents, her relationship with her siblings and their spouses, the life in captivity behind the gates of their CA mansion, her meeting of her manager and then husband Jack Gordon and...Playboy. Even a botched kidnap attempt is addressed.Michael, the prodigal son, is portrayed in a wonderful light, as he should be. They shared very special times growing up and Toya displays each of them. Michael was ordered by the elders at the Witness to NEVER speak to Toya again because she missed (in their opinion) too many meetings. This left Michael sobbing on Janet's bed, when Toya came in, he ran into Janet's bathroom bawling! He also supported Toya against her brother's wives (wives can be so cruel) and supported her when her PLAYBOY PICTORIAL came out. Joseph Jackson, the family patriarch, is portrayed as twisted and evil, and as an ogre who delighted in the suffering of his family. In Michael's live interview with Oprah Winfrey, he claimed that even in his late 30's he's still afraid of 'Joseph'. He confessed to Oprah that he even regurgitates when 'Joseph' comes by for a visit. La Toya gives much; much more details into the horrors they all faced. La Toya was badly beaten by the hands of her father at a very young age and was left bleeding on the bathroom floor whilst her brothers walked over her, much to afraid to offer any support. He threatened to throw her out of a window repeatedly for just asking a simple question. Katherine Jackson, the family matriarch, is certainly... some piece of work. A devout Witness, she raised her family, especially La Toya and Michael, to be very spiritual and was Toya's very best friend. When the Jackson 5 was busy with their careers, it was Toya and baby Janet who kept Mama busy. But as you read, she too could be as, if not more wicked than Joseph. Delve into the part when EVEN Joseph confronts Kate about her treatment of Toya regarding medication Kate knows could kill her!!!...SHOCKING! There are two very different (jekyll--and-- hyde) sides to Kate, which Toya talks in detail about. Abused herself by Joseph's womanizing and keeping a second 'FAMILY' right down the road, their was little she could do to stop the abuse of her children...or could she Hmmmm...? I praise Toya and Romanowski for bringing this book to light simply because of the courage it took. Going up against the Jackson's, even if you are one, must have been frightening. Writing this part of the book must have been so painful for her. Whilst other young girls were becoming women, Toya was still a 'little girl' beside her 'mommy'. She never went

LaToya: Fact or Fiction?

I read this book when it first came out, in the early 90's, and was fascinated by it then, at the inside peep at one of Pop Music's most famous families! The Jackson's are rich, they are black, and have more #1 and platinum records between them than any other family in the Pop Music business, (The Jackson 5, Michael and Janet) and have been around forever, it seems! Any and all of this makes us interested in what their lives are really like. I was and still am interestred in their story, and it is still developing. LaToya's book gives us an insider's view to the beginning. I believe her story, it is very convincing. Other facts that I have read backs up most of what she says in her book. Joseph is not shown in a good light, but Katherine is, as well as Michael and the rest of her siblings. One thing this book will do is leave you with a feeling of sympathy for not only LaToya, but all of the Jackson children, and bring home the fact that having oodles of money and being rich as King Midas does not necessarily bring happiness. I really enjoyed this book and would like an update on LaToya in the present. In some ways, she is the most interesting of all the Jackson's, because she is the most mysterious of the clan and not heard of much at all today. She is in every way as interesting as Michael and she is an absolutely beautiful Lady!