Michael Jackson.

The name alone brings a range of opinions, and everybody has one.

Margo Jefferson’s book, “On Michael Jackson,” dives into the effects he’s had on our culture and society. She explains this by saying, “(It’s) the way in which he disturbs us, the culture.”

The book covers many different examples of why he has affected our culture and how the American culture has affected him. Although she did not talk to Jackson or any member of the Jackson family, Jefferson researched him and used biographies as sources.

A section of the book explains how Jackson tried to make his life similar to P.T. Barnum’s freak shows.

“Michael was a great fan of his biography, and wanted his career to be the greatest show on Earth,” Jefferson said.

Barnum’s shows displayed people with actual differences juxtaposed with those without any abnormalities, who were made-up to appear as freaks.

“Here are real biological freaks, born, but also self-made,” Jefferson wrote in “On Michael Jackson” to explain how the freak shows were constructed to draw attention. This mirrors the ways in which Jackson carries on his life in the public eye to draw attention to himself.

Jackson’s admiration for Barnum’s circus shows and his connection with Disney and Neverland are also points she touches on.

The book clearly explains the extreme similarities and how Jackson’s career took on a life of its own to keep attention on him.

Jefferson writes in her book, “In the past two decades we’ve watched Michael Jackson morph from a slender brown-skinned man to a slightly anorexic white-skinned…what?”

This comment shows how Jackson is a person influenced by culture, who is also trying to fit in. She explains his way of fitting in or being successful was to change himself. It allows a solid example of his transformation from self-proclaimed “King of Pop” to the anomaly we see today.

Jefferson also does a great job of explaining Jackson’s connections with the people in his life. She connects the effects of his childhood with how he is close to older women and young boys, explaining the adult female friends he keeps as mother-figures and the young boys as images of himself.

She goes on to examine the eccentric style of his mom and himself being picked on and exposed at such a young age to be a major influence.

“He never had a chance to be a normal person,” said Chris Rodgers, a senior in communication and a Michael Jackson fan. “I’m such a big Michael Jackson fan, it’s more of a sad thing (his transformation), but I will still play his music and not think a thing about it.”

Erik Haffenden, a freshman in engineering, emphasizes another major point of Jackson’s legacy and impact on our culture:

“He made ‘Thriller.'”

Although Haffenden admits the American culture had an effect on Jackson’s changes, he still said, “He had wicked music.”

The two phases of Michael Jackson will never be spoken of separately. People won’t be able to speak of how he was without speaking of how he is now, Haffenden said.

Jefferson has written articles on Jackson in her line of work and her attitude towards him is a personal thing to her.

“(I have) a protective attitude toward his talent, not really toward him,” she said. “I think I still grieve for what an absolute mess he has made of his life and his talent.”

Jefferson, a Pulitzer prize-winning critic for The New York Times, was to appear and discuss her book at Ohio State, but was unable to attend.