A press agent and former president of the Jackson Five fan club sketches the rise of the bubble gum kings from scrimping in Gary, Indiana, and practicing on a toy guitar to a debut at Roosevelt High, exhausting tours in their VW bus with Dad as driver/manager, a Motown contract thanks to Diana Ross, TV appearances, the top of the charts, a home in California, and the problems of celebrity. Manning rates the Jacksons with the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Supremes in popular impact and musical influence and this is for those among the like minded who will be satisfied with the clutches of photos, unrevealing quotes, and surface acquaintance.