First aired on Q (26/9/11)

Jermaine Jackson says he just wants to set the record straight about his superstar younger brother, pop icon Michael Jackson. The man known as the "King of Pop" died two years ago, but his life is back in the headlines, thanks to the trial of his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, on charges related to his death.

Speaking from his home in Los Angeles, Jermaine told Q host Jian Ghomeshi that his new book, You Are Not Alone: Michael, Through a Brother's Eyes, was motivated by his desire to "document the truth and let it be known to the world as to who he was and who we are as a family."

Jermaine feels that the media coverage of his famous sibling, particularly during Michael's 2005 trial for child molestation, has created damaging misconceptions. He described it as "a witch hunt," and pointed out that Michael was acquitted.

Jermaine devotes part of You Are Not Alone to a description of growing up in Gary, Indiana, before the group of singing siblings shot to stardom as the Jackson 5. He describes the younger Michael as "a prankster," and said that he never lost a certain childlike quality. "He wanted to be the kid next door," he said. But Michael hadn't been able to have a regular childhood, because of the group's fame.

Jermaine also defends his father, Joseph, from accusations that he was a feared figure in the family. "We were kids in an area where there were drugs and gangs and shootings right on our doorstep," Jermaine explained. "And my father didn't want us involved in that."

As for the trial of Dr. Murray, Jermaine said: "We hope it gives us the answers to the questions we've had."

You Are Not Alone: Michael, Through a Brother's Eyes

by Jermaine Jackson

Buy this book at:

From Simon & Schuster:

"Jermaine Jackson — older than Michael by four years — offers a keenly observed memoir tracing his brother's life starting from their shared childhood and extending through the Jackson 5 years, Michael's phenomenal solo career, his loves, his suffering and his tragic end. It is a sophisticated, no-holds-barred examination of the man, aimed at fostering a true and final understanding of who he was, why he was, and what shaped him. Jermaine knows the real Michael as only a brother can. In this raw, honest, and poignant account, he reveals Michael the private person, not Michael "the King of Pop."

Read more at Simon & Schuster Canada.