5. Before You Judge Me: The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson’s Last Days by Tavis Smiley and David Ritz (Little, Brown, non-fiction, on sale June 21)
What it’s about: Described by the publisher as a “deeply humanizing” look at the weeks leading up to Michael Jackson’s shocking death at age 50 in 2009.
Why it’s hot: The book is timed to the seventh anniversary of the controversial superstar’s death on June 25, during a year that already has seen several major losses in the music world.
