John Lennon Remembered
It was 28 years ago yesterday, on December 8, 1980, that John Lennon , former Beatle, solo artist, writer and political activist, was killed by Mark David Chapman, a crazed fan, outside the Dakota apartment building in New York City. In October, a new, expansive (864 pages) biography by Philip Norman, John Lennon: The Life, was added to the library's collection. Since I own more than 160 books on the Beatles, my test of a new Beatles book is whether I learn anything new by reading it. Norman's book passed that test, and he narrates John's Liverpool childhood in greater detail than any other book I've read. He also covers the familiar story of the Beatles' rise to fame, their break-up and John's solo career in detail. A nice touch is the book's afterward, a rare interview with Sean Lennon, John and second wife Yoko Ono's son. One final test of a good Beatles book is whether it makes me want to listen to their music, and in this case I grabbed my Lennon CD box set as soon as I finished it.
Comments
28 years. How is it possible? What a tragic, senseless loss it was. Lennon was a brilliant musician, lyricist, writer, artist. Many's the time I have wondered what he would have made of the political follies of the last 28 years, especially our latest blunders. We were so sure, after Vietnam, that we would never be fooled again. What would John have said?
Posted by: sharon | December 9, 2008 11:28 PM