Review: Facinating! I read it cover to cover!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 23, 2013
This is a compelling story about John Lennon's life, his music, and his death. The book is loaded with trivia that I either didn't know, or knew little about. It's absolutely fascinating, and portrays John as a three-dimensional, very human, talented artist.I kept thinking I'd read just a few pages of this book, but this book is a such a page-turner, I kept reading all the way through to the end. I rarely do that with Kindle books, but... well, this book is really engaging.I've read a lot of biographies. Especially when people write about mega-celebrities like John Lennon, they often draw on the same old stories. They simply try to dramatize them, making up dialogue, and so on.That's not the case with this book. Sure, it could have been a lot longer, if the author had decided to pad the story with tedious, peripheral information or made-up bits. I'm impressed that he didn't. And, the research that went into this book... that's impressive, and I'm speaking a someone who grew up listening to the Beatles, and chasing down every magazine article about them. I didn't know even half of what's in this book.For some people, this might be dry reading because it documents so much of John's life in a compact, fast-paced story. For me, it was one of the most evocative and entertaining books I've read in a long time. And, that came as a total surprise, because I thought I knew pretty much everything about John Lennon's life and times.This book is ideal for any student who needs to write a report about Lennon. It's also perfect for anyone studying the "hippie" era, and the music of that time period and immediately before it."Legends of Rock & Roll - John Lennon (Before, During & After the Beatles)" can be read in one sitting, and you'll glean lots of information that you can research even further... John's writing, Yoko's art, the symbiotic songwriting relationship of John and Paul, their conflicted connection with drummer Pete Best, Linda Eastman's interesting history and career as a photographer, and so on.For those of us who grew up during the 1960s, this is more than a trip down memory lane... it's a compelling, captivating story, rich with accurate details. It adds depth and interest to a time we can clearly recall, but -- as this book proves -- we didn't know a lot that was going on, behind the scenes.Huge thanks to the author, James Hoag, for making my day a little richer and, adding depth to some nostalgic memories!