one-fourth of their incomes to the Maharishi's Regeneration Movement. In February 1968, The Beatles traveled to the Maharishi's academy in Rishikesh for several weeks of religious studies and transcendental meditation; other notables there included Mike Love of The Beach Boys and actress Mia Farrow. The Beatles became disillusioned with the Maharishi and left abruptly; when the religious man asked them why they were leaving India, Lennon replied, "You're the cosmic one, you ought to know." The Beatles later satirized the Maharishi and their Indian experience in a song entitled "Sexy Sadie."

Lennon enjoyed living in New York City. He found the countryside in England— Tittenhurst Park in Ascot, where he had lived with Yoko Ono before moving to the United States—too quietly tranquil, and he preferred the unimpeded vitality of a huge city like New York. He recorded his music with Ono in New York until he was gunned down outside his Dakota apartment home.

Wootton's biography of Lennon is straightforward, clearly written, and easy to understand. He organizes the book well by arranging the text in the simple chronological format of birth through death. Some of Wootton's ideas are insightful, such as his critique of the United States government for harassing Lennon while trying to deport him for being against the Vietnam. Wootton's research debunks the theory that Lennon tried to prevent Richard Nixon from being reelected President of the United States, and that the singer had started a campaign to hinder Nixon's chances because of their differences regarding the Vietnam War. Wootton also supports Lennon's assertions, considered paranoid by other writers, that he was being spied on by Nixon supporters and the FBI. Furthermore, the author employs pop psychology to provide insight into the ramifications of Lennon's troubled youth upon his later life. He combines biographical information with psychological probing to see how events in Lennon's early life shaped later happenings, and how the singer's personality affected his relationships with other people. Wootton also discusses various songs that Lennon wrote, demonstrating how the lyrics reveal a great deal about the man's life and his current state of mind.

It is disappointing that Wootton overlooks Lennon's relationship with his first wife, Cynthia. Wootton does make several references to Cynthia but fails to give her the attention that she deserves. Although she did not share Lennon's artistic interests and creative pursuits, as Yoko Ono did, Cynthia was devoted to him both during the early stages and at the zenith of his career, and she gave birth to Julian, his first child. The author does provide a great deal of information about how Ono shaped Lennon's life and perhaps contributed to the separation of The Beatles.

In many aspects of his life, Lennon was not an exemplary model for young admirers. An angry, poorly educated non-conformist, he defied adults, authorities, and social convention. He cheated on, then abandoned his wife and young son, and he experimented with drugs, becoming addicted to heroine. The strength of Wootton's biography is that he treats Lennon's faults without condemning or excusing them. The Beatles became successful almost in spite of themselves, not because of any great virtues or genius or hard work, but because they had vision and courage. Wootton presents Lennon as a man who deserves to be understood, not idolized.

Lennon's marriage to Yoko Ono was socially sensitive because he fell in love with her while married to Cythnia, his first wife and mother of Julian. Leaving his wife for another woman somewhat injured Lennon's reputation, but actually people objected more to his new love than to his abandonment of Cynthia. Many people, including McCartney and Harrison, could not understand what Lennon saw in this diminutive and plain Japanese woman several years older than he. Female fans of Lennon were jealous of her as well. And it was not his first extramarital affair. Lennon had previously written a song about an affair that he was having while married to Cynthia, entitled "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)."

Drugs played a role in the lives of Lennon and the other Beatles. Lennon admitted publicly in 1967 that he took drugs such as LSD and marijuana. He was watched carefully by the FBI because of his drug use and his antiwar ideology, which made Richard Nixon dislike and distrust him. Nixon on several occasions attempted to have Lennon deported because he considered the star a hindrance to his reelection campaign. "She Said, She Said" from Revolver is about John's frightening LSD experimentation. Two of Lennon's songs in the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album caused the songwriter more trouble with respect to drugs. Some considered "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" a song about drugs—the initials spell LSD—although Lennon claimed the song was about a painting by Julian. Also, the song "A Day in the Life" concludes with the line "I'd love to turn you on," which was a statement often made by drug users. On October 18, 1968, police raided John and Yoko's London apartment, confiscated marijuana, and arrested the couple.

Another sensitive issue was Lennon's statement that Christianity would die out before rock 'n' roll and that The Beatles were currently more popular than churches and religion. The comment attracted little notice in England, but was, according to Wootton, taken out of context and exploited by the American media. Wootton believes that Lennon was simply indicating that he considered the attention of the media and adoration of the hysterical female fans to be overwhelming; not that he felt that the Beatles were greater than God.

Carr, Roy, and Richard Lester. Beatles at the Movies. Scranton, PA: Harper Collins, 1996. Carr's and Lester's book is the first to focus exclusively on the five motion pictures that the Beatles made: It's Been a Hard Day's Night, Help!, Yellow Submarine, Magical Mystery Tour, and Let It Be. It includes interviews with the band members, provides information concerning the title songs and other tunes that highlight the films, and describes anecdotes about the Beatles as they appeared in front of the camera during the movie-making process.

Carr, Roy, and Tony Tyler. The Beatles, An Illustrated Record. New York: Crown, 1984. A photographic tribute.

Coleman, Ray. Lennon: The Definitive Biography. New York: Harperperennial Library, 1992. This book, recently revised, is unquestionably the best biography of Lennon. Coleman received help from both of the singer's wives in preparing this comprehensive book that describes Lennon in a largely positive light. Coleman draws upon letters and family papers.

Conord, Bruce W., and Leeza Gibbons. John Lennon. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House, 1993. This biography, which initiates the Popular Culture Legends series, concerns the professional and personal life of the singer, including his rocky childhood in which his father abandoned him and his mother gave him away to her sister. Conord's and Gibbons's biography discusses the musician's sex life, drug habits, breakup with The Beatles, and inability to handle fame. The book begins with Lennon's birth and continues through his solo career after The Beatles disbanded.

Cott, Jonathan, and Christine Doudna. The Ballad of John and Yoko. New York: Doubleday, 1982. This book by the editors of Rolling Stone Magazine covers the life of Lennon with his second wife, Yoko Ono, including their relationship and music.

Du Noyer, Paul. We All Shine On: The Stories Behind Every John Lennon Song: 1970-1980. New York: Harperperennial Library, 1997. This book, which contains many photographs, focuses solely on Lennon's career after the breakup of The Beatles. It is biographical in that Du Noyer relies on Lennon's life stories to discuss the impetus for the songs. He discusses heroin addiction, love, the singer's seclusion in his apartment, his songs with Elton John, and the newly released song "Free as a Bird."

Fawcett, Anthony. John Lennon: One Day a Time. LaVergne, TN: Grove Press, 1980. Fawcett's book is a biography that focuses on Lennon's life in the 1970s, after the breakup of The Beatles.

Giuliano, Geoffrey, and Brenda Giuliano. The Lost Lennon Interviews. Holbrook, MA: Adams Media, 1996. Includes rare interviews from the peak of Lennon's career, including his relationships with Cynthia Lennon and Yoko Ono, and his addiction to heroin.

Glassman, Bruce S. John Lennon & Paul McCartney: Their Magic and Their Music. Woodbridge, CT: Blackbirch Marketing, 1995. A dual biography that discusses their teamwork and how their music influenced pop culture, especially the whole world of rock music.

Harry, Bill. Beatles Encyclopedia. New York: Blandford Press, 1997. Harry, the author of several books regarding The Beatles, employs his impressive personal Beatle archive and collections to write a thorough encyclopedia about The Beatles. Harry is a Beatles authority whose encyclopedia includes 1,500 entries, 500 biographies of people associated with The Beatles, and 300 photographs. Harry's book presents fact, clarifies controversies, and debunks myths about the Fab Four.

Hertsgaard, Mark. A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles. New York: Delacorte Press, 1995. Includes extensive research into the music of The Beatles, and depicts their special chemistry in composing and performing music.

Lennon, Cynthia. A Twist of Lennon. Dresden, TN: Avon Books, 1980. This intimate biography by John Lennon's first wife tells of her life with the great musician; how his insecurities and bad temper, as well as his jealousy and possessiveness early in their relationship, scared her terribly. She also writes about her reaction to losing John to Yoko Ono.

Lennon, John. In His Own Write. Scranton, PA:HarperCollins, 1988. First published in March 1964, this is a collection of Lennon's eccentric writings, which Wootton says he had been working on since childhood. They are childish stories complete with plays on words for humor, sometimes nonsensical like the works of Lewis Carroll. Stories include "The Wrestling Dog," "The Moldly, Moldy Man," and "No Flies on Frank." The book also contains his drawings, showing his art training from previous years. The humor is cynical, sarcastic, and witty, and it manifests the creativity that is present in his songs. The book also contains Lennon's drawings.

——. Skywriting by Word of Mouth: And Other Writings, Including the Ballad of John and Yoko. New York: Harperperennial Library, 1996. This fanciful book clearly illustrates his creativity as a writer and also contains line drawings by Lennon. Lennon penned the book when Yoko was pregnant with their son Sean; although the singer intended to publish the book, he was assassinated and the manuscript was stolen from his home in 1982. After it was recovered, it was first published in 1986. The book includes, among other works, "Two Virgins," which concerns the public reaction to John and Yoko as a pair, and Lennon's autobiography. The musician writes about his relationship with Ono, the breakup of The Beatles, and the United States government's persecution of him, as well as his desire to live a private life.

Norman, Philip. Shout! The Beatles in Their Generation. New York: Fine Communications, 1997. Norman's excellent biography is thorough and detailed.

O'Donnell, Jim. The Day John Met Paul: An Hour-By-Hour Account of How the Beatles Began. Bergenfield, NJ: Penguin, 1996. O'Donnell's book concerns the crucial day in 1957 when Lennon met Paul McCartney. The book makes use of extensive interviews with Lennon's and McCartney's friends in Liverpool to discuss the day in extensive detail.

Santrey, Laurence. John Lennon: Young Rock Star. Mahwah, NJ: Trull Communication, 1989. This biography is geared for children from the ages of 9-12, and covers the early years of Lennon's life and musical career, primarily his teenage years.

Seaman, Frederic. The Private Life of John Lennon: A Photographic Journal. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 1997. John Lennon's personal assistant, driver, and friend from 1979 until the death of the musician, presents this personal memoir about the late singer, including his preoccupations with sex, food, shopping, privacy, the occult, and predictions of his death. Seaman includes in his book rare photographs never before published.

Shotton, Peter, and Nicholas Schaffner. John Lennon in My Life: In My Life. Chelsea Manor, MI: Stein & Day Publishers, 1983. Pete Shotton, a close friend of Lennon during their teenage years, discusses their experiences together before the singer became a famous musician with The Beatles. Shotton's book provides the reader with extensive and intimate knowledge of crucial years in the life of the singer.

Stannard, Neville, and John Tobler. The Long and Winding Road—A History of the Beatles on Record. Dresden, TN: Avon Books, 1984. Covers the story of the success of the Fab Four, as well as the working relationships, friendships, and disharmony of The Beatles.

Thomson, Elizabeth, and David Gutman, editors. The Lennon Companion: Twenty-five Years of Comment. Old Tappan, NJ: Schirmer Books, 1990. Contains two dozen photographs and a collection of sixty-plus articles about John Lennon, including Gloria Steinem's "Will He Last?"

Turner, Steve. A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song. New York: Harperperennial Library, 1994. This book is the first study of all the songs by The Beatles, and it analyzes the lyrics to discuss what was going on in the lives of the band members at the times the songs were written and what were the formative impulses behind the writing of the individual songs. The book tells a great deal about the individual band member's lives, their special bonding as a group, and what was going on in pop culture and history at the time they wrote the songs.

Wiener, Jon. Come Together: John Lennon in His Time. London: Faber Paperbacks, 1995. Focuses on Lennon's 1960s musical and political views. Wiener's treatment of the musician is balanced, not hero worship but not unnecessarily negative either. The book discusses Lennon's music and his confrontation with Richard Nixon.

Woffinden, Bob. The Beatles Apart: A Study of the Split and the Years Since. Port Chester, NY: Cherry Lane Books, 1984. Analyzes the group's internal friction during its last years together and the years since, including the relationships between the four former band members during their solo careers. Woffinden discusses what caused the break up of the musical and social relationships of the Fab Four.