Official Book of the 2010 John Lennon Tribute in New York City

Here, for the first time, is the spiritual odyssey of this remarkable artist. Mining Lennon’s lyrics, poetry, prose, and interviews, Gary Tillery tracks his thinking as it evolved from his troubled, working-class childhood throughout his many roles as Beatle, peacenik, and social activist.

At the height of fame, in 1965 Lennon began an honest search for meaning. He came to believe that, for society to improve, people must stop idolizing cultural heroes like he was. Lennon encouraged people to view experts with cynicism, to think for themselves, and to aim at self-transformation, for our own sake and for a better world.

Lennon’s songs such as “Instant Karma” and “Mind Games” remind us that we ourselves have the power to shape, not a future we dread, but one we want. His legacy endures as a beacon of truth that urges us to be the change we want to see.

“For teenagers like me in the ‘70s, Lennon was the conduit for a number of causes: peace, women’s rights, and the painful exploration of the self. Most books on Lennon focus on the skeletons in his closet. This one shows where his heart was." (Gary Lachman, Rock’n Roll Hall of Fame for his former role as the bassist in Blondie, author of Turn Off Your Mind, New York Rocker, and many other books)