“Surrender, 40 Songs, One Story”

From Goodreads:

Bono–artist, activist, and the lead singer of Irish rock band U2–has written a memoir: honest and irreverent, intimate and profound, Surrender is the story of the remarkable life he’s lived, the challenges he’s faced, and the friends and family who have shaped and sustained him.

“When I started to write this book, I was hoping to draw in detail what I’d previously only sketched in songs. The people, places, and possibilities in my life. Surrender is a word freighted with meaning for me. Growing up in Ireland in the seventies with my fists up (musically speaking), it was not a natural concept. A word I only circled until I gathered my thoughts for the book. I am still grappling with this most humbling of commands. In the band, in my marriage, in my faith, in my life as an activist. Surrender is the story of one pilgrim’s lack of progress … With a fair amount of fun along the way.” –Bono

As one of the music world’s most iconic artists and the cofounder of the organizations ONE and (RED), Bono’s career has been written about extensively. But in Surrender, it’s Bono who picks up the pen, writing for the first time about his remarkable life and those he has shared it with. In his unique voice, Bono takes us from his early days growing up in Dublin, including the sudden loss of his mother when he was fourteen, to U2’s unlikely journey to become one of the world’s most influential rock bands, to his more than twenty years of activism dedicated to the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty. Writing with candor, self-reflection, and humor, Bono opens the aperture on his life–and the family, friends, and faith that have sustained, challenged, and shaped him.

Surrender‘s subtitle, 40 Songs, One Story, is a nod to the book’s forty chapters, which are each named after a U2 song. Bono has also created forty original drawings for Surrender, which appear throughout the book.

• Genres: Nonfiction, biography, music, memoir, autobiography, Ireland
• Series: n/a
• Narrated by: Bono
• Length: 20 hrs and 25 mins
• Format: Unabridged Audiobook
• Release date: 11-01-22
• Original publication date: November 01, 2022 (564 pages, Hardcover)
• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Audio

This is a wonderful book. I’ve been a U2 fan for 42 years now. Did I just say that out loud? I’m aging myself. But think how exciting it was to see this book come out. It had been on the TBR for a little while, but finally, I got to it!

I bought the audio book because Bono narrates it. And a fine job he does, too, telling his stories with seriousness, laughter, and tears. This is Bono how you have never seen him.

He speaks of U2, but also about his activism, his marriage and children, and behind the scene stories you’ve never heard.

I would still like to get this as a hardcover, but the audio really lived up to the experience I was expecting. There is music, and each chapter is the name of a song. It’s beautiful and I was sad when I’d finished it.

If you like nonfiction or memoirs, don’t pass this one up.

I gave this 5/5 stars.

From Goodreads:

Paul David Hewson, also known by his stage name Bono, is the main vocalist of the Irish rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his wife, Ali Hewson, and the future members of U2. Since that time he has been referred to as Bono, his stage and nickname, by his family and fellow band members. Bono writes almost all U2 lyrics, often using political, social and religious themes. During their early years, Bono’s lyrics contributed to U2’s rebellious tone. As the band matured, his lyrics became inspired more by personal experiences with members of U2.
Among his non-U2 endeavors, he has collaborated and recorded with numerous artists, sits on the board of Elevation Partners and has refurbished and now owns a hotel with fellow band member, The Edge. Bono is also widely known for his activism concerning Africa, for which he co-founded DATA. He has organized and played in several benefit concerts and has met with influential politicians. He is the co-founder of EDUN, the ONE Campaign and Product Red. Bono has been praised and criticized for his activism and involvement with U2. Bono has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, was granted an honorary knighthood by the United Kingdom, and was named as a Person of the Year by Time, among many other awards and nominations.

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