The most recommended John Lennon books

Who picked these books? Meet our 20 experts.

20 authors created a book list connected to John Lennon, and here are their favorite John Lennon books.
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Book cover of John Lennon 1980: The Last Days in the Life

Laurie Kaye Author Of Confessions of a Rock N Roll Name Dropper: My Life Leading Up to John Lennonā€™s Last Interview

From my list on rock and roll cool talented creators.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve been a music fanā€“especially pop and rock and rollā€“since I was a toddler, thanks to my dysfunctional family upbringing that led me to spend the bulk of my time attached to my transistor radio! Not only did I listen to rock radio stations, but I also learned about musicians, including the Beatles, thanks to magazine articles and books once I started to read at an early ageā€“I went to my local library daily and continued to do so all the way through my school years!

Laurie's book list on rock and roll cool talented creators

Laurie Kaye Why did Laurie love this book?

Not only is Kenneth Womack an incredible writer, but also an extremely knowledgeable Beatles expert! Plus, he knew enough to approach me for an interview to include in this book of his since, of course, I co-conducted John Lennonā€™s last interview at the Dakota for RKO Radio on December 8, 1980, mere hours before he was shot and killed, so naturally it added important details when it came to Kenneth writing about the final day of John Lennonā€™s life! 

Kenneth Womack also inspired me to finally begin writing my book. When he read it before I got it published, he was so excited that he contributed an incredibly complimentary Foreward that appears in my paperback book and recorded it for my audiobook version!

By Kenneth Womack,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked John Lennon 1980 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

John Lennon, 1980: The Final Days in the Life of Beatle John tells the story of the legendary musician's incredible last year. For Lennon, 1980 had begun as a ceaseless shopping spree in which he and wife Yoko Ono fell into the doldrums of purchasing blue-chip real estate and indulging their every whim. But for John, that pivotal year would climax in several moments of creative triumph as he rediscovered his artistic self in dramatic fashion, only to be cut down by an assassin's bullets on Monday, December 8th, 1980, in the prime of a new life that was onlyā€¦


Book cover of The Night John Lennon Died: ...so did John Doe

Rick Bleiweiss Author Of Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives

From my list on fun mysteries you may never have read.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a mystery reader my entire life, starting with the Hardy Boys series as a child and then progressing to authors like Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Chester Himes, Ellery Queen, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and many, many others. I love trying to figure out the crime or mystery before the reveal, but usually donā€™t. And, I have always truly enjoyed mystery books which have humor and quirky characters in them. More recently, I have become an award-winning mystery novelist myself, having published both a historical fiction mystery series and stories set in contemporary times in an ongoing anthology series that combines murder, mystery, and music.

Rick's book list on fun mysteries you may never have read

Rick Bleiweiss Why did Rick love this book?

A wonderful read.

One of the authors was the person in charge of the hospital John Lennon was brought to when he was actually murdered, and the book fictionalizes many of the real-life events of that day and night. But, in addition thereā€™s a second man, a John Doe, and itā€™s his murder that has to be figured out by the hospital administrator and a policeman. The timing is also in the early days of GRID, which later became better known as AIDS.

It makes for a fascinating read, a great mystery, and a slice of history.

By Louisa Burns-Bisogno, Saundra Shohen, Carol Dorn (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Night John Lennon Died as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"The Night John Lennon Died...so did John Doe" is the ER Administrator's baptism by fire when John Lennonā€™s bloodied body is carried into Roosevelt Hospital ER over the shoulder of a policeman. Moments later, in the next room there is the suspicious death of an elderly John Doe. As the old manā€™s frail body is placed next to Lennonā€™s in the morgue van, Annie believes her involvement in these two senseless deaths is over. It is just beginningā€¦


Book cover of The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller

David Baboulene Author Of The Primary Colours of Story

From my list on how stories work and how to write your story.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was lucky enough not only to get published in my thirties, I also got a film deal for those first two books. I was flown to Hollywood and it was all very grand. However, what they did to my stories in translating them into film scripts horrified me. And ruined them. And the films never got made. I started to look deeper into what ā€˜expertsā€™ did, and it was awful. I became obsessed with how stories work, developed my own ā€˜knowledge gapā€™ theory, proved it through my Ph.D. research, and became a story consultant in the industry. Story theory has completely taken over my life and I love it!

David's book list on how stories work and how to write your story

David Baboulene Why did David love this book?

This book is different. After a slew of books all pedaling the same material based on the dreaded Hollywood formula, it was really good to find something that bucked the trend. 

Truby focuses on morality in stories. He maintains that every story is actually a moral argument, and gives his practical steps for harnessing that morality and using it to create a strong story. 

I feel there is a lot to be said for this. The only real flaw is that there are actually twelve sensible bases for a story and although the moral argument is undeniably one of those that generates a strong story, it is important for writers to understand all of them.

By John Truby,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Anatomy of Story as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"If you're ready to graduate from the boy-meets-girl league of screenwriting, meet John Truby . . . [his lessons inspire] epiphanies that make you see the contours of your psyche as sharply as your script."
ā€•LA Weekly

John Truby is one of the most respected and sought-after story consultants in the film industry, and his students have gone on to pen some of Hollywood's most successful films, including Sleepless in Seattle, Scream, and Shrek. The Anatomy of Story is his long-awaited first book, and it shares all his secrets for writing a compelling script. Based on the lessons in hisā€¦


Book cover of Clapton: The Autobiography

Larry J. Dunlap Author Of Night People

From my list on romantic rock and roll memoirs of the 60s and 70s.

Why am I passionate about this?

My Indiana singing group was transplanted and reformed into a popular rock band In mid-60s California. We survived San Francisco's East Bay dive bars, thrived in the City's North Beach topless clubs, appeared in several Hollywood rock clubs, opened a showroom/lounge at Caesars Palace, and performed for two years at the Flamingo Hotel. We were discovered by big-name managers, signed to a famous producer, recorded in the best studios, and released several records with a well-known record label. Though we didn't quite make it to the top rung, we checked all the boxes in our journey. In the 70s, I became a personal manager in Hollywood and eventually opened and operated a Sunset Boulevard recording studio. My two books are a passionate retelling of my musical journey. As I worked on them, I turned to memoirs of other musicians and singers for inspiration. These are a few of them.

Larry's book list on romantic rock and roll memoirs of the 60s and 70s

Larry J. Dunlap Why did Larry love this book?

Eric Clapton's early childhood was difficult. He'd been born illegitimately, complicating his relationship with his birth mother. His primary consolation came from playing the guitar. His fantastic talent as a young guitarist made him a cult favorite in the British nightclub scene until the entire world discovered him as a superstar in his first band, the short-lived, Cream. But his memberships in Blind Faith, Delaney and Bonnie, and Friends, and Derek and the Dominoes were also fleeting despite producing some of the most timeless songs in rock history.

All of his weaknesses rose to the top when he convinced Pattie Boyd to leave George Harrison and live with him in 1974. Pattie began traveling with Clapton as he began touring the U.S. In 1979, he and Pattie finally married, with Harrison present as an invited guest. While it seemed that Clapton had everything he had ever wanted, he was sinkingā€¦

By Eric Clapton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Clapton as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Eric Clapton is far more than a rock star. Like Dylan and McCartney he is an icon and a living legend. He has sold tens of millions of records, played sell-out concerts all over the world and been central to the significant musical developments of his era. His guitar playing has seen him hailed as 'God'. Tracks such as "Layla", "Sunshine Of Your Love", "Wonderful Tonight" and "Tears In Heaven" have become anthems for generations of music fans. Now for the first time, Eric tells the story of his personal and professional journeys in this pungent, witty and painfully honestā€¦


Book cover of Yoko Ono: An Artful Life

John Corcelli Author Of Outside Looking In: The Seriously Funny Life and Work of George Carlin

From my list on the most creative artists of our time.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a student of biography. Artists, musicians, and comedians are what I read about. I crave to know what makes a great artist tick, how their ideas develop, and why they choose to pursue their craft at huge personal expense. Iā€™m motivated to write more of my own. These biographies are informative, entertaining, and engaging reads, well worth your time. Itā€™s a challenging and frustrating process to tell an artistā€™s story. Yet their roots, their influences, and how they shake up popular culture make for greater insight into our humanity. Artists take risks and Iā€™m always impressed by the boldness of their vision.

John's book list on the most creative artists of our time

John Corcelli Why did John love this book?

One of the most misunderstood artists of the last century has to be Yoko Ono. Donald Brackett, whose written biographies of Amy Winehouse, Tina Turner, and Sharon Jones, has done an excellent job of telling Onoā€™s story, going way beyond the standard, reductive tales about Ono and her relationship with John Lennon. His book traces Onoā€™s roots in Japan, her early works of performance art, and her time in New York in the Fifties mixing with the cityā€™s art scene in Soho. Brackettā€™s love and respect for Onoā€™s artistic achievements shines throughout its pages.

By Donald Brackett,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Yoko Ono as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For more than sixty years, Yoko Ono has fascinated us as one of the worldā€™s most innovative, radical artists. From a childhood of both extraordinary privilege and extreme deprivation in war-time Japan, she adopted an outsiderā€™s persona and moved to America where, after a spell at Sarah Lawrence College, she made a place for herself in bohemian arts circles. She was already twice divorced and established as a performance artist in the Fluxus movement and in Tokyoā€™s avant-garde scene before her fortuitous meeting with the Beatlesā€™ John Lennon at a London Gallery in 1966.

Their intense yet fraught relationship, reputedā€¦


Book cover of Confessions of a Rock N Roll Name Dropper: My Life Leading Up to John Lennonā€™s Last Interview

Madeline Bocaro Author Of In Your Mind: The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono

From my list on memoirs by women about their musical heroes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always been a passionate music lover. Musicā€“especially rockā€“and its creators have always fascinated me. My many adventures include becoming a music journalist, attending hundreds of concerts since the 1970s, and meeting many of my heroes who have since become legendary. This is why I love books that conjure memories or take me to musical moments in time that I have missed. Especially wonderful are the biographies written by or about bands, superstars and people who adore them. 

Madeline's book list on memoirs by women about their musical heroes

Madeline Bocaro Why did Madeline love this book?

It was very interesting to follow Laurie Kayeā€™s progression from a childhood of neglect and abuse to radio fan and later, to becoming a radio star. Her resume of interviews with rock stars and celebrities is stunning. Her intimate descriptions made me feel as if I was there during her incredible moments with several Beatles members and other superstars, who warmed up to her intelligent questions.

Laurie got the scoop of a lifetime with her RKO radio team in 1980ā€”an interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, which tragically turned out to be Johnā€™s last. He was murdered hours later. As the author of a Yoko Ono biography, I was thrilled that Laurie accurately described Yoko in a positive light. I found it exciting and harrowing to read about how Laurieā€™s life became entwined with the sudden death of Lennon, which shattered her psyche and shook the whole world. Aā€¦

By Laurie Kaye,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Confessions of a Rock N Roll Name Dropper as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In December 8, 1980, twenty-something rock journalist Laurie Kaye entered the legendary Dakota apartments on Manhattan's Upper West Side to co-conduct an interview with her longtime idol, John Lennon. It was the last interview Lennon would ever give - just hours later, outside that same building, Lennon was shot dead by a twenty-five-year-old man (whom Kaye refuses to refer to by name) whom Kaye herself had encountered after finishing the interview and stepping outside onto the street.

Kaye has beaten herself up ever since over her failure to recognise that the assassin - who blocked her path and harassed herā€¦


Book cover of The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of the Beatles

Glenn Dixon Author Of Bootleg Stardust

From my list on the Beatles (from someone who loves them).

Why am I passionate about this?

The first record I ever bought was Magical Mystery Tour when I was no more than twelve or so. Itā€™s what made me want to be a musician myself. Iā€™ve got every Beatle record and I am the kind of guy to study carefully who played what, who wrote what, and how they put it all together. Just before Covid shut down everything, I even went to Abbey Road studios where we recorded some of the songs for my novel (we wrote and recorded all the songs of the fictitious band Downtown Exit). Working in Abbey Road was a dream come true ā€“ to record in the same rooms that the Beatles used. Imagine that. It was wonderful.

Glenn's book list on the Beatles (from someone who loves them)

Glenn Dixon Why did Glenn love this book?

The Love You Make is pure pop pablum. Itā€™s almost tabloid-like in its recounting of the Beatleā€™s relationships, their drug use, and their many petty squabbles. Written by Brian Epsteinā€™s assistant (Brian Epstein, of course, was the Beatlesā€™ manager), Brown has some stories to tell. Full of photos too. This oneā€™s a lot of fun if you donā€™t take it too seriously.

By Peter Brown, Steven Gaines,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Love You Make as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Here is the national bestseller that Newsday called ā€œthe most authoritative and candid look yet at the personal livesā€¦of the oft-scrutinized group.ā€ In The Love You Make, Peter Brown, a close friend of and business manager for the bandā€”and the best man at John and Yokoā€™s weddingā€”presents a complete look at the dramatic offstage odyssey of the four lads from Liverpool who established the greatest music phenomenon of the twentieth century. Written with the full cooperation of each of the groupā€™s members and their intimates, this book tells the inside story of the music and the madness, the feuds andā€¦


Book cover of The Beatles: The Only Ever Authorised Biography

Spencer Leigh Author Of Little Richard: Send Me Some Lovin'

From my list on the Beatles.

Why am I passionate about this?

We all know Little Richardā€™s great hits like "Long Tall, Sally", "Tutti Frutti" and "Good Golly Miss Molly" and Little Richardā€™s life was as wild as his records. Itā€™s excess all areas as Spencer Leigh tells the story of Little Richard in Send Me Some Lovin. It is a biography of someone who transformed popular music. Spencer Leigh was born in 1945 and hearing Little Richard for the first time in 1956 changed his life. He is a world expert on the Beatles and he has written a series of music-based biographies ā€“ Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel ā€“ all of which are full of facts and opinions.

Spencer's book list on the Beatles

Spencer Leigh Why did Spencer love this book?

Published in 1968, this is the only authorised biography of the Beatles.

Davies was in the room when Lennon and McCartney were songwriting, providing insights worth the price of admission alone. He could have interviewed more of the outriders but on the other hand, this is a brilliant account of their claustrophobic world.

By Hunter Davies,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Beatles as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

There's only one book that ever truly got inside the Beatles and this is it. The landmark, worldwide bestseller that has grown with the Beatles ever since.

During 1967 and 1968 Hunter Davies spent eighteen months with the Beatles at the peak of their powers as they defined a generation and rewrote popular music. As their only ever authorised biographer he had unparalleled access - not just to John, Paul, George and Ringo but to friends, family and colleagues. There when it mattered, he collected a wealth of intimate and revealing material that still makes this the classic Beatles bookā€¦


Book cover of Agincourt: Great Battles

Amy Lidster Author Of Publishing the History Play in the Time of Shakespeare: Stationers Shaping a Genre

From my list on Shakespeare and history.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a Lecturer in English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford, where I specialize in early modern drama (including Shakespeare) and book history. Since my undergraduate degree, I have been fascinated by historical drama, poetry, prose, and the often-porous boundary between ā€™truthā€™ and fiction during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Most of my researchā€“including a major project on ā€˜Wartime Shakespeareā€™ that produced two books and a public exhibition at The National Army Museum in Londonā€“explores the profound impact of the stories we tell about the past and what they reveal about concerns and interests in the present. 

Amy's book list on Shakespeare and history

Amy Lidster Why did Amy love this book?

This book astonished me through its careful, compelling account of how art and literatureā€“broadly conceivedā€“have an enormous impact on how we understand and access history.

By concentrating on the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and how it has been represented across the centuries, Curry reveals how much Shakespeareā€™s Henry V has shaped our historical awareness and cultural imagining of this event.

I am no less fascinated by the conflicting accounts and interpretations of this battle, by the difficulties and different agendas that inform acts of writing about the past, than when I first read this book, cover to cover in one sitting, as a student.

By Anne Curry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Agincourt as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Agincourt (1415) is an exceptionally famous battle, one that has generated a huge and enduring cultural legacy in the six hundred years since it was fought. Everybody thinks they know what the battle was about. Even John Lennon, aged 12, wrote a poem and drew a picture headed 'Agincourt'.

But why and how has Agincourt come to mean so much, to so many? Why do so many people claim their ancestors served at the battle? Is the Agincourt of popular image the real Agincourt, or is our idea of the battle simply taken from Shakespeare's famous depiction of it? Writtenā€¦


Book cover of Man on the Run: Paul McCartney in the 1970s

David Browne Author Of Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970

From my list on why the maligned Seventies were pretty awesome.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a senior writer at Rolling Stone, where I cover a wide range of music-related topics. But as a child of the Seventies, I was shaped by the defining and enthralling pop culture of that era, from singer-songwriters, Southern rock, and disco records to Norman Lear sitcoms. In some of my work, Iā€™ve chronicled the highs and lows of that era, perhaps as a way to answer a question that haunted me during my youth: Why did my older sisters and their friends keep telling me that the Sixties were the most incredible decade ever and the Seventies were awful? What did I miss? And how and where did it all go wrong?

David's book list on why the maligned Seventies were pretty awesome

David Browne Why did David love this book?

What happened to the individual members of the Beatles in the years after the group dissolved? Many books have been devoted to that part of their saga, but few gripped me as much as this detailed, well-researched story of McCartney and his band Wings. Written with the cooperation of Maccaā€”who gave several interviews to Doyleā€”Man on the Run makes you realize how chaotic, unstable, and (to use a period phrase) wild and crazy Wings were, despite the banality of some of their music. In that regard, itā€™s a perfect Seventies story: Beneath the seemingly mellow vibes and image lie a far more turbulent saga, reflecting the way McCartney himself repeatedly grappled with redefining himself after his tenure in arguably the greatest pop group of all time. 

By Tom Doyle,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Man on the Run as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The most famous living rock musician on the planet, Paul McCartney is now regarded as a slightly cosy figure, an (inter)national treasure. Back in the 1970s, however, McCartney cut a very different figure. He was, literally, a man on the run. Desperately trying to escape the shadow of the Beatles, he became an outlaw hippy millionaire, hiding out on his Scottish farmhouse in Kintyre before travelling the world with makeshift bands and barefoot children. It was a time of numerous drug busts and brilliant, banned and occasionally baffling records. For McCartney, it was an edgy, liberating and sometimes frightening periodā€¦


Book cover of John Lennon 1980: The Last Days in the Life
Book cover of The Night John Lennon Died: ...so did John Doe
Book cover of The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller

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