John Lennon
All I Want is the Truth
Partridge dives into Lennon’s life from the night he was born in 1940 during a World War II air raid on Liverpool, deftly taking us through his turbulent childhood and his rebellious rock’n’roll teens to his celebrated life writing, recording, and performing music with the Beatles. She sheds light on the years after the Beatles, with Yoko Ono, as he struggled to make sense of his own artistic life—one that had turned from youthful angst to suffocating fame in almost a split second.
Partridge chronicles the emotional highs and paralyzing lows Lennon transformed into brilliant, evocative songs. With black-and-white photographs spanning his entire life, John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth is the unforgettable story of one of rock’s biggest legends.
Awards & Accolades
- Michael L. Printz Honor Book
- ALA Best Books for Young Adults
- School Library Journal Best Books
- Booklist Editor’s Choice
- Horn Book Fanfare BCCB Blue Ribbon
- Kirkus Best Books
★ “Partridge takes on another complex, prolific musical genius. The book design is drop-dead gorgeous…The chronological organization not only clarifies stages in Lennon’s life but also slips a little history to unsuspecting teenagers as they get past the mask of an iconic popular star.” —The Horn Book Magazine, starred review
★ “John Lennon’s Aunt Mimi disapproved of his guitar hobby because ‘you could never make a living at it.’ Such anecdotes surface with delightful regularity in Partridge’s biography of the influential mid-twentieth-century musician. As in This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie, her mission is to uncover the person behind the image.” —Booklist, starred review
“Drawing from more than 50 published sources, this well-researched photobiography includes copious quotations from Lennon and his colleagues. Their words range from eloquent to profane; paired with Partridge’s crisp reporting, the quotes offer a spontaneous and incisive look at Lennon’s life. ‘I just see and hear differently from other people…. And there is no way of explaining it,’ Lennon once said. The author indeed reveals the many ways in which this talented singer and songwriter was a visionary; his gift both tormented him and raised him to a pinnacle of musical creativity.” —Publisher’s Weekly
“Partridge cuts through the mythology and misinformation surrounding the life of the legendary singer/songwriter and goes a long way toward revealing the complexities of his personality. She relies heavily on Lennon’s own writings and the wealth of interviews he granted during his lifetime. What emerges is an unflinchingly honest portrait of a troubled, angry, and highly creative individual who was captivated by rock ‘n’ roll and often used it as a means of expressing his unhappiness and confusion.” —School Library Journal
“Partridge does a masterful job of placing Lennon’s music in the context of his times—the influences of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard, as well as the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War and Watergate. Lennon comes across as a brilliant, self-centered, self-destructive figure caught up in a pop culture world that reflected and exaggerated his own worst tendencies. Given the massive amount written about the Beatles, separating the man from the myth is a huge challenge, superbly accomplished here, with great attention to documentation.” —Kirkus Reviews
The Cavern
Concert in Candlestick Park
Yoko, Sean, and John