Synopses & Reviews
This lyrical biography explores the life and art of Yoko Ono, from her childhood haiku to her avant-garde visual art and experimental music. An outcast throughout most of her life, and misunderstood by every group she was supposed to belong to, Yoko always followed her own unique vision to create art that was ahead of its time and would later be celebrated. Her focus remained on being an artist, even when the rest of world saw her only as the wife of John Lennon.
Yoko Onos moving story will inspire any young adult who has ever felt like an outsider, or who is developing or questioning ideas about being an artist, to follow their dreams and find beauty in all that surrounds them.
Praise for Yoko Ono: Collector of Skies
STARRED REVIEW
"Clean text space, delicate but legible font, and scads of photographic portraiture and art piece reproductions of excellent clarity contribute to an overall book design worthy of its subject."
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
"A detailed portrait of a complex woman who for several reasons has a significant place in our cultural history. Even rabid fans of Lennon or the 1960s will find new information and angles in this searching study."
Kirkus Reviews
"This beautifully produced, comprehensive, and highly sympathetic biography of the artist covers her entire life, reporting her influences and her accomplishments, and bringing her out from behind the shadow of her famous husband."
School Library Journal
"This is handsomely designed and generously illustrated; it is also well researched and filled with intriguing details. Theres not a lot for young people about Ono. They will find this a good starting place."
Booklist
Award
2014 Amelia Bloomer Project List
Review
"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
Synopsis
Award-winning biographer Elizabeth 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 striking black-andwhite photographs spanning his entire life, John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth is the unforgettable story of one of rock’s biggest legends.
About the Author
Nell Beram is an editor and reviewer and a former columnist for the Horn Book. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Carolyn Boriss-Krimsky is a visual artist, arts writer, and playwright who published an article about Yoko Ono in Art New England. She lives in New York City and Cambridge, Massachusetts.