Book Review: “The Private John Lennon” by Julia Baird

Excuse me while a catch up on reading all the Beatles related books that have been collecting dust on my bookshelf these past several years.

The Private John Lennon: The Untold Story from His Sister by Julia Baird was published in early 2008.  In the UK, the title of this same book is “Imagine This: Growing Up with My Brother, John Lennon”.  This book was the basis for the film “Nowhere Boy,” which I reviewed when it first come out in theaters.  You can read that review here.

It’s always refreshing when you can read a first-hand account of someone’s life from someone who was actually there to witness it.  Much like Cynthia Lennon or May Pang‘s books, Julia Baird brings the reader into her and her families’ private lives to give you a glimpse of what it was like being John Lennon’s sister.  Those facts or times that she is unable to recall or know as fact, she’s gone about finding those family members and friends who can fill in the blanks for her and her readers.  It’s during her research that Julia uncovered several family secrets that help Lennon and Beatles fans better understand the world that John grew up.

This is a story of unbelievable tragedy.  Even if she wasn’t related to one of the Fab Four, one has to agree that they would not wish Julia’s losses throughout her life on anyone.   She tells of Cynthia’s kindness towards her and her sister Jackie after the loss of their mother and she tells of the embarrassment she felt at her brother John’s strange behavior after taking up residency with Yoko.

After reading this book, it becomes obvious what John saw in Yoko.  He was returning to the strange, controlled world that he had always known growing up.  Thank you Julia for telling your story.

If you’d like to read this book on Kindle, it’s available as an ebook in it’s UK title –Imagine This.

I rate this book: 4 out of 4 Beetles!