One
I Still Haven't Found What I am Looking For
Sunday Bloody Sunday
One Tree Hill
Bullet the Blue Sky
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
Where the Streets Have No Name
Stuck in A Moment
Pride
New Year's Day
Sweetest Thing
Desire
A baker's dozen of the songs from the U2 Catalog, a total of 40 of which become chapter titles in this stunning memoir, this book that is more than memoir or biography or treatise, but something straight from the heart and soul of an amazingly extraordinary ordinary man.
And with sentences like that one peppered right the way through!
I listened to Bono read this book to me, and it was like having a conversation. He was just chatting and telling me about his childhood, his fears, his faith, his work and his famous friends. He is a baritone who thinks he is a tenor. He told me all about his fierce and true love for his wife, his partner in life, his muse. He talked about how many of his famous band's songs came to be, and what they meant to him and his bandmates. He discusses nicknames and their origins. He talks about his mother, Iris. His emotions come out strong, and he does excellent celebrity impressions. Paul Hewson is an Artist with a capital A.
There is also a lot here about his charity work in this world of ours, and how he came to believe that he might just be able to change a few things around here. Several well-known names are dropped, and conversations and experiences shared (right along with those impressions!) and they are impressive. I loved the story of his impromptu gift to Pope John Paul II. His childhood, convictions, family, and the music - of course the music - are all open to discussion and revelation. At 20 hours of listening time (ie, 576 pages), this is a commitment, and it does get long in the tooth especially at the end when he is waxing philosophical a bit about his societal compassions and works. But, so worth it for the stories and the humor and the insight into quite an amazing life. So far.
I did pick up the hard back at my local bookstore just to look at it, and saw that Bono included some of his own drawings in the physical book. So, my friends, do not be surprised to also find this book on my shelf. It is one I can see myself picking up and just opening to a page and reading, with Bono's voice as my companion (which I think was half the reason I enjoyed this so much). I am not a re-reader, so that is quite a statement. And I don't own any of the physical versions of other audiobooks I have listened to. I also rarely read autobiographies, but my newfound respect for audiobooks as performance art, especially those read by the author, could seriously impact my Reading Life. Bono's inflections, chuckles, cadence, and what seems to be unusual candor really make for fascinating and intimate listening. He is deep. And a poet. And has faults and uncertainties and makes mistakes.
He is human.
Love is bigger than anything in its way, indeed.
Below is a clip of an animated video of one part of the audiobook. You'll get a feel for what I am talking about with his cadence and what he shares. This book just made me happy!
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