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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent look inside mind and heart of Bono, January 25, 2007
This review is from: Bono (Paperback)
A pleasant surprise. I was afraid this book-length interview would turn into a self-congratulatory rambling session with a sycophantic journalist. However, Assayas keeps after Bono with tough and interesting questions and Bono is - by and large - candid and frequently quite insightful. He holds back on some things, which is his perogative, and can get on tangents about his greatest passion of the moment (Africa) but ultimately I found him an honest, fascinating, intelligent, and admirable fellow. I couldn't put it down.
Especially refreshing (and amusing) is the chapter devoted to Bono's theology ("Add Eternity to That"). He has a penchant for dropping swear words into the discussion and that may be off-putting to some Christians. He clearly points to Christ's sacrifice on the cross and God's grace as his only hope of salvation but avoids the cliches evangelicals often fall back on. You don't hear that from too many rock stars.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An In-depth Conversation., March 4, 2007
Though I enjoy their music, I'm still not a huge fan of U2. However, I have become quite interested in the band's front man, Bono. Bono has used his celebrity and fame in a way that many others would benefit from by example. I find the man fascinating and I was looking forward to learning more about him.
BONO is an extended interview that Michka Assayas had with Bono over a period of several years. The project originally didn't start out as book, but as Assayas discusses, a book-length interview seemed to best way to present everything that he and Bono had discussed. I was a bit leery about the book before reading it because I had never read a book-length interview before and I was concerned the book might start repeating itself. Thankfully, BONO doesn't. Assayas doesn't do much sugar-coating and asks Bono tough questions. Bono seems to like this though, as it forces him to do some serious reflection and self-evaluation. What follows, then is a written conversation that is candid, often insightful, and sometimes humorous.
The only repetition in the piece is brought up by Bono himself in regards to his work with Africa. Had another celebrity mentioned the cause, it might seem like fluff. But Bono is serious and since the book takes place over a series of years, one can see how serious Bono is about the problem and what he has done over time to find a solution.
Bono is a Christian and I especially enjoyed reading about his faith. There aren't very many Christians who are also world famous rock stars, so he isn't a typical Christian and I found it interesting to read how Bono balances between his faith and his fame. Bono does uses some foul language every once and awhile and some people might be taken back by that. Personally, I found it refreshing to read an authentic account of faith instead of tired and overused clichés that many evangelicals often use in discussing their lives.
A great book for anyone who is a fan of U2 or Bono or for someone looking to read about a famous Christian who tries to use their celebrity for Biblical purposes.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not what I hoped., October 16, 2008
..An extensive interview taken over a number of different phone calls/ meetings- is an idea I like; gives ideas and issues discussed a chance to be refreshed. However, the author, Michka Assayas first met Bono a number of years ago (almost 30 years), and has been in contact ever since. They have, over this lengthy period of time built something of a friendship/relationship, and it shows in the book. This is fine but, I think it affects the questions asked, and how Bono addresses the questions; there were a few times when it seemed only they knew what the other thought or meant because of some prior conversation years ago, and didn't bother verbally finishing/explaining the idea then for the readers.
As a result, we as readers, because of their established friendship, can only see Bono through the eyes of the author, which is like veiwing something through already tinted glass. These things can easily get looked over by someone who already has a relationship with the interviewee, but nontheless it gets in the way of a truly non-biased and interesting interview.
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