Customer Reviews

December 8, 1980: The Day John Lennon Died (Book)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This is deceptive. The title and jacket sleeve indicates the book is about December 8th 1980. In fact, only a rather small portion of the book details the events of 12/8/80. The rest of the book is filler covering the same history of John Lennon we've read many times before. I wish the author would go back and rewrite this book with the focus being on 12/8/80 only. If he made the effort, a great book could be had.

Many Beatles fans, I'm sure, had trouble with John Lennon's seemingly newfound life in the late 1970's when he'd discovered 1) that, irrespective of his early seventies drug induced personality and "lost weekend" antics, he truly loved Yoko Ono and wanted to spend eternity with her and 2) that a whole new vein of music was slowly evolving in his mind, given this newfound serenity, and it was music well removed from that of the Beatles...that is to say that the notion of a reunion now seemed a distant non-starter. With Lennon's release of "Double Fantasy" in October, 1980, a new, non-Beatles idealism was growing and Lennon, to some, seemed to have reinvented himself on the world music stage. To a small faction, however, this new musical direction and seemingly tranquil lifestyle drove a wedge into the endless enchantment that Beatles fanatics, in hopes of a reunion, were guilty of and, as Keith Greenberg points out in this excellent crime drama wrapped around an intimate portrayal of Lennon's late 70's life as well as a plausible post-Beatles explanation for their breakup, explains, perhaps, some rationale for Mark David Chapman's horrid and completely self-centered and selfish act. Combining thorough investigation with intimate and sincere moments in the life of John and Yoko, Greenberg pens a step by step account of that fateful day and the aftermath that brings a fresh and nuanced look at this seminal moment in music history.

Intertwining chronological events of December 8th 1980 with categorical memories of the Beatles era, Greenberg constructs the whole of Lennon's life out of seemingly fragmented parts. We see the demise of the Beatles, the deep convictions for a fair and meaningful universal peace and, of course, the music. First with the Plastic Ono Band and then with self titled albums, Lennon composes some of the seventies most influential music, all the while still trying to "find" and define himself personally as he matures. The literary result is a marvelous and seamless narrative that takes the past and gives an ethereal context to that day and its aftermath.

Chapman's psychosis is also clearly on display here as Greenberg has clearly done his due diligence and presents a fair and compassionate account of Chapman who's personae is riddled with self doubt and destructive tendencies all the while being harbored by his ever present copy of "Catcher In The Rye". Chapman then is shown sliding (some would say becomes uncovered) ever so surely into the maniacal personality that, in the end, reveals the true danger that he possessed all along and one that he brought to bear on that fateful night.

I would say that the only critique of this work that I can muster is that Greenberg's post assassination coverage of the grief extolled by all Lennon's intimates is, at times, schmaltzy and a bit overdone. This is especially true when explaining Paul McCartney's "Drag, isn't it?" remarks in the immediate aftermath of Lennon's death.

All told though, Greenberg is able to take a clear veneration of the Beatles and Lennon, in particular, and turn it into an excellent investigative account that doesn't lose the literary touch that great books need. I would definitely recommend this to all readers.

This short book begins by showing us Lennon on his last day, as he was beginning to turn his life around. In 1980 he was jumping back into the music business after a five year sabbatical. His new single "(Just Like) Starting Over" was near the top of the charts. He'd dedicated his life to his family-- his five year-old son Sean, and wife Yoko--and was making overtures to repair the damage he inflicted on his older son, Julian, then seventeen. Greenberg's opening approach immediately appealed to me more than if he had flaunted the Lennon of peace and love and revolution. We got shades of this grown-up Lennon at the end of the movie Imagine, when the lyrics of "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" play over home movies of Lennon with his son, scenes that become utterly heartbreaking once we remember he will die, that he would never see Sean "come of age". Greenberg also mentions the poignancy of that song given Lennon's murder, and it completes a good set-up for what is to come. He's given us a character we care about, whether we know John Lennon already or not.

Unfortunately he gets it almost completely wrong from there. Rather than give us a book about the day with historical background sprinkled in to give us context, he gives us a history of the Beatles with elements of the day dusted over. This book is primarily background and secondarily about the event. Now, I understand background was necessary. He rightly gives us a rundown on Lennon's troubles from childhood, through the Beatles and post-Beatles period. (Important for the redemption story.) He rightly gives us background on the murderer, Mark David Chapman. (Which, BTW, Greenberg does a good job with. He adeptly shows us the man's instability, how his mind could switch quickly between lucid and mad. By the end, I almost saw him as a sympathetic figure too, which is no small feat.) But do we really need to know about Brian Epstein's family history, for example. No. But that's what we get. I suppose if you didn't know much about the Beatles, this would all be well and good: you'd get a miniature portrait of the Beatles along with a book about Lennon's murder--a two-for-one deal. But I can't imagine many people buying the book who don't already know the basics of the band's history. Was Greenberg trying to show off his Beatle knowledge or just trying to inject enough filler to make this a full-length book? Probably a little of both, I imagine.

Greenberg also brings in additional characters as a device to broaden the book and make it feel like more of a story. We meet a reporter, a DJ, a city councilwoman-- even Mayor Ed Koch. All these players, I suppose, were meant to eventually coalesce around the murder, which isn't a bad idea. Unfortunately, they never do. There's such a long gap between references to certain people that we forget who they are when we come back to them. And once we get to the shootings, all but one or two of these bit players are distractions. When Greenberg is writing about that day-- about the photo shoot with Annie Leibovitz, his last interview, his last recording session, the shooting--the book is mesmerizing. It's such a compelling event, it practically tells itself. All Greenberg had to do was get out of the way. But he seemed intent on getting in the way. He bounces around so much chronologically that it sometimes made it hard to keep up with where we are in the story. This is especially the case when he discusses Chapman's two trips to New York. Sometimes it was hard to know if he was talking about the October trip or the December trip. Greenberg undermines himself by pulling away from the actual events or background relevant to those events.

There are other issues. Greenberg moves around between an omniscient POV and that of an investigative journalist. Most of the time it wasn't a big deal, but it could sometimes be distracting. The worst case of it is the scene of Yoko at the hospital after John has died. Greenberg goes into Yoko's mind to tell us that she's worrying about Sean at home, but then a few sentences later quotes her from an interview. This scene was especially discordant because of where it came in the book: John had just died and it was an intense and engrossing spot. Again, a case of Greenberg getting in the way.

But narrative decisions are one thing. In a non-fiction book though, factual accuracy is everything, and I found an inaccuracy too big to overlook. Greenberg states on page 164 that when the police drove Lennon to the hospital in their squad car after the shooting, "No one was in the back seat with John Lennon." Yet not a few hours before reading this, I saw an interview with one of the police officers who accompanied Lennon to Roosevelt Hospital in which he states that Lennon died in his arms in the back seat. Of course, the former-cop could be lying, but I tend to doubt it. And even if he had, who would Greenberg's source be to the contrary? The other cop? In the interview, he sat right next to his partner. So are we to believe these men are conspiring? Doubtful. This rather glaring inaccuracy naturally gave me pause as to the validity of other facts in book.

For all this though, the book is still worthwhile. Though I wish the project had ended up in abler hands, a book about the murder was long overdue. And there is some astute writing here. Greenberg nicely weaves in the other Beatles on the day and in the fearful aftermath. He correctly ties Lennon's murder to a change in celebrity and their relationships with fans. (And murders still to come.)

And ultimately, the heart of the story-- the story of a man's redemption that came either too late or just in time, depending on your worldview-- is strong enough to bleed through even the worst artistic choices.

Something strange is happening here! It is more than a little peculiar how the majority reviewers who have given this book a 5 star rating all have only one review if you check on their user names. Wow, this book must have really inspired a lot of people - well I don't think so!

It looks to me like the author/publisher is pretty busy pushing this book or it must be good to have friends and family to canvas on your behalf - is it not? Some people are just shameless.
Save your hard earned money folks because this book is a rip-off - do not buy it!

I read about half of this book and gave up. If you have ever read any half way decent bio of lennon or the beatles, you will learn nothing new here.
Secondly, even if there was anything new here it is painful to read. this book seems like it was written by a first year journalism student. brutal!

This book does what few (if any) others have done. It offers an almost moment by moment dissection of one of the saddest days in music history. Quite simply, the storytelling is unique and comprehensive and it leaves you feeling like you were there. I would recommend this to John Lennon and Beatles fans - but also to casual observers and younger folks who want a glimpse into the kind of impact a tragedy can have on an entire society.

I did't LOVE this book but did enjoy the telling of the events that led up to this tragedy. I was born post Beatle-mania and consider myself a casual Beatle fan at best. Not knowing the history of that day, the book does a decent job describing those events. I do agree with previous reviews that the book is a tad mis-leading in that it is not a 'ture' minute-by-minute recount of that day as mentioned in the book jacket. However, as never have read any previous books regarding the Beatle's, I did enjoy some of the history of the band and the individual members the author brings up through out the book.

The writing style is a bit choppy at times and you do notice a few typos.

I found this book in a used book store and as a Lennon fan I picked it up. It's a little all over the place. Very little of the book actually deals with the events of Dec. 8, 1980 and the parts of it that do come mostly from neighbors/members of the public/police officers. I wanted more detail from the recording session and from the interview/photo shoot that occured earlier in the day. Maybe the people involved in those events didn't want to talk about them (and that's understandable) but those insights would have made the book more worthwhile.

The title of this book is misleading as it more of a summary of people's lives leading up to Dec. 8 (John, Yoko, the neighbors, the other Beatles, police officers, the killer). In fact, it's a pretty bare-bones summary at best. There's also very little about the events after the shooting.

It's not the worst book ever written about Lennon, but it's also not worth the $10 price tag. If you're a fan, you'll probably want to pass this up.

I don't understand the rave reviews for this book. Must be friends and relatives. I was really looking forward to reading this book but I'm having a hard time getting through it. It's very misleading and has little to do with the day John was killed. It's actually all over the place with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. It has very little to do with John's last day and is more about giving little histories of John's killer and all the people around John and John himself, and we already know John's life story from tons of other books. It's not at all what the title leads you to believe it is. I doubt if I will even be able to finish it and I love reading about John. It's too bad because the title would be a great idea for a book.

On the inside of this book's dust-jacket it says: "In a breath-taking, minute-by-minute format, DECEMBER 8,1980: THE DAY JOHN LENNON DIED follows the day's events leading up to the horrible moment when Mark David Chapman...calmy fired four bullets into the rock icon".

Do not be fooled. The book is NOT written in a minute-minute format at all. I will say it again: it is NOT written in a minute-to minute-format at all. It is a chronological nightmare. And the 227 pages are mostly a history of the Beatles and very little time is spent examining the day of the book's deceptive title. A minute-to-minute format would have been great! But instead the book is mostly a rehash of things any Beatles lover already knows. A big disappointment.