Imagine This [Hardcover]

Julia Baird (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 2007

Until now, the true story of John Lennon's childhood has never been told. John's sister Julia has herself been on a personal journey that has made it possible only now to reveal the full extent of the pain and difficulties -- as well as the happier times -- living inside John Lennon's family brought. Julia reveals the various strong, self-willed and selfish women who surrounded John as he grew up. John was removed from his mother at the age of 5 to live with his Aunt Mimi, and here Julia shows for the first time the cruelty of this decision -- to both mother and son, she sheds a new light on his upbringing with Mimi which is often at dramatic odds with the accepted tale. John's frequent visits to his mother and sisters gave him the liveliness, freedom and love he sought and allowed him to develop his musical talents. The tragic death of their mother, knocked down outside Aunt Mimi's house by a speeding car when John was 17, meant that life for him and his sisters would never be the same again. Poignant, raw and beautifully written, IMAGINE THIS casts John Lennon's life in a new light and reveals the source of his emotional fragility and musical genius. It is also one family's extraordinary story of how it dealt with fame and tragedy beyond all imagining.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A tragic story...also a tenderly evoked memoir of a Liverpool childhood' -- John Walsh, The Independent 'A tragic story ... also a tenderly evoked memoir of a Liverpool childhood' -- The Independent 'honest and poignant, this enjoyable read offers fans a new perspective on their idol' -- The Sun 'A moving account of the Beatle's childhood by his half-sister ... fascinating' -- Observer Music Monthly 'Philip Larkin's much-quoted lines about sex being invented in 1963 "between the end of the Chatterley ban/ And the Beatles first LP" stand corrected here. Perhaps life was dull in Hull and Coventry, but on this account there was plenty of passion in Liverpool' -- The Irish Times 'A poignant powerful tale that throws new light on the Lennon legend' -- The Scottish Sunday Post 'An unusual treat' -- Aberdeen Evening Express 'His sister's important new account chronicles the pivotal childhood years that provided the source of both Lennon's rich creativity and personal vulnerability' -- Good Books Guide

About the Author

Julia Baird has an MA in Philosophy of Education and first worked as a teacher of French and English before going on to work as a special needs teacher for 15 years with excluded adolescents in the most deprived areas of Chester. She has three children and is now a director of Cavern City Tours. She has written one previous book, JOHN LENNON: MY BROTHER, now out of print.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Hb (February 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340839244
• ISBN-13: 978-0340839249
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #548,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unusual perspective, March 30, 2007

By 

A reader (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Imagine This (Hardcover)

I found Julia Baird's book on her half-brother, John Lennon, well-written and very enjoyable. I've read dozens of books on John and the Beatles, and hers provided a unique perspective which definitely humanized this "icon" in a way few others have. These days it is hard to find anything but the highly-sanitized, Yoko-centric version of John, but this look into his childhood, adolescence and later years has a ring of truth to it. He lived more than half of his life before Yoko, and this book reminds us of that.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful,heartbreaking story, December 3, 2009

By 

Amy Hadden (Indiana) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Imagine This: Growing Up with My Brother, John Lennon (Paperback)

This book will make you laugh and cry.So much has been written about John Lennon's life before he was a Beatle and it is great to know this book tells the whole truth,good or bad.The joy shines through and you really can feel the love Julia Baird has for her late brother and you can feel the pain,sadness,and anger she has for the lose of their mother and the lose of John.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars On kindle, September 17, 2011

By 

M. Michael (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Imagine This (Kindle Edition)

Found the first part slow and all the names confusing - also the editing and kindle set up is not all one could wish. That said I read the second half in one night and found it fascinating. I felt so hurt for the sisters with their gloriously happy child hood replaced by sadness and coldness when they were still so young. How great that Julia gave so much of herself to other hurt bewildered children.