Woman: The Incredible Life of Yoko Ono (Paperback)

~ Alan Clayson (Author), Barb Jungr (Author), Robb Johnson (Author)
Key Phrases: record collector, unfinished dialogue, instruction pieces, Yoko Ono, New York, John Lennon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This riveting exposé of Yoko Ono covers her early life growing up as the eldest daughter of a wealthy Japanese family and her personal experience as a result of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of the World War II. Detailed are her move to New York for schooling during the 1950s, her first marriage to a composer, and her early days as an experimental artist in London during the early 1960s. New light is shed on her initial meeting with John Lennon and their 13-year relationship, and the rebuilding of her life after his tragic murder. Her life as artist, musician, businesswoman, and mother are explored from her youth to the present.

About the Author

Alan Clayson is the author of The Walrus Was Ringo, The Yardbirds, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison. He contributes to Mojo, Record Collector, and The London Times. In the late 1970s he fronted the legendary punk icons Clayson and the Argonauts and still performs regularly. Barb Jungr is a feature writer and columnist who has contributed to The Cambridge Companion to Blues and Gospel, The Singer, Folk Roots, and The Guardian. She is a singer-songwriter whose CD "Every Grain Of Sand" was on both the Telegraph and The Sunday Times’ 10 best jazz CD’s of 2002 lists. She was named International Artist of the Year by Backstage. Robb Johnson has written extensively for the magazine Rock’n’Reel and contributes a regular column to Folk On Tap. He is the author of the songbook Words & Chords: A Robb Johnson Songbook Part 1 and of Journeys Down Denbigh Road, a book of multifaith stories for children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Chrome Dreams; illustrated edition edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184240220X
• ISBN-13: 978-1842402207
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #701,570 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Please, don't waste your money!, April 1, 2007

By	Steven Petrucchio - See all my reviews

Many passages were written in an overtly hostile manner and saddled with the same tired cliches one has come to expect when reading about Yoko Ono. If that is not enough, this book is riddled with inaccurate facts from beginning to end...For instance, I'm no astrologer, but it's pretty well-accepted knowledge that like Yoko, those born on February 18 are born under the sign of Aquarius, not "Pices," as the book tells us. And contrary to what the book states, the Dakota apartment building where Ono resides is not on the Upper East side, but located on the Upper West Side. Even more disconcerting though, is the butchering of quotes previously put forth in other publications. For example, the authors write that Ringo Starr (when going to the Dakota shortly following Lennon's death) "muttered 'It was her who started all this'," as to imply....well, frankly, I'm not sure what! Regardless, what Ringo ACTUALLY said in an early 1980's interview when describing how he gently tried to quell Yoko's initial reluctance to meet his fiance during that difficult time was, "Remember, you started all this..." In other words, he was acknowledging that it was John and Yoko -- with their insistance upon being acknowledged as "a cohesive unit" despite protestations from those around them -- set the bar for recognizing importance of this type of togetherness. Basically, if one purchases this book, they are paying for 207 pages of junk.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Horrible, August 18, 2006

By	Robert Goodman (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book at Powell's in Portland, Oregon, after hearing about it for several years. What a disappointment. Not only is it horribly written, but it includes sections by several different writers, most of which repeat the same ignorant and negative prejudices spewed against Yoko for years. If you are looking for a well written, objective, intelligent, indepth biography of this intriquing woman, you will not find it here. Sad...Save your money.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring, August 17, 2007

By	Ann Persson "Scottie" (Vernon, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning anything new about Yoko Ono and her marriage to John Lennon. While it did explore some of Yoko's early years, there wasn't very much detail about her life since the death of Lennon.