I was excited to get my hands on a copy of this bio since I am a huge Beatles fan and have read most everything related to the band. This was a very well written, even if it didn't include anything too earth shattering. I especially enjoyed the information from Sam Havadtoy (Yoko's boyfriend of 20 years about whom not much is previously known--a point of contention for their relationship) and Sean Lennon, who both gave new information and an insider perspective. Love her or hate her, Yoko is an interesting person deserving of her own biography.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

All I knew about Yoko Ono was what I saw in the media. And after reading this book, I realized she was the original Meghan Markle. Seriously. The press has rarely had anything positive to say about her, creating a caricature that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The utter crap she had to put up with–the racism, sexism, out-and-out misogyny, and it came from all over: the media, the Beatles fans, you name it.

A different sort of truth about Yoko One is revealed in this book. The author has known Ono for decades in a professional and personal manner, which creates the conundrum: was he objective with his subject? He creates a layered look at the woman, who had a career in her own right long before she met John Lennon, and that career continued for decades after he was murdered. Her own art was revolutionary and is one of the many reasons Lennon fell in love with her. She was a feminist before the whole feminist movement. She was a trailblazer.

I was only seven years old when John Lennon was shot, so I do not remember the years following his death, when Yoko had to keep ramping up security because of break-ins, death threats and stalking. Sean Lennon had to be taken to school in a large duffle bag because of all the threats. And then there were those close to Yoko and John who outright stole personal property, like all of John’s private diaries, all to make a buck. There were several books that came out in subsequent years which portrayed Yoko Ono as a manipulator, schemer, someone who hypnotized Lennon so he would stay with her. In a word, all these “intimate” memoirs further fueled the flames of the caricature the press had built up over the years.

If you really want to get to know Yoko Ono and her personal life, this book is a good start, even if it’s not entirely objective. Slowly, people have come to realize that her art and artistry were truly groundbreaking and should be looked at on her own, not just as someone’s wife.

Ultimately, Sean said, “It’s one of my mom’s most powerful talents: that she had this ability to overcome difficulty with positive thinking. She really wanted to teach the world to do that. She taught my dad to do that.” from Yoko by David Sheff

She took the trauma of her life–the distant parents, the war with its starvation and bombing of Tokyo, the sexual abuse, the social ostracism, misogyny and racism, the drug addiction, the loss of a child stolen by her ex, the murder of her soul mate, the betrayal by trusted confidences–and turned it into visionary art, and an anthem that transformed the world.

I was not a “Beatlemaniac” but remembered the gossip surrounding Yoko Ono, the famous photographs. When offered this biography, I was drawn to learn about Yoko. The woman I encountered in these pages is a remarkable survivor of unimaginable tragedy since childhood. She took that pain into her art, exposing her vulnerability.

David Sheff was a trusted family friend to Yoko and John Lennon, and his biography is sympathetic while revealing troubling insights.

“As usual, there’s a great woman behind every idiot” John Lennon, quoted in Yoko by David Sheff

Yoko’s art and music is described in depth. Shocking or dismissed at the time, her art became formative to later musicians and artists.

John Lennon was depressed and unhappy when he met Yoko at one of her art exhibits. He became deeply dependent on Yoko. It took years and a separation for their marriage to settle into a mutually supportive and happy one, then John was murdered. Not only did she have to deal with that loss, she received death threats for her and Sean. And people she trusted stole money and memorabilia from her. She found solace in tarot cards and psychics.

It was heartbreaking to read.

But she was a survivor.

Yoko committed to keep John’s legacy and music alive. She performed new music with Sean and was now recognized as a pioneer in conceptual art. She reconnected with her daughter from her first marriage.

“I’m not really that optimistic. I am trying to make us survive. And in the course of survival, we don’t have the luxury to be negative. That’s a luxury we can’t afford.” Yoko Ono quoted in Yoko by David Sheff

Yoko’s contribution to Imagine was finally recognized. The message “had always been central to Yoko’s life and work–the basis of her conceptual art and thinking, and indeed, her survival,” Sheff writes;”Yoko imagines a better world–and she worked to create one.”

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

What if you grew up to believe a story about someone because everyone said it was true? But now as an adult you’re realizing the reality of media and how they spin things for the “good of money”. When I received an email to read this book, I was conflicted…. How could I read this book when I believed her to be not a nice person? With that idea pushed aside I dove in head first and was quickly brought to my senses about how Yoko was used as a pawn (possibly a white chess piece) in the moving game of media.
Yokos life has been nothing short of heartache and triumph at times. With open eyes I am now going back to see just how intricate she has been in the women’s movement. While you may not understand her art, vocal or many other ways she has changed your life without you knowing…. Understand that was a large part of how women are now considered on a larger scale in art.

Sheff’s execution of this book is absolutely flawless. It is among my favorite books I have ever read. Only a true friend could write a telling of her life so genuine and heartfelt. I have never felt so connected to someone I have never met; Sheff has a gift that way in his other works as well. He includes the perfect amount of John Lennon so that Yoko is still the main focus which has not been done as she is often overshadowed and even looked down upon in other books about Lennon’s life. Seeing her hardship, the racism and sexism she faced, and the tainted image of her that has only begun to fade in recent years, led her to make some of the most progressive and influential art of the last near century, and this book gives her her flowers. The most important thing this book accomplishes is discrediting the narrative that Yoko is a homewrecker who broke up the Beatles and repainting the picture of her vivid life through her artistry and the true story of what happened between her and John. This is such an important book, and I hope those who are interested in Yoko’s story -and especially those with negative feelings toward her- will give this one a read.
(See below for a longer review on Substack)

Thank you again for allowing me to read!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!
Really a great read, my biggest complaint is that the author is clearly not unbiased. John Lennon did some terrible things, especially to Yoko, and those were glossed over. He mentions some of them and tones them down, or excuses them. I believe this is coming from his closeness with the entire Lennon family and wanting to spare them any pain, which is understandable but not impartial.
That being said, Yoko is a fascinating person. I am so glad to know her stories history and cultural impact. Truthfully I have never been a big fan of her music or art, but I now understand it more and can respect her for what she has accomplished.

3.5 stars, actually.

I really like David Scheff’s writing and have read a lot of things that he’s written. He’s a great writer, and an emotional one. That works against him on this one.

Yoko is (or was, he said they drifted apart) a friend. His objectivity on this was questionable. I understand that, but it threw the book off for me.

The writing is different in different parts. In the parts where he’d gotten his information from John or Yoko, it’s really strong. But, in the parts where he’s not, it’s weak. There’s a lot about her life before John, but it’s handled in a way that is very respectful to Yoko, but leaves more questions than answers. If she was more famous than John before they got together, why are the reviews shown always negative? Where are the details of her art rather than the examples of celebrities who were influenced by her? Why did she keep leaving her daughter and moving around the world? The childhood she had didn’t make sense for her to have done that so much. There are questions that come in the later years when she and Mr. Scheff weren’t in constant contact.

I wanted to know more about Yoko. I learned some things before and after John. Yoko is a fascinating woman, but I think she deserves a non biased biographer.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

I haven't really read much about Yoko Ono even though I was a Beatles fan and grew up in that era. I hadn't even paid much attention to her life beyond that she married John Lennon.

What a great biography. It didn't get bogged down in any one thing and was just the right length. But it made me want to look up her art and music. The book is divided into decades of her long life. Primarily before John, during John and after John. It talks about her as a person not as Mrs. Lennon. She is a person of such depth and greatness on her own.

I recommend that everyone read this and learn more about this amazing woman.

I was given this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

thank u so much to netgalley and the publisher for this earc!

i was suprised at how much i enjoyed this one, it was very easy to read and very interesting. i would def recommend picking up if you have ever been curious about yoko!

Thank you for the advanced readers copy of Yoko. I learned so much about this mysterious, talented lady. This book was well written. However, what was missing was chronological photos of the Lennon’s and photographs of Yoko’s body of work. I felt that tie in would have been of interest, as Yoko is mostly associated with the break up of the Beatles. The reader who like me was unaware of how talented she is would have gotten a more complete picture of this icon.

David Sheff had the honor of conducting the final Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1980. The questions asked by the twenty four year old Sheff and the topics covered during that interview revealed an insight into life with the Lennon’s and remains a treasured time capsule.
In this well done biography, Sheff turns his attention to his friend Yoko Ono. He carefully but honestly covers the highs and lows of the avant-garde artist. Her name came into world consciousness when she entered the orbit of John Lennon and the Beatles and was tagged as the woman that broke up the band. Sheff unpeels the onion and reveals Yoko’s difficult yet privileged childhood, her art, marriages, heroin addiction, interests in numerology and astrology, her search for her daughter Kyoko, her husbands untimely and brutal death all defining the facets of Ono’s life.
Yoko is artist, musician, business woman, wife, partner and mother. She has been microscopically analyzed over the years and in the years following Lennon’s death she has managed to honor and protect her late husbands legacy but has managed to rise above all the negativity creating and promoting her beloved art.
A very worthwhile read.
Thanks to Net Galley, David Sheff and Simon and Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. Being a fan of The Beatles, I knew about Yoko. But, I was intrigued and interested to read her story as told by David Sheff, who is also a close friend of hers. Sheff is the one who got to interview them in 1980.

This book really dived into her beginnings, her performance art, her music, and the love of John Lennon and their son Sean Ono Lennon. How she came up with the ideas for her art was heavily discussed.

I had no clue she came from a wealthy family in Japan and her parents never quite respected what she did in her extraordinary life.

Her previous marriages before John Lennon and her daughter, Kyoko, with one of them was also discussed.

After John died, she persevered through threats and depression and got back in the game of art and music where she has thrived. Oh, she also was overseeing The Beatles as John’s heir, but recently, she has given that up to their son, Sean.

Overall, it was a quick read and I enjoyed reading about her life.

“John Lennon once described Yoko Ono as the world’s most famous unknown artist. Everyone knows her name, but no one knows what she does” . . .
WHICH WAS TRUE FOR ME!!

“Throughout her life, Yoko has been a caricature, curiosity, and, often, a villain—an inscrutable seductress, manipulating con-artist, and caterwauling fraud. The Lennon/Beatles saga is one of the greatest stories ever told, but Yokos part has been missing—hidden in the Beatles formidable shadow, further obscure by fragrant, misogyny, and racism”
I KNEW NONE OF THIS . . .
“This definitive biography of Yoko Ono‘s life will change that. In this book, Yoko Ono takes centerstage”.
I WAS READY TO FIND OUT!
also —
BEING A HUGE FAN OF THE AUTHOR — DAVID SHEFF —
I was excited to read - anything he was interested enough in to write!!!

My Review thoughts:
*WOW* . . . I learned a lot…more than I ever thought I needed to know!
There is a ‘ton’ of information to digest …. ninety percent of which I knew nothing.
But-Oh My! ….
….as human-interest stories go, few are more interesting than this one.
A whole new world opened up for me that I didn’t see coming.
…. Between reading of “Yoko” ……(during breaks) …. I found myself endlessly thinking about Yoko Ono, John Lennon, the historical unique years of music and art — the many details I knew nothing about with a growing craving to walk back in time.
Nostalgia for this history and the rock ‘n’ roll pop culture
lead me to watching YouTubes during the Beatlemania years …. (an era I grew up in …. but wasn’t a screaming-diehard).
Yet, like most people of my generation— I was influenced by the Beatles powerful cultural force — (from their music, hairstyles, fashion, and politics).

Reading ‘Yoko’ gives in-depth experience of who Yoko Ono is as a person from early childhood - adolescent- young adult - middle age - and old age. Yoko One is 91 year today.
I “imagine” (ha! no pun intended) . . . that I’ll be thinking about this book (the transformative influence it’s had on me)…. for years to come.
JUST GREAT!!! > unexpectedly more interesting and affecting than I had ever ‘imagined’.

David Sheff couldn’t have done a better job!!!
He explores Yoko’s place in history …. her influence on art, music, feminism, activism, and politics.
Yoko challenged societal norms and pushed the boundaries of artistic expression.
She also influenced John Lennon’s music … as well as his happiness.

As for her personal … most intimate life …. years of depression … feelings of being an outcast, etc. …. *90* years of life ups & downs …
Well ….. I’m left in awe!!!

“Many people’s impression of Yoko came from “the tired, sensational, and fictitious versions of the story that began when she met John and ended with his murder, a period of just fourteen of her ninety-plus years”.

Much of Yoko‘s work took the form of poetic instructions for actions and events…..requiring the participation of the viewer or listener….inviting the audience to join in.
Yoko presented work that was unfinished… work that required other people to complete them by performing physical or mental actions.

Much of her work explored the fragility of human communication.

Whether Yoko‘s work was characterized as an act of spiritual power, vulnerability, sacrificing of oneself, trust, etc. Yoko‘s intention for her art was to be about anything that people thought it was.

Yoko had been called an ‘ugly Jap’….. or John Lennon’s ‘Bitch’.
Racist and sexist comments came from the press, fans, the Beatles’ circle, and the other Beatles.

Traumas shaped Yoko‘s life. From early childhood on, the lesson was clear: she could rely on no one but herself.

Feelings of being afraid, ill, and starving—of wasting away— became reoccurring themes in Yoko’s art.

Throughout this book we learn of Yoko’s other marriages - children - and deeply personal & fascinating stories.
I’m still listening to old music and watching YouTubes.

One of the most significant events of Yoko‘s life occurred in 2017. Sean, her son, helped a fragile Yoko on stage to accept the National Music Publishers Association Centennial Song Award for ‘Imagine’ — one of the most important songs ever recorded.
Things were different in 1971, but in 2017, Yoko Ono was acknowledged for being the co-writer of ‘Imagine’.

“‘Rolling Stone’ described
‘Imagine’ as an enduring hymn of solace and promise that is carried us through extreme grief, from the shock of Lennon‘s own death in 1980 to the unspeakable horror of September 11th. It is now in impossible to imagine a world without ‘Imagine’, and we need it more than he ever dreamed”.
It wasn’t John‘s song alone, as he had said multiple times.
Yoko Ono finally received the credit…..that John said she deserved.

Last ….
….a very special acknowledgement to David Sheff …
He took on an ambitious project in writing this book …and did an outstanding job!!!
David Sheff moves me too!

Just ALL-AROUND GREAT!!!
A great treat - experience reading this book!!!
I loved it!!!

Super interesting to learn more about Yoko's life in Sheff's book. She is much more than a Beatle's wife! I found it enticing and exciting to read about her personal history. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I received this as a digital galley from NetGalley.

I was glad to see a comprehensive biography of Yoko Ono independent of John Lennon or any of the other Beatle wives and girlfriends. She had a career before and after her involvement of all of those folks.

I struggled with Sheff's objectivity (which I think he did too) but overall I found the biography to be very solid and well researched. It didn't make me want to revisit Yoko's music (sorry not sorry) but I have always appreciated her conceptual art, past and present. It was interesting to read about the development of her artistic identity and her childhood- both topics I did not know as much about.