JOHN LENNON & YOKO ONO

An introduction to the life and times of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

This large-format book ­­­­­bursting with color harkens back to the psychedelic 1960s using an understated yet vibrant palette and a style resembling linoleum printing. Each spread features a collage of images that reflect information presented in small blocks of exclamation mark–laden text under simple headings. The book is organized into spreads, with introductory topics including “England” and “Themes,” then overviews of Ono’s and Lennon’s lives and creative work, followed by the story of their relationship. With few blocks of text on each spread, the ideas presented are highly curated and vaguely broad, creating questions in readers’ minds about what was left out. For example, “John was tormented by fears about his romantic fusion with Yoko, and he began to make all sorts of mistakes, putting his marriage at risk.” There are also holes in the historical presentation, and what is included feels too complimentary to be completely objective (regarding the lyric, “all you need is love,” the author writes, “It sounded great, and what’s more, it was true!”) The main narrative is followed by famous quotes from both subjects, descriptions of one creative work apiece, thumbnail portraits of artistic contemporaries and friends (all male save Cynthia Powell, John’s first wife), a glossary, and a timeline. There is no bibliography or source notes.

Enthusiastic but perplexing.