Up to now, the close call U2 frontman Bono had with the grim reaper in 2016 has only ever been acknowledged, rather than fully aired in public. Surrender, his first-ever autobiography, kicks off with the full details of what happened – and then takes us right back in time, to growing up in 1970s Dublin via Live Aid, Zoo TV and visiting wartorn Ukraine earlier this year.
With each of Surrender’s 40 chapters named after and relating to U2 songs at different stages of his life, Bono digs deep therein. There are hand-drawn illustrations and snippets of song lyrics, surrounded by richly detailed prose that is reflective, revealing, heartbreaking and on some occasions hilarious. There are surreal tales of living on aeroplane food for dinner as a teen – without getting to step on a plane, or outside his childhood home on Cedarwood Road, where Bono lived with his father and older brother.
There are also many extremely moving moments that crop up within these 557 pages. Two chapters which come to mind are Iris, in which Bono writes about the mother he lost when he was just 14, and With Or Without You, addressing the juggling act of keeping his wife Ali happy as a full-time member of a globally successful band.
A testament to grief, faith, enduring love, lasting friendships, struggles and fighting for what you believe in, as well as trying to do the right thing, Surrender is a phenomenal read one should recommend to friends and strangers alike.
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, Bono (Hutchinson Heinemann)
Price: £25. Info: here
words DAVID NOBAKHT
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