Yoko Ono

by Jerry Hopkins

Tells the story of the artist and pop star from her wealthy Japanese upbringing to her love affair with John Lennon and her life after the ex-Beatle's death

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1987

About the author

Jerry Hopkins was an American journalist and author best known for writing the first biographies of Elvis Presley and Jim Morrison of The Doors, as well as serving for 20 years as a correspondent and contributing editor of Rolling Stone magazine.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had been hoping for something along the lines of what he wrote for Jim Morrison, and was sorely disappointed. Part of the problem with this book is that he's not really a Beatles insider, and most of his sources are anonymous. While I can understand why that is, it's a little hard to interpret, because most Beatles sources aren't unbiased, especially where Yoko is concerned. So the result is a very uneven biography. The Chapters on her early life are pretty straightforward and informative; once we get to the Lennon years, he's all over the place. I found the writing to be uneven and really didn't understand where he was coming from. He seemed determined to portray a positive (or at least not negative) picture of Yoko, but the information he was getting - from May Pang, fired pyschics, etc - wasn't that positive. Since he wasn't close to the Lennons, he didn't really have any insightful comments.

I also found it strange that he trashed most other biographies. Like why is it surprising that May Pange wrote a book - she dated John for almost a year, while he was married to Yoko? Also, while Fred Seaman had some dubious intentions after John's death, he was John's personal assistant for several years and some of his book was corroborated by Cynthia and Julian Lennon - why wouldn't I trust his version of events at least as much as Hopkins', since he was actually there?

The book was published in 1987, so his account of Yoko's art and productivity after Lennon's death is kind of short-sighted. It's an interesting book, but I've found others to be more reliable, at least to my mind.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative and fair-minded book about a controversial and divisive person. As always, when it comes to Yoko, I would like to actually see an author tackle her relationship with Sam Havadtoy, who moved into the Dakota almost immediately upon John's demise and who lived with her for the next twenty years.

The Ballad of Sam and Yoko would make for interesting reading, though I doubt we will read that particular stanza until Yoko has left us.

[Cayleigh Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, I read this before reading any Lennon biographies which I'm realising now might be backwards. You certainly feel sympathy for Ono before coming to America and after John dies, which in this book is about three chapters, which leaves the remaining chapters to have all sorts of different feelings about her. She seems like a complicated lady.

[Nola · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting insight in to Yoko Ono. She targeted John Lennon to sponsor her art and at the same time managed to capture his heart and head as well. Definitely a read, won't say anymore.