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Acorn
It’s nearly 50 years ago that my book of conceptual instructions Grapefruit was first published. In these pages I’m picking up where I left off. After each day of sharing the instructions you should feel free to question, discuss and/or report what your mind tells you. I’m just planting the seeds. Have fun.
—Yoko Ono, from the introduction to Acorn
In Acorn, renowned artist and political activist Yoko Ono offers intriguing, enchanting exercises to open our eyes on better ways of relating to ourselves, each other, and the planet we co-habit. Throughout the book are drawings by Yoko, many never before seen.
—Yoko Ono, from the introduction to Acorn
In Acorn, renowned artist and political activist Yoko Ono offers intriguing, enchanting exercises to open our eyes on better ways of relating to ourselves, each other, and the planet we co-habit. Throughout the book are drawings by Yoko, many never before seen.
216 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1997
37 people are currently reading
971 people want to read
About the author
Yoko Ono
166 books216 followersYoko Ono (オノ/ヨーコ) Lennon is a Japanese artist and musician. She is known for her work as an avant-garde artist and musician, and her marriage and works with world famous English musician John Lennon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
October 26, 2013
I think I am a bit in love with Yoko Ono, mender of broken hearts, wind-whisperer...
December 31, 2025
A PARTE DA TERRA V
Observa o pôr-do-sol
Sente a Terra a mexer
Se não fosse a Katya nem saberia que a Yoko Ono tinha escrito livros já que, para mim, ela é essencialmente artista e activista, apesar de ser injustamente famosa como a megera que separou os Beatles. Foi, no entanto, um acaso que me fez cruzar com esta edição em português, que na capa exibe um elogio de Lady Gaga (“Yoko Ono é o meu ídolo”), enquanto procurava novidades na estante da poesia da biblioteca que frequento habitualmente.
A PARTE DA DANÇA IV
Observa uma borboleta a dançar.
Observa os pirilampos a dançar
Observa as luzes a dançar na água.
Deixa o teu coração dançar com eles.
Para tornar a experiência de leitura ainda mais perfeita, usei como marcador um postal (IMAGINE PEACE) que comprei no Museu de Serralves, em Agosto de 2020, a primeira exposição realizada por esse museu após o primeiro confinamento. Gostaria de dizer que me desloquei ao Porto de propósito para visitar o deslumbrante retrospectiva intitulada “Jardim de Aprendizagem da Liberdade”, mas até isso foi mais uma feliz coincidência. Fez parte do percurso de monumentos a visitar com os meus filhos e acabou por ser um dos pontos altos da visita, porque ainda há uns minutos mostrei ao mais novo uma imagem de uma das instalações interactivas mais poderosas, “Refugee Boat”, e ele disse-me de imediato que era “da japonesa”.
A PARTE DA LIGAÇÃO I
Sussurra o teu nome para uma pedrinha.
oferece-a a um amigo
E não a ti próprio.
A escrita de Yoko Ono em “Bolota” é menos instigadora do que a sua arte, mas é igualmente reflexiva, sendo cada poema ou meditação acompanhado por um desenho pontilhado da autora.
A PARTE DA VIDA VI
Cada vez que não dizemos
o que queremos dizer
estamos a morrer.
Faz uma lista de quantas vezes
morreste esta semana.
Morrer é um ato necessário
para viver.
Tal como inalar é necessário
para poder expirar.
Os pensamentos de Ono são frugais e plácidos, roçando por vezes o estoicismo, valorizando a observação das coisas mais ínfimas da natureza, bem como a atenção plena em várias situações. Registo com especial deleite parte de uma das minhas sequências preferidas.
A PARTE DO DESEJO III
Sussura o teu desejo a uma nuvem.
Pede à nuvem que não se esqueça.
A PARTE DO DESEJO IV
Faz uma promessa a uma árvore.
Pede-lhe que a passe a outras árvores.
A PARTE DO DESEJO V
Sussurra o teu desejo ao vento.
Pede ao vento que o leve até ao fim do mundo.
A PARTE DO DESEJO VI
Escreve todas as coisas que queres fazer.
Pede a outros que as façam e segue em frente.
Continua a dançar.
Observa o pôr-do-sol
Sente a Terra a mexer
Se não fosse a Katya nem saberia que a Yoko Ono tinha escrito livros já que, para mim, ela é essencialmente artista e activista, apesar de ser injustamente famosa como a megera que separou os Beatles. Foi, no entanto, um acaso que me fez cruzar com esta edição em português, que na capa exibe um elogio de Lady Gaga (“Yoko Ono é o meu ídolo”), enquanto procurava novidades na estante da poesia da biblioteca que frequento habitualmente.
A PARTE DA DANÇA IV
Observa uma borboleta a dançar.
Observa os pirilampos a dançar
Observa as luzes a dançar na água.
Deixa o teu coração dançar com eles.
Para tornar a experiência de leitura ainda mais perfeita, usei como marcador um postal (IMAGINE PEACE) que comprei no Museu de Serralves, em Agosto de 2020, a primeira exposição realizada por esse museu após o primeiro confinamento. Gostaria de dizer que me desloquei ao Porto de propósito para visitar o deslumbrante retrospectiva intitulada “Jardim de Aprendizagem da Liberdade”, mas até isso foi mais uma feliz coincidência. Fez parte do percurso de monumentos a visitar com os meus filhos e acabou por ser um dos pontos altos da visita, porque ainda há uns minutos mostrei ao mais novo uma imagem de uma das instalações interactivas mais poderosas, “Refugee Boat”, e ele disse-me de imediato que era “da japonesa”.
A PARTE DA LIGAÇÃO I
Sussurra o teu nome para uma pedrinha.
oferece-a a um amigo
E não a ti próprio.
A escrita de Yoko Ono em “Bolota” é menos instigadora do que a sua arte, mas é igualmente reflexiva, sendo cada poema ou meditação acompanhado por um desenho pontilhado da autora.
A PARTE DA VIDA VI
Cada vez que não dizemos
o que queremos dizer
estamos a morrer.
Faz uma lista de quantas vezes
morreste esta semana.
Morrer é um ato necessário
para viver.
Tal como inalar é necessário
para poder expirar.
Os pensamentos de Ono são frugais e plácidos, roçando por vezes o estoicismo, valorizando a observação das coisas mais ínfimas da natureza, bem como a atenção plena em várias situações. Registo com especial deleite parte de uma das minhas sequências preferidas.
A PARTE DO DESEJO III
Sussura o teu desejo a uma nuvem.
Pede à nuvem que não se esqueça.
A PARTE DO DESEJO IV
Faz uma promessa a uma árvore.
Pede-lhe que a passe a outras árvores.
A PARTE DO DESEJO V
Sussurra o teu desejo ao vento.
Pede ao vento que o leve até ao fim do mundo.
A PARTE DO DESEJO VI
Escreve todas as coisas que queres fazer.
Pede a outros que as façam e segue em frente.
Continua a dançar.
December 7, 2018
I'm belatedly figuring out that Yoko Ono is actually extremely interesting and good and I'm mad at the patriarchy for the Yoko-Ono-broke-up-the-Beatles narrative that prevented me from learning this for so long.
Read
December 27, 2025#Ono...Dos...Tres!
Em 1968, Yoko Ono e John Lennon pretendiam, como parte do seu grande projeto de vida pela paz, plantar bolotas no terreno da catedral de Coventry (que, na altura, recebia uma exposição de escultura). A ideia era que, com o crescimento, as bolotas formassem uma escultura natural e uma ode à paz - que Yoko e Lennon complementavam enviando outras bolotas, por correio, a líderes mundiais. No entanto, causando um rebuliço mediático, as sementes acabaram por ser desenterradas e roubadas, deixando o projeto incompleto. Essas sementes de bolota, nativas de ambos os continentes, asiático e americano, sobre o seu poder regenerativo, figurado e real, detinham um simbolismo próprio dentro da relação Ono-Lennon, representando a união de duas culturas, e alimentavam uma mitologia familiar de que Ono nunca se separou nem esqueceu, mesmo 50 anos depois.
Prova disso, em 2005, Yoko recriava a instalação de Coventry plantando dois carvalhos sob uma réplica do banco que, anos antes, tinha abrigado as duas bolotas originais. E cerca de uma década antes, em 1996, começava a trabalhar neste Acorn (Bolota).
Publicado digitalmente ao longo do ano de 2008, e em formato físico em 2013, Acorn funciona, de certa forma, como uma tentativa de recuperar e cristalizar a performance conjunta de cariz ativista levada a cabo em '68. E isso não é por acaso já que a obra de Ono e Lennon se inspira e entrecruza mutuamente (é de Yoko, em Grapefruit, a famosa frase A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality, e é seu o lema que inspira Imagine de John Lennon).
Retomando onde terminara Grapefruit (Toranja), outro dos híbridos que lembram a Ono a sua origem, este volume dialoga com o anterior, revelando um percurso artístico consistentemente poético e metalinguístico em que a obra de arte se oferece como manual artístico. Interpelando-se a si mesmo, este segundo conjunto de meditações desvia o foco do objeto físico e inspira a uma filosofia do ser. Podendo ser lido como o manual de instruções mais influente do mundo da arte ou como um conjunto de reflexões poético-filosóficas é, literalmente, um fruto que se pretende que medre na vida de cada um.
ECHO TELEPHONE PIECE
Get a telephone that only echoes back
your voice.
Call every day and talk about many
things.
1964 spring
(Grapefruit)
ROOM PIECE V
Get a telephone that only echoes back your voice.
Call every day and complain and moan
about your life and people around you.
(Acorn)
Yoko terá agora qualquer coisa como 92 anos e, segundo as últimas notícias, já não está capaz de controlar o seu património. Numa altura em que as retrospetivas do seu trabalho se agigantam e multiplicam, é Sean Ono quem controla onde, como e de que forma o trabalho da sua mãe é apresentado. Esperemos que não desvirtue a fidelidade com que Yoko sempre se desenhou, da qual Acorn é, talvez, o melhor testemunho.
REVELATIONS
Bless you for your anger
For it is a sign of rising energy.
Direct not to your family, waste not on your enemy.
Transform the energy to versatility
And it will bring you prosperity.
Bless you for your sorrow
For it is a sign of vulnerability.
Share not with your family, direct not to yourself.
Transform the energy to sympathy
And it will bring you love.
Bless you for your greed
For it is a sign of great capacity.
Direct not to your family.
Direct not to the world.
Transform the energy to giving.
Give as much as you wish to take
And you will receive satisfaction.
Bless you for your jealousy
For it is a sign of empathy.
Direct not to your family, direct not to your friends.
Transform the energy to admiration
And what you admire
Will become part of your life.
Bless you for your fear
For it is a sign of wisdom.
Do not hold yourself in fear.
Transform the energy to flexibility
And you will be free
From what you fear.
Bless you for your search of direction
For it is a sign of aspiration.
Transform the energy to receptivity
And the direction will come to you.
Bless you for the times you see evil.
Evil is energy mishandled and it feeds on your support.
Feed not and it will self-destruct.
Shed light and it will cease to be.
Bless you for the times you feel no love.
Open your heart to life anyway and in time you will find love in you. Bless you, bless you, bless you.
Bless you for what you are.
You are a sea of goodness, a sea of love.
Count your blessings every day for they are your protection
Which stands between you and what you wish not.
Count your curses and they will be a wall
Which stands between you and what you wish.
The world has all that you need
And you have the power to attract what you wish.
Wish for health, wish for joy.
Remember you are loved.
I love you!
Y.O.
Em 1968, Yoko Ono e John Lennon pretendiam, como parte do seu grande projeto de vida pela paz, plantar bolotas no terreno da catedral de Coventry (que, na altura, recebia uma exposição de escultura). A ideia era que, com o crescimento, as bolotas formassem uma escultura natural e uma ode à paz - que Yoko e Lennon complementavam enviando outras bolotas, por correio, a líderes mundiais. No entanto, causando um rebuliço mediático, as sementes acabaram por ser desenterradas e roubadas, deixando o projeto incompleto. Essas sementes de bolota, nativas de ambos os continentes, asiático e americano, sobre o seu poder regenerativo, figurado e real, detinham um simbolismo próprio dentro da relação Ono-Lennon, representando a união de duas culturas, e alimentavam uma mitologia familiar de que Ono nunca se separou nem esqueceu, mesmo 50 anos depois.
Prova disso, em 2005, Yoko recriava a instalação de Coventry plantando dois carvalhos sob uma réplica do banco que, anos antes, tinha abrigado as duas bolotas originais. E cerca de uma década antes, em 1996, começava a trabalhar neste Acorn (Bolota).
Publicado digitalmente ao longo do ano de 2008, e em formato físico em 2013, Acorn funciona, de certa forma, como uma tentativa de recuperar e cristalizar a performance conjunta de cariz ativista levada a cabo em '68. E isso não é por acaso já que a obra de Ono e Lennon se inspira e entrecruza mutuamente (é de Yoko, em Grapefruit, a famosa frase A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality, e é seu o lema que inspira Imagine de John Lennon).
Retomando onde terminara Grapefruit (Toranja), outro dos híbridos que lembram a Ono a sua origem, este volume dialoga com o anterior, revelando um percurso artístico consistentemente poético e metalinguístico em que a obra de arte se oferece como manual artístico. Interpelando-se a si mesmo, este segundo conjunto de meditações desvia o foco do objeto físico e inspira a uma filosofia do ser. Podendo ser lido como o manual de instruções mais influente do mundo da arte ou como um conjunto de reflexões poético-filosóficas é, literalmente, um fruto que se pretende que medre na vida de cada um.
ECHO TELEPHONE PIECE
Get a telephone that only echoes back
your voice.
Call every day and talk about many
things.
1964 spring
(Grapefruit)
ROOM PIECE V
Get a telephone that only echoes back your voice.
Call every day and complain and moan
about your life and people around you.
(Acorn)
Yoko terá agora qualquer coisa como 92 anos e, segundo as últimas notícias, já não está capaz de controlar o seu património. Numa altura em que as retrospetivas do seu trabalho se agigantam e multiplicam, é Sean Ono quem controla onde, como e de que forma o trabalho da sua mãe é apresentado. Esperemos que não desvirtue a fidelidade com que Yoko sempre se desenhou, da qual Acorn é, talvez, o melhor testemunho.
REVELATIONS
Bless you for your anger
For it is a sign of rising energy.
Direct not to your family, waste not on your enemy.
Transform the energy to versatility
And it will bring you prosperity.
Bless you for your sorrow
For it is a sign of vulnerability.
Share not with your family, direct not to yourself.
Transform the energy to sympathy
And it will bring you love.
Bless you for your greed
For it is a sign of great capacity.
Direct not to your family.
Direct not to the world.
Transform the energy to giving.
Give as much as you wish to take
And you will receive satisfaction.
Bless you for your jealousy
For it is a sign of empathy.
Direct not to your family, direct not to your friends.
Transform the energy to admiration
And what you admire
Will become part of your life.
Bless you for your fear
For it is a sign of wisdom.
Do not hold yourself in fear.
Transform the energy to flexibility
And you will be free
From what you fear.
Bless you for your search of direction
For it is a sign of aspiration.
Transform the energy to receptivity
And the direction will come to you.
Bless you for the times you see evil.
Evil is energy mishandled and it feeds on your support.
Feed not and it will self-destruct.
Shed light and it will cease to be.
Bless you for the times you feel no love.
Open your heart to life anyway and in time you will find love in you. Bless you, bless you, bless you.
Bless you for what you are.
You are a sea of goodness, a sea of love.
Count your blessings every day for they are your protection
Which stands between you and what you wish not.
Count your curses and they will be a wall
Which stands between you and what you wish.
The world has all that you need
And you have the power to attract what you wish.
Wish for health, wish for joy.
Remember you are loved.
I love you!
Y.O.
June 2, 2014
I will be the first to admit that I find Yoko Ono a bit too "out there" for my tastes, however I decided to give this book a try. I'm glad I did. What a wonderful collection of thoughts and observations. Surprisingly deep and makes one think.
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October 12, 2015Skimmed through this really fast and even so was surprised how often one of the pieces reached out & managed to grab me. Reads like a book of zen koans by a very sweet wood sprite. Chicken soup for the avant garde soul haha.
October 18, 2025
I enjoyed 'Acorn' far more than I expected, especially after the initial ten pages or so. It was a bit of a rocky start with platitudes that sound more 'enjoy my genius' than the far deeper, more introspective observations and guides that follow. But i quickly (and slowly) got into the groove of what Ono was offering, and some of her thoughts I absolutely fell in love with. Others will be some appetizers for my brain to dine on later as I drift off to sleep.
I think it was a mistake to push through the entire book in one sitting, but that was not a conscious decision. Each page, with its own brain exercises, appearing as a single instruction (or an interwoven set of instructions), doesn't so much demand a bit more intentional thought, than deserves it. These are relatively friendly little Zen koans, each with a finger pointing at the reader. Your lived life is the context, so everyone's take will be beautifully different.
I think it was a mistake to push through the entire book in one sitting, but that was not a conscious decision. Each page, with its own brain exercises, appearing as a single instruction (or an interwoven set of instructions), doesn't so much demand a bit more intentional thought, than deserves it. These are relatively friendly little Zen koans, each with a finger pointing at the reader. Your lived life is the context, so everyone's take will be beautifully different.
June 29, 2013
I like a lot of these pieces/poems and somehow I relish taking them as literally as I can and really imagining following her instructions. These are more organized and cohesive in a way than Grapefruit, almost like there are chapters, but somehow I didn't respond like I did to Grapefruit. It seems more controlled, which I guess you would be after 50 years! But some of the spontaneity or something is missing I guess? I like it a lot, but just a bit less than Grapefruit. It also includes one set of lyrics (I think? I haven't gone back to the song to compare them) called "Revelations" which sort-of sums up one side of her (or at least how she appears to me), the one that is working hard to provide inspiration about how to live life that maybe she wishes she could follow, or maybe is working hard to follow, even after all these years. I'm comforted by it and can relate to the impulse.
May 29, 2015
The best way I can describe this is as a collection of illustrated meditations and inspirational phrases. As Yoko writes in the introduction, her book of “conceptual instructions,” Grapefruit, was published 50 years ago. “Some years ago, I picked up from where I left off, and wrote Acorn for a website event. Now it’s being published in book form. I’m riding a time machine that’s going back to the old ways. Great! I added my dot drawings to give you further brainwork. i’m just planting the seeds. Have fun.”
And you know, regardless of what you think of Yoko Ono, this is a fun little book. What I refer to as meditations, or contemplations, are each presented as linked “pieces” about various topics, each with a little Seurat-type of drawing accompanying it. The artwork alongside each quote or linked group of phrases is almost as compelling as the words. At times she seems to be channeling her late husband John Lennon with several pieces encouraging the reader to imagine a planet or a landscape or all the people. At other times, she can be pretty damn funny. (“Take your pants off before you fight.” – Dance Piece III)
“Imagine two billion universes.
Visualize yourself on a planet in each universe.
Imagine what all of you are doing and thinking
at this moment in time on the different planets.
Think if the activities are correlated amongst all of you
Think how those activities are affecting the balance
of the infinite space.”
– Earth Piece VIII
I can think of a few people who could benefit from this sort of phone:
“Get a telephone that only echoes back your voice.
Call every day and complain and moan
about your life and people around you.”
– Room Piece V
“Summer
Tape the sound of your baby son crying.
Let him listen to the tape when he is
going through pain as a young man.”
-Sound Piece VI
I kind of love those.
Then there is this one, which struck me as a bit of an odd sentiment coming from Yoko Ono.
“Your brother is the man you killed in the past world. He was born in your family because he wanted to be near you.” – Questionnaire I
Um. Well. If you follow that logic, she’s basically saying that John Lennon and Mark David Chapman will be brothers in another life, right? That’s a bit too woo-woo even for my sensibilities, which can tolerate more than a considerable amount of woo-woo-iness.
I know Yoko is a bit of a controversial figure and that she’s easily dismissed by many, but I happen to really like and respect the hell out of her. Same is true, perhaps, of Acorn. Some may disregard it or not take it seriously (mine has a copyright date of 2013 and I’d never heard of it) but the goal is to take what works for you.
And you know, regardless of what you think of Yoko Ono, this is a fun little book. What I refer to as meditations, or contemplations, are each presented as linked “pieces” about various topics, each with a little Seurat-type of drawing accompanying it. The artwork alongside each quote or linked group of phrases is almost as compelling as the words. At times she seems to be channeling her late husband John Lennon with several pieces encouraging the reader to imagine a planet or a landscape or all the people. At other times, she can be pretty damn funny. (“Take your pants off before you fight.” – Dance Piece III)
“Imagine two billion universes.
Visualize yourself on a planet in each universe.
Imagine what all of you are doing and thinking
at this moment in time on the different planets.
Think if the activities are correlated amongst all of you
Think how those activities are affecting the balance
of the infinite space.”
– Earth Piece VIII
I can think of a few people who could benefit from this sort of phone:
“Get a telephone that only echoes back your voice.
Call every day and complain and moan
about your life and people around you.”
– Room Piece V
“Summer
Tape the sound of your baby son crying.
Let him listen to the tape when he is
going through pain as a young man.”
-Sound Piece VI
I kind of love those.
Then there is this one, which struck me as a bit of an odd sentiment coming from Yoko Ono.
“Your brother is the man you killed in the past world. He was born in your family because he wanted to be near you.” – Questionnaire I
Um. Well. If you follow that logic, she’s basically saying that John Lennon and Mark David Chapman will be brothers in another life, right? That’s a bit too woo-woo even for my sensibilities, which can tolerate more than a considerable amount of woo-woo-iness.
I know Yoko is a bit of a controversial figure and that she’s easily dismissed by many, but I happen to really like and respect the hell out of her. Same is true, perhaps, of Acorn. Some may disregard it or not take it seriously (mine has a copyright date of 2013 and I’d never heard of it) but the goal is to take what works for you.
August 25, 2014
Wow. That's all I can say. I feel so much lighter after finishing this book, which is a sign of the true power of it. It isn't about whether or not the writing and words are "deep", but how you choose to interpret them and whether or not you'll let them change you. Reading this made me very happy because I say that there were several thoughts that I had on a daily basis that Yoko Ono herself wrote down, and it made me feel less alone in this world, as well as made it feel like a much closer, tighter community than I originally perceived it as. The artwork is bizarre and abstract, but I loved that when I looked at it there was always something that came to mind, an object or a place or a feeling which I saw in the picture, and it stuck with me, making me realize how I perceive things.
I don't remember the last time I felt so moved, and by something so seemingly simple and not even that philosophical. But it really touches you on a personal level as well as on a much deeper one, one that is your notion of being human and to be touched in that way is perhaps the best feeling of all.
I don't remember the last time I felt so moved, and by something so seemingly simple and not even that philosophical. But it really touches you on a personal level as well as on a much deeper one, one that is your notion of being human and to be touched in that way is perhaps the best feeling of all.
September 30, 2020
Un libro de ilustraciones, poemas y soliloquios simplemente maravilloso para dejar volar la imaginación y extraer enseñanzas que nos ayuden en nuestra vida.
April 6, 2018
I gave it a 4 because I didn't know whether to give it a 3 or a 5. I loved - I love - Grapefruit. I don't know if Yoko's writing has changed, or if I have changed - it's been a long time. So I don't know why this didn't move me as much as Grapefruit did.
The dot pictures were a great addition.
I enjoyed reading it.
But it felt a bit like a visit from an old friend from long ago who you don't click with as much as you used to.
The dot pictures were a great addition.
I enjoyed reading it.
But it felt a bit like a visit from an old friend from long ago who you don't click with as much as you used to.
May 27, 2018
This was not exactly my type of writing, but as an artist, I really appreciated all the artwork. Some of the poetry pieces were definitely very thought-provoking, and I especially loved the "Quiz" sections.
May 14, 2014
if you love the nature, the universe and your life. This book is for you!!
April 6, 2019
I’m glad Yoko Ono exists.
December 10, 2018
Some people can get published no matter what they write, it seems. Meanwhile, I'm going to take Yoko's advice from her poem here called "Earth Piece V": "Watch the sunset. Feel the Earth moving." That would likely be far more rewarding than reading this book.
March 18, 2018
Keşke özgün metinden okuyabilseydim. Her çeviri şiir bu buhrana düşüyor maalesef, ondandır şiir okuması yapmayı pek sevmem. Ah işte merakım ve caanım yayınevi GÜLDÜNYA:)♡
July 25, 2019
Read this in preparation for the Yoko Ono exhibit I will be seeing soon. Loved every bit. Kind and gentle reminders that the world is much more than you think it is.
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November 16, 2021A little bit of poetry, journal, self help and observations of humanity maybe?!
March 21, 2021
Beautiful book, beautiful drawings.
August 26, 2014
Acorn Wow. That's all I can say. I feel so much lighter after finishing this book, which is a sign of the true power of it. It isn't about whether or not the writing and words are "deep", but how you choose to interpret them and whether or not you'll let them change you. Reading this made me very happy because I say that there were several thoughts that I had on a daily basis that Yoko Ono herself wrote down, and it made me feel less alone in this world, as well as made it feel like a much closer, tighter community than I originally perceived it as. The artwork is bizarre and abstract, but I loved that when I looked at it there was always something that came to mind, an object or a place or a feeling which I saw in the picture, and it stuck with me, making me realize how I perceive things.
I don't remember the last time I felt so moved, and by something so seemingly simple and not even that philosophical. But it really touches you on a personal level as well as on a much deeper one, one that is your notion of being human and to be touched in that way is perhaps the best feeling of all.
I don't remember the last time I felt so moved, and by something so seemingly simple and not even that philosophical. But it really touches you on a personal level as well as on a much deeper one, one that is your notion of being human and to be touched in that way is perhaps the best feeling of all.
March 22, 2017
I'm surprised that I enjoyed this so much more than Grapefruit. Perhaps because I do not have an artist's mind, I found it more easy to wrap my head around the concepts in Acorn. It consists of chapters, far more structured and organized than Ono's earlier work, but is still beautifully poetic. Many pieces encourage the reader to share their thoughts or stories, which creates a feeling of camaraderie and community, even if one is reading alone. And one of Ono's abstract dot-drawings accompanies each piece, which I think adds a nice balance to the book. Definitely a book I am glad to own and will revisit.
February 12, 2015
Yo no encerraría a este libro como un libro de poesía, porque no lo es. Este libro es de esa categoría rara, evasiva, onírica llamada libro-objeto. Esa categoría en la cuál muchos pretenden ingresar, pero casi todos se convierten en falsarios. Pocos, poquísimos son los contados, que, cuales unicornios, pueden portar con orgullo ese mote.
Este lo es. Por mucho.
Yoko Ono podrá ser lo que sea, activista, artista avant garde, loca, furiosa, pasiva, pasible, imposible... Pero carajo, entre Grapefruit y este Acorn ha hecho maravillas.
Un infaltable en la colección de todo aquel que quiera descubrir lo que se pierde con su propia cotidianidad.
Este lo es. Por mucho.
Yoko Ono podrá ser lo que sea, activista, artista avant garde, loca, furiosa, pasiva, pasible, imposible... Pero carajo, entre Grapefruit y este Acorn ha hecho maravillas.
Un infaltable en la colección de todo aquel que quiera descubrir lo que se pierde con su propia cotidianidad.
November 29, 2018
I don't think you have anything to lose by reading this.
In general this book offers some interesting shifts in perspective and exercises in sensibility.
Around the midpoint, this naiveté that characterises a lot of the "pieces" (she calls them that, somewhat ambiguously - a lot of them can be simply looked at as poems) starts to get a bit redundant, but there are still refreshing and beautiful moments.
I didn't find too much purpose in the dot drawings, some looked really similar to eachother and some were abstract to the point where they simply stopped being engaging, but at times they provided an interesting afterthought.
In general this book offers some interesting shifts in perspective and exercises in sensibility.
Around the midpoint, this naiveté that characterises a lot of the "pieces" (she calls them that, somewhat ambiguously - a lot of them can be simply looked at as poems) starts to get a bit redundant, but there are still refreshing and beautiful moments.
I didn't find too much purpose in the dot drawings, some looked really similar to eachother and some were abstract to the point where they simply stopped being engaging, but at times they provided an interesting afterthought.
October 12, 2015
WOW. I need to buy this one. I just have to have my own copy.
I have never before read anything by Yoko Ono and I expected something more provocative and very modern. Maybe even in that bad, a bit eccentric way. But I gave this book a chance and it was, well, discovery of this week (at least).
But instead of that I found a book full of well-considered ideas that actually inspired me to take a break and look around. And think about everything that I saw. Consider world and myself. Reading this book was as good as meditation.
I highly recommend it!
I have never before read anything by Yoko Ono and I expected something more provocative and very modern. Maybe even in that bad, a bit eccentric way. But I gave this book a chance and it was, well, discovery of this week (at least).
But instead of that I found a book full of well-considered ideas that actually inspired me to take a break and look around. And think about everything that I saw. Consider world and myself. Reading this book was as good as meditation.
I highly recommend it!
January 11, 2016
Random discovery at the library. I checked it out largely out of curiosity. I have limited knowledge of Yoko Ono, but suspected she is much more interesting than her maligners make out.
I really liked this. A collection of instructions/poems/rituals for grounding/airing/burning your life. As instructions, clearly you will get out of this little book according to what you put into it. I want to find a copy of this somewhere to own, to have on my shelf to turn to when restless or brokenhearted.
So charming.
I really liked this. A collection of instructions/poems/rituals for grounding/airing/burning your life. As instructions, clearly you will get out of this little book according to what you put into it. I want to find a copy of this somewhere to own, to have on my shelf to turn to when restless or brokenhearted.
So charming.
September 4, 2015
I've never read anything by Yoko Ono before but I decided to pick this up after seeing her one woman show at MoMA in New York.
Some of these pieces (particularly Connection and City) made me feel so warm and happy! I would say even hopeful. It's a very interactive little book. It invokes certain emotions depending on your own receptivity and interpretation of the pieces. Love.
Some of these pieces (particularly Connection and City) made me feel so warm and happy! I would say even hopeful. It's a very interactive little book. It invokes certain emotions depending on your own receptivity and interpretation of the pieces. Love.
December 2, 2015
What a catch this woman is! John Lennon was lucky to have been married to her.
I found this book to be great fun. It's also perfect for commuting. This book is very easy to read in snippets of time and then lose oneself thinking about what she wrote. The only thing that could have made it better was for the audio to be sold with the text, so we could listen to Yoko narrate it.
I found this book to be great fun. It's also perfect for commuting. This book is very easy to read in snippets of time and then lose oneself thinking about what she wrote. The only thing that could have made it better was for the audio to be sold with the text, so we could listen to Yoko narrate it.
May 14, 2016
Bir seyden kesinlikle eminim. O da Yoko Ono'nun John Lennon'dan daha marifetli ve yaratici biri oldugu. Lennon'un Yoko ile olan birlikteliginden ancak ask, baris ve yeryuzune olan sadakat dogardi zaten cunku Yoko Ono boyle bir kadin. Kalbi sevgiyle, coskuyla, bitmez tukenmez bir enerjiyle atan bir kadin. Okurken hem egleneceginiz hem de uzerinde dusuneceginiz bir kitap yazmis bu kez Yoko.
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