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My Ticket to Ride: How I Ran Away to England to Meet the Beatles and Got Rock and Roll Banned in Cleveland
A true-adventure, coming-of-age tale set in the exhilarating first wave of Beatlemania It's 1964, and 16-year-old Janice is struggling in a grim foster home in Cleveland when she falls suddenly, deeply in love . . . with the Beatles. They and their music stir in her an ecstatic new sense of freedom. With a friend, she hatches a bold plan to escape their dreary lives and run away to London to meet the Fab Four. On their own for the first time--in Beatleland--they explore a new city, a new culture, and a new life, visiting the hippest clubs of Soho, meeting some nice English boys, and hitchhiking to Liverpool. But unbeknownst to them, the runaways have become international news--and a hunt is on. Adventure and newfound freedom end abruptly when Janice is apprehended by London police and hauled home to Cleveland and an unforgiving juvenile justice system. Warned by responsible adults to put it all behind her, she doesn't speak of her extraordinary adventure for more than fifty years. In this memoir, she looks back with fresh insight on the heady early days of Beatlemania and an era in America when young women exercising some control over their lives presented a serious threat to adult society.
304 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 29, 2022
My Ticket to Ride, is the tale of two high school girls from Cleveland who cleaned out their "college fund" bank accounts and flew to London to see the Beatles. I am surprised I never heard about this because it made national news here and in Britain. [They were spurred onto this action after meeting the Rolling Stones "by mistake" backstage at the Mike Douglas show which was shot in Cleveland at the time].
They had about $2000 in total which would have translated to -- I forget how many -- pounds. Considering you hear impossible stories about salaries in the '60s (like about workers making 5 Pounds a week or buying Biba dresses for 3 Pounds), I was surprised that their money was almost gone after three weeks. [Yes, I wanted a detailed audit of their expenditures]. After all, it seems they only splurged on one night at a SoHo boutique hotel, an umbrella at Harrods, and some boots on Carnaby Street.
Anyway, it mirrored my own experience in London (in the '80s -- And yes, I went to both Liverpool and Hamburg because of the Beatles so I can relate on every level). It thus reminded me that, even sophisticated Londoners, were nice overall and did not have an evil agenda when they spoke to you. (Strange considering that the book I read before this one -- Con Man – had me thinking that these two Mid-Western teenagers, fresh off the plane and not speaking a word of “English” slang, were going to get ripped off or lured to a life of vice.)
But no! A great time was had by all as they got taken out to places like The Crawdaddy, Ronnie Scotts, The Scene, The Flamingo, the Marquee, The 100, The 2is. Like I said, though these "cool" guys they met found it ridiculous that the girls were on a quest to meet the Beatles at any of these places ("They only play the Palladium now!"); they entered into the spirit of it and aided and abetted their ambition to get as far as Liverpool (which allowed them to see the real England, if only for a short time).
Mitchell seems to have had the same knee-jerk observations on British life that I had, namely that people do not ask nosy personal questions (like "What do you do?"), or generally act like used-car salesmen.
I don't want to say too much more because it will spoil the story, except to say that there was a stark difference between the girls' encounters with law-enforcement in London (which more closely resembled that of Ringo's scenes in A Hard Day's Night in which he was offered tea) versus their reception in Cleveland.
And yes, it should be a major motion picture on par with Titanic.
They had about $2000 in total which would have translated to -- I forget how many -- pounds. Considering you hear impossible stories about salaries in the '60s (like about workers making 5 Pounds a week or buying Biba dresses for 3 Pounds), I was surprised that their money was almost gone after three weeks. [Yes, I wanted a detailed audit of their expenditures]. After all, it seems they only splurged on one night at a SoHo boutique hotel, an umbrella at Harrods, and some boots on Carnaby Street.
Anyway, it mirrored my own experience in London (in the '80s -- And yes, I went to both Liverpool and Hamburg because of the Beatles so I can relate on every level). It thus reminded me that, even sophisticated Londoners, were nice overall and did not have an evil agenda when they spoke to you. (Strange considering that the book I read before this one -- Con Man – had me thinking that these two Mid-Western teenagers, fresh off the plane and not speaking a word of “English” slang, were going to get ripped off or lured to a life of vice.)
But no! A great time was had by all as they got taken out to places like The Crawdaddy, Ronnie Scotts, The Scene, The Flamingo, the Marquee, The 100, The 2is. Like I said, though these "cool" guys they met found it ridiculous that the girls were on a quest to meet the Beatles at any of these places ("They only play the Palladium now!"); they entered into the spirit of it and aided and abetted their ambition to get as far as Liverpool (which allowed them to see the real England, if only for a short time).
Mitchell seems to have had the same knee-jerk observations on British life that I had, namely that people do not ask nosy personal questions (like "What do you do?"), or generally act like used-car salesmen.
I don't want to say too much more because it will spoil the story, except to say that there was a stark difference between the girls' encounters with law-enforcement in London (which more closely resembled that of Ringo's scenes in A Hard Day's Night in which he was offered tea) versus their reception in Cleveland.
And yes, it should be a major motion picture on par with Titanic.
January 24, 2022
I have read plenty of books by fans recounting their youthful adventures in Beatlemania. "My Ticket to Ride" by Janice Mitchell is my new favorite in that genre. Not only is it a good story, but it is well-written and full of details that I'm astounded the author remembers over 50 years later. It would make a good movie and double-feature with "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." Highly recommended.
October 21, 2022
A really fab read! This story follows a true Beatlemanic’s journey from Cleveland to London at the tender age of 16! (I was a few years younger but just as manic about the “boys”!) How she managed all the things she had to do to get there is a testament to her passion for the Beatles. That era truly was a special moment in time. 💕💕
April 24, 2024
This was a super-enjoyable memoir of 16yo Beatles fan Janice, who, with a friend, snuck away from a difficult home life in Cleveland Ohio and flew to London for a grand adventure in "Beatleland". They spent a glorious couple of weeks living in London (spending her friend's college fund) and going to all the clubs in Soho hoping to bump into their heroes. They made friends and even hitch-hiked to Liverpool. They were completely unaware of the full-blown media frenzy and international search for them until they were picked up by the police and, via the US Embassy, returned to Cleveland. Where they were arrested and found guilty of some spurious crime that largely seemed to revolve around it being "inappropriate" for them to travel to London, rather than illegal - and Rock & Roll was banned in Cleveland as a result!! Oh how times have changed!!!!!!!!!! This was such an interesting insight into Beatlemania, which happened before my time, and also touches on The Rolling Stones.
I infer from the bio that Janice did not have children and led a full and interesting life, with this adventure largely kept hidden, until she decided to tell her story. Go Janice!!!!
I infer from the bio that Janice did not have children and led a full and interesting life, with this adventure largely kept hidden, until she decided to tell her story. Go Janice!!!!
October 19, 2022
In some ways, this was a trip back in time for me. I was at the same Beatles concert in Sept, 1964, as Janice and Marty. I was the guest of my best friend who was the lucky one of us to win the tickets. I don’t recall anything about the story of the runaways from Cleveland. I am glad Janice wrote the book as it brought back fond memories of my Beatle loving days and I am still a big fan!
June 10, 2023
Well this was an unexpected surprise. I picked this up on a whim from a library curated list. It was so interesting and wild from start to finish. Very insightful in several ways too!!
March 5, 2022
Written very simply but still exciting to read.
April 5, 2023
This was a fun read -a must-read for any Beatles fan of a certain age. I had just started elementary school when the Beatles entered the U.S. consciousness in 1963-64; my siblings and I were immediate fans. The author was a bit older-a teen-when she and her friend escaped Cleveland in 1964 to attempt to live in “Beatleland.” Though written when in her 70s, Janice Mitchell seems to have found her “teenage voice”: the prose is pretty basic, but reads as if written by the teen girl she once was.
The surprise, for me, is that I’d never heard of this adventure Also, the latter part of the book describes the stark contrast between how the girls were treated by British authorities vs. the U.S., especially Cleveland Police and juvenile court system.
In spite of a tough beginning in life, Ms. Mitchell has managed to have a successful career and in retirement, has gifted us with this rock ‘n roll adventure.
The surprise, for me, is that I’d never heard of this adventure Also, the latter part of the book describes the stark contrast between how the girls were treated by British authorities vs. the U.S., especially Cleveland Police and juvenile court system.
In spite of a tough beginning in life, Ms. Mitchell has managed to have a successful career and in retirement, has gifted us with this rock ‘n roll adventure.
January 17, 2022
Wow! Fantastic! I am a mega Beatlemaniac and live near Cleveland, so I can’t believe I never heard this story! I suppose many haven’t. What a fascinating, wild story. And interesting piece of history. Now I’m going to go on Google maps and have fun looking at all the locations mentioned in the story. Truth really can be stranger than fiction. My advice is to go into this book knowing nothing.
I read this book in a few days. I never read books this fast. I couldn’t put it down. “Yeah, yeah, yeah!”
I read this book in a few days. I never read books this fast. I couldn’t put it down. “Yeah, yeah, yeah!”
April 18, 2022
Back in the mid-1970s, I spent several teenaged years obsessed with the top boy band of the day, the (cough!) Bay City Rollers. Whenever I had a fight with my mother, I would lie awake at night, plotting how I would run away to Scotland (where the Rollers were from)(and then she'd be sorry...!). I never did quite figure out how I was going to manage to get to Scotland all by myself on my $5 a week allowance (plus occasional money from babysitting) ;) (I'd never even been on a plane before, and it was a lot harder to research and arrange those sorts of things in pre-Internet times) but there was nothing I wanted more than to go to there, meet my favourite Roller (Woody), marry him and live happily ever after.
Janice Mitchell lived my dream -- a version of it, at least. In 1964, at the age of 16, she and her friend Martha (Marty) ran away together from Cleveland to London, with the goal of meeting the Beatles (they figured hanging around the clubs frequented by the band in Soho would do the trick) and getting jobs with Brian Epstein (he's a busy man, he must need help! and Janice could type!!). They actually made it to England (after cashing in Marty's college fund)(!), found and rented an apartment, and spent 23 days there, sightseeing, visiting clubs and hanging out with local boys (including a hitchhiking trip to Liverpool), before they were apprehended by police and abruptly hauled back to the States. The girls didn't realize their disappearance had made international headlines. Not only did Janice and Marty suffer personal consequences, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and rock and roll generally, were banned from Cleveland for two years afterward, until 1966 (!).
Not allowed to talk about what had happened, and encouraged to put the entire episode behind her, Janice didn't tell anyone about her amazing adventure for more than 50 years (!). She went on to become a journalist, a federal investigator (now retired), a private investigator and adjunct professor. She's still a Beatles fan. :)
Now, she's written a book about the experience. You've gotta love the title: "My Ticket to Ride: How I Ran Away to England to Meet the Beatles and Got Rock and Roll Banned in Cleveland (A True Story from 1964)." :)
I first heard about Janice and her book via Ann Moses, who was the editor of Tiger Beat magazine back in the 1960s/early 1970s. I read & enjoyed Ann's memoir "Meow" a few years ago (reviewed here on Goodreads) and have followed her on Facebook ever since then.
"Author Janice Mitchell contacted me a few years ago and asked me for advice for a book she was working on," Ann wrote in a Facebook post last September. "After hearing her summary of her adventure, I told her the story was “golden” and to forge ahead."
This all sounds rather light-hearted, and there's a charming naivete to the teenagers' plans and escapades -- echoes of a simpler, more innocent time -- but there's a dark/sad/serious undercurrent to Janice's story, too -- one that lifts the book above a simple fan-girl's memoir. Janice's parents were alcoholics, who left Janice with an aging great-aunt and uncle and disappeared when she was 8 years old. She didn't see them, nor her younger sister and brother, for another 20 years. Music, and the Beatles, gave colour and meaning to her somewhat dreary life. She truly believed she would not be missed and that her great-aunt would be better off without having her around to worry about.
Janice remembers the police officers in England treated them with kindness -- those in their own country, not so much. They were taken from the plane in Cleveland straight to a juvenile detention centre, until their families were able to bail them out, and charged with juvenile delinquency, based on complaints of forgery, truancy, disobedience and running away. This treatment seems like a huge amount of overkill -- but, as one of the book blurbs says, it was "an era in America when young women exercising some control over their lives presented a serious threat to adult society." Clearly, not everyone back then was a Beatles fan...!
This was a fast read, and I enjoyed it hugely (I'll admit it was right up my alley). If you're a Beatles fan (as I am), or (like me) ever dreamed of running away to follow your favourite boy band, you will enjoy this book. :)
5 stars.
(Caroline Sullivan also lived a version of my dream in the 1970s, WITH the Bay City Rollers. She and some friends (who called themselves the "Tacky Tartan Tarts")(!) followed the Rollers around the U.S. for four straight summers, from 1975 to 1979 (She wound up sleeping with one of them too -- unnamed in the book, but it's not hard to guess who it was.) Now a music journalist in Britain, she wrote a memoir about her Rollermaniac days called "Bye Bye Baby: My Tragic Love Affair with the Bay City Rollers" in 1999. I enjoyed that one too. :) )
Janice Mitchell lived my dream -- a version of it, at least. In 1964, at the age of 16, she and her friend Martha (Marty) ran away together from Cleveland to London, with the goal of meeting the Beatles (they figured hanging around the clubs frequented by the band in Soho would do the trick) and getting jobs with Brian Epstein (he's a busy man, he must need help! and Janice could type!!). They actually made it to England (after cashing in Marty's college fund)(!), found and rented an apartment, and spent 23 days there, sightseeing, visiting clubs and hanging out with local boys (including a hitchhiking trip to Liverpool), before they were apprehended by police and abruptly hauled back to the States. The girls didn't realize their disappearance had made international headlines. Not only did Janice and Marty suffer personal consequences, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and rock and roll generally, were banned from Cleveland for two years afterward, until 1966 (!).
Not allowed to talk about what had happened, and encouraged to put the entire episode behind her, Janice didn't tell anyone about her amazing adventure for more than 50 years (!). She went on to become a journalist, a federal investigator (now retired), a private investigator and adjunct professor. She's still a Beatles fan. :)
Now, she's written a book about the experience. You've gotta love the title: "My Ticket to Ride: How I Ran Away to England to Meet the Beatles and Got Rock and Roll Banned in Cleveland (A True Story from 1964)." :)
I first heard about Janice and her book via Ann Moses, who was the editor of Tiger Beat magazine back in the 1960s/early 1970s. I read & enjoyed Ann's memoir "Meow" a few years ago (reviewed here on Goodreads) and have followed her on Facebook ever since then.
"Author Janice Mitchell contacted me a few years ago and asked me for advice for a book she was working on," Ann wrote in a Facebook post last September. "After hearing her summary of her adventure, I told her the story was “golden” and to forge ahead."
This all sounds rather light-hearted, and there's a charming naivete to the teenagers' plans and escapades -- echoes of a simpler, more innocent time -- but there's a dark/sad/serious undercurrent to Janice's story, too -- one that lifts the book above a simple fan-girl's memoir. Janice's parents were alcoholics, who left Janice with an aging great-aunt and uncle and disappeared when she was 8 years old. She didn't see them, nor her younger sister and brother, for another 20 years. Music, and the Beatles, gave colour and meaning to her somewhat dreary life. She truly believed she would not be missed and that her great-aunt would be better off without having her around to worry about.
Janice remembers the police officers in England treated them with kindness -- those in their own country, not so much. They were taken from the plane in Cleveland straight to a juvenile detention centre, until their families were able to bail them out, and charged with juvenile delinquency, based on complaints of forgery, truancy, disobedience and running away. This treatment seems like a huge amount of overkill -- but, as one of the book blurbs says, it was "an era in America when young women exercising some control over their lives presented a serious threat to adult society." Clearly, not everyone back then was a Beatles fan...!
This was a fast read, and I enjoyed it hugely (I'll admit it was right up my alley). If you're a Beatles fan (as I am), or (like me) ever dreamed of running away to follow your favourite boy band, you will enjoy this book. :)
5 stars.
(Caroline Sullivan also lived a version of my dream in the 1970s, WITH the Bay City Rollers. She and some friends (who called themselves the "Tacky Tartan Tarts")(!) followed the Rollers around the U.S. for four straight summers, from 1975 to 1979 (She wound up sleeping with one of them too -- unnamed in the book, but it's not hard to guess who it was.) Now a music journalist in Britain, she wrote a memoir about her Rollermaniac days called "Bye Bye Baby: My Tragic Love Affair with the Bay City Rollers" in 1999. I enjoyed that one too. :) )
September 16, 2022
Janice Mitchell's My Ticket To Ride was given to me as a gift, almost. And by Janice herself. I paid, at first, but upon telling her that I intended to review it, Jan insisted that I did not need to pay, and has since returned my money to me. Nevertheless, I want to give my honest opinion of this book.
My Ticket To Ride centres on about a month in the life of Janice Hawkins, a sixteen-year-old girl who would run away to England - or, as she and friend Marty call it, Beatleland - to meet the Fab Four.
She also hung out with the Rolling Stones when they performed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1964, kissed Bill Wyman and was invited to go on tour with him (she declined).
The story is an adventure from start to finish, and written in an enthralling way which made me believe I was staying in the flat in London with Jan and Marty.
I absolutely adored how Jan described going to the clubs in Soho which she had read The Beatles hung out in and frequented; the 2i's cafe, the Crawdaddy Club and the Flamingo Club just to name a few.
Mick, Janice's Liverpudlian musician boyfriend whom she met whilst in London, seemed as real to me as anybody I had ever met. He seemed dashing and charming, protective and devastatingly handsome, and I was dismayed to hear that Jan never saw him again after returning to Cleveland, and never spoke to him again after a single phone call in America.
I asked her why she had never tried to contact Mick after that first and final phone call; "my life became very hard and chaotic... the phone number was lost... in February [2022], the Liverpool Echo interviewed me about Mick. We hoped that he or someone who knew him would somehow get in touch with him. I hoped he would show up after the convention [International Beatleweek 2022]... but none of those things happened... I wasn't allowed to have any phone calls at my house because of what I did. It was very restrictive... anything is possible, though." Indeed, one of the first posts I saw from Janice was about Mick, asking him to get in touch for the International Beatleweek Convention.
My Ticket To Ride was fast paced and I finished it within one day. It is a story which I had only heard of but had wanted to know more about. The Beatles themselves joined the hunt for the teen runaways in 1964. Jan told it in a way which had me gripping the seat beneath me and urging her to take that extra leap... although a sixteen-year-old Janice was a lot braver than I am now. I would never leave home!
My Ticket To Ride centres on about a month in the life of Janice Hawkins, a sixteen-year-old girl who would run away to England - or, as she and friend Marty call it, Beatleland - to meet the Fab Four.
She also hung out with the Rolling Stones when they performed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1964, kissed Bill Wyman and was invited to go on tour with him (she declined).
The story is an adventure from start to finish, and written in an enthralling way which made me believe I was staying in the flat in London with Jan and Marty.
I absolutely adored how Jan described going to the clubs in Soho which she had read The Beatles hung out in and frequented; the 2i's cafe, the Crawdaddy Club and the Flamingo Club just to name a few.
Mick, Janice's Liverpudlian musician boyfriend whom she met whilst in London, seemed as real to me as anybody I had ever met. He seemed dashing and charming, protective and devastatingly handsome, and I was dismayed to hear that Jan never saw him again after returning to Cleveland, and never spoke to him again after a single phone call in America.
I asked her why she had never tried to contact Mick after that first and final phone call; "my life became very hard and chaotic... the phone number was lost... in February [2022], the Liverpool Echo interviewed me about Mick. We hoped that he or someone who knew him would somehow get in touch with him. I hoped he would show up after the convention [International Beatleweek 2022]... but none of those things happened... I wasn't allowed to have any phone calls at my house because of what I did. It was very restrictive... anything is possible, though." Indeed, one of the first posts I saw from Janice was about Mick, asking him to get in touch for the International Beatleweek Convention.
My Ticket To Ride was fast paced and I finished it within one day. It is a story which I had only heard of but had wanted to know more about. The Beatles themselves joined the hunt for the teen runaways in 1964. Jan told it in a way which had me gripping the seat beneath me and urging her to take that extra leap... although a sixteen-year-old Janice was a lot braver than I am now. I would never leave home!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2023
A fun look back at the era and the British Invasion.
My Aunt, a young teen at the time, cut school with a girlfriend to venture into downtown Cleveland the day of the Beatles concert, hoping to catch a glimpse of them going in & out of a hotel. Anywhere. Much like Janice & Marti thinking they would see one of the Fab Four grabbing fish & chips at the local pub or simply venturing into a record store.
In 1964 at the time of the Cleveland concert, I was 8 years old, so I don’t remember this as a newsworthy event that was on the nightly news or mentioned in conversation between my parents as my Dad read the newspaper.
Even being that young, I, too, fell in love with the Beatles and their music. Though I can’t imagine myself at the age of 16 getting a passport and hopping an international flight, I can admire the girls’ determination and persistence in following what was their teenage fantasy.
Can I just add how lucky they were? Hanging out with young men they didn’t know, hitch hiking and sleeping in a field beside the road…. Any parent can well imagine the possible dangers their 16-year old could encounter on an “adventure” like that.
Janice persisted in insisting they’d done nothing wrong. While they didn’t technically break any law, surely she knew that leaving home after just .casually telling her Aunt that she planned to go to London, which surely was taken as a passing fancy, would cause problems. Nor did she take into account all the man hours internationally spent looking for them. It stunned me just a bit that someone savvy enough to pull off this caper would also know there would be some consequence.
It’s a great story. I only wish she could have somehow found Nick, even if just to sit with fish & chips, mushy peas and a cup of tea…
My Aunt, a young teen at the time, cut school with a girlfriend to venture into downtown Cleveland the day of the Beatles concert, hoping to catch a glimpse of them going in & out of a hotel. Anywhere. Much like Janice & Marti thinking they would see one of the Fab Four grabbing fish & chips at the local pub or simply venturing into a record store.
In 1964 at the time of the Cleveland concert, I was 8 years old, so I don’t remember this as a newsworthy event that was on the nightly news or mentioned in conversation between my parents as my Dad read the newspaper.
Even being that young, I, too, fell in love with the Beatles and their music. Though I can’t imagine myself at the age of 16 getting a passport and hopping an international flight, I can admire the girls’ determination and persistence in following what was their teenage fantasy.
Can I just add how lucky they were? Hanging out with young men they didn’t know, hitch hiking and sleeping in a field beside the road…. Any parent can well imagine the possible dangers their 16-year old could encounter on an “adventure” like that.
Janice persisted in insisting they’d done nothing wrong. While they didn’t technically break any law, surely she knew that leaving home after just .casually telling her Aunt that she planned to go to London, which surely was taken as a passing fancy, would cause problems. Nor did she take into account all the man hours internationally spent looking for them. It stunned me just a bit that someone savvy enough to pull off this caper would also know there would be some consequence.
It’s a great story. I only wish she could have somehow found Nick, even if just to sit with fish & chips, mushy peas and a cup of tea…
March 10, 2023
I rate this book FIVE STARS!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m only a couple years younger than the author, Janice, but I shared every one of her emotions when I first heard and saw the Beatles. They made such an impression on my young life. Like her, I sent away for tickets to see them perform live at the Hollywood Bowl. I was not as lucky as Janice. I didn’t get chosen for that concert or their second time playing there, but I was lucky to get tickets to their third tour at Dodgers Stadium. I didn’t have front row center. As a matter of fact, I think I was probably one of the last rows in the stadium. I was so happy to “see them on stage,” although they looked like little ants from so far away.
Janice, reading your book, I’m living vicariously through your adventures. I wish your book were a thousand pages. Even then, I would wish it were longer. Thank you so much for your story!
I have been to England quite a few times, and I still think of it as Beatleland.
I’m only a couple years younger than the author, Janice, but I shared every one of her emotions when I first heard and saw the Beatles. They made such an impression on my young life. Like her, I sent away for tickets to see them perform live at the Hollywood Bowl. I was not as lucky as Janice. I didn’t get chosen for that concert or their second time playing there, but I was lucky to get tickets to their third tour at Dodgers Stadium. I didn’t have front row center. As a matter of fact, I think I was probably one of the last rows in the stadium. I was so happy to “see them on stage,” although they looked like little ants from so far away.
Janice, reading your book, I’m living vicariously through your adventures. I wish your book were a thousand pages. Even then, I would wish it were longer. Thank you so much for your story!
I have been to England quite a few times, and I still think of it as Beatleland.
February 23, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. Although it was non-fiction, the things that were able to take place back then seem like fiction today! I actually have lived in the Cleveland area where she grew up. So it was kind of cool to read about the streets and places that she talks about, many that still exist today.
This is much more than a Beatles book. There are a lot of other rock ‘n’ roll groups and artists that got their start in Cleveland that she has stories about. After reading this book, you’ll know why Cleveland is home to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame!
I love how she is so brave to call out different ones by name and tell everyone the things that happened that really show the true colors of these people!
I’m sad it took her so long to get around to writing this book and letting everyone know about her adventure!
This is much more than a Beatles book. There are a lot of other rock ‘n’ roll groups and artists that got their start in Cleveland that she has stories about. After reading this book, you’ll know why Cleveland is home to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame!
I love how she is so brave to call out different ones by name and tell everyone the things that happened that really show the true colors of these people!
I’m sad it took her so long to get around to writing this book and letting everyone know about her adventure!
January 25, 2024
An interesting story about a Cleveland Heights teen that sat in the front row of the 1964 Public Hall Beatles concert and then took off to England the next day to meet them. She also had a close encounter with Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones. I was not aware of this local story and was intrigued by how much publicity it received at the time.
The story is well-told but focuses on the mostly-mundane daily activities of a 16-year-old in London. I would have liked to read more about what went on outside her immediate world while the search was on (there were only press clippings) and more about the aftermath (that story is told here but in a limited fashion).
Well worth reading.
The story is well-told but focuses on the mostly-mundane daily activities of a 16-year-old in London. I would have liked to read more about what went on outside her immediate world while the search was on (there were only press clippings) and more about the aftermath (that story is told here but in a limited fashion).
Well worth reading.
November 17, 2023
Fascinating, well written book and I was hooked within the first few pages!The author and I have a few things in common - we both grew up in Cleveland Hts, Ohio, and we both love the Beatles.
I found her story inspiring and admire her resilience and spunk. I believe these qualities set the way for her success in life.
My bookclub read My Ticket to Ride and enjoyed it immensely. Jan graciously agreed to chat with us and answered several questions via a phone call. We all left smiling and a bit richer for the experience.
Thank you, Jan, for sharing your story!
I found her story inspiring and admire her resilience and spunk. I believe these qualities set the way for her success in life.
My bookclub read My Ticket to Ride and enjoyed it immensely. Jan graciously agreed to chat with us and answered several questions via a phone call. We all left smiling and a bit richer for the experience.
Thank you, Jan, for sharing your story!
June 1, 2025
What a FABulous true story of pluck and daring, well written and definitely cinematic. I could visualize the young girls moving through the recreated scenes. Inspiring coming of age book of overcoming a rough and unfair beginning and the power that music can have in transforming a life. Astonishing that Janice remembered in such intricate detail events from over 50 years ago. A great, fun page turner for me. I almost never write reviews but I had to sing out about this book. YEAH,YEAH,YEAH.
November 18, 2021
Finished this in 3 days. Wonderfully written and an amazing story! The author is also a great speaker. What had been a blight on Cleveland, these two sixteen year old girls running away in 1964 to London, attracting international news coverage, police hunting, time in youth detention (like prison!), court hearing, stern reproach by judge, and banning in Cleveland of rock and roll, now is returned to being seen as an act of passion and self realization.
March 24, 2024
i interacted with this woman on a one off thursday in an elevator a few years ago, before i had ever read this book. so glad i finally did! thank you for helping me find the floor i needed to go to that day, janice. your book was amazing!
note: i need to know what mick looks like (if this was ever to be created into a movie, jamie campbell bower circa the city of bones movie era would be perfect)
note: i need to know what mick looks like (if this was ever to be created into a movie, jamie campbell bower circa the city of bones movie era would be perfect)
May 4, 2024
This signed copy has been on my bookshelf for a while. I really enjoyed it. Living in Northeast Ohio, I loved the details of the girls’ experience at the Beatles’ famous concert in Cleveland at Public Hall - front row center nonetheless! And Janice’s encounter with The Rolling Stones was another highlight, but it was the secretly planned trip to London that made the headlines and caused all the fuss on two continents. Definitely great content for a memoir if not a movie!
May 13, 2022
Such a fun light read. So surprised that I hadn’t heard of this event, as I saw that Ed Sullivan Show, I went to Cleveland Heights High in the late 60’s. Lived off Green and Cedar Rd. Totally related to all the Cleveland areas mentioned, it was my neighbourhood. This is why I it was such a fun read for me.
January 1, 2024
Wonderful memoir about the early Beatles’ years from a young female’s point of view. What was it like to buy tickets, wait in line, see a live show. The author eventually takes off to England in hopes of seeing the Beatles there. Started reading for the Beatles stories…kept reading for the relationships and cultural differences.
December 15, 2021
Quick read that will be of interest especially to readers of a certain age who remember when the Beatles were young and even more enjoyable for those from the Cleveland area. A fun tale that seems almost unbelievable now, but it’s true.
June 3, 2022
I’m not sure how much appeal this book holds for people who didn’t grow up in Cleveland in the 1960s, but as someone who did, I found it to be a delightful trip down memory lane (her memory is much better than mine).
October 16, 2021
This memoir is amazing. Even if you are not a Beatles fan, this book is fabulous. A story of courage, strength and so much more. Definitely recommend!
January 7, 2022
Excellent story and wonderfully written – highly recommended read for anyone, not just fellow Beatlemaniacs
July 13, 2022
Really more of a 3.5 stars. Fun to hear about her adventure and I always like books with Cleveland connections.
September 13, 2022
A fun read with lots of references to Cleveland Heights where I grew up.
September 13, 2022
Could hardly put it down!
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