Nonfiction Navigators discussion

While The Beatles may have appeared as a clean cut boy band from Liverpool, Bob Spitz takes that image and turns it into something else: the truth. The Beatles: The Biography by Bob Spitz is a revealing account of the lives of The Beatles. Spitz exposes each band member from his parents’ first meeting to how he became a part of one of the biggest bands—if not the biggest—in rock and roll history.
This extremely detailed biography is what every fan needs in order to feel like they know their favorite band. We experience the drunken, pill-popping nights in Germany with former Beatles Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best; the pivotal moment when John Lennon hired Brian Epstein as their manager; their first recording of the classic “Love Me Do” at Abbey Road Studios; and the astonishing way they rose through the charts in America. Spitz takes his readers on a sporadic journey from one subject to the next ranging from the history of Liverpool on one page to Lennon’s memory of his mother on the next.
While this is the closest we may feel to The Beatles, as a fanbase, we find out some things we may not have wanted to know. Hearing about the band members’ gonorrhea and substance abuse, while not completely surprising, may be disappointing to younger readers who have idealized the Fab Four. As a female fan, reading that Lennon and Paul McCartney got their girlfriends pregnant and got engaged only out of obligation is also a let down. However, Spitz always brings the story back to the music and reminds us this is a true rock and roll story. The way Spitz jumps from one subject to the next keeps the reader interested (but if you are someone who enjoys things neat and ordered chronologically, this may not be the book for you). Although Spitz expertly describes their rise to fame, at times, he focuses heavily on the music industry during the 60s; readers might forget that they are reading about The Beatles.
Overall, as a Beatles fan, I highly recommend this book. After reading this tome dedicated to the band, I felt like I shared their blood, sweat and tears during their rise to stardom. Now, when I listen to their songs, I can envision them in their youth unaware of their place in history. Bob Spitz gives the real, though sometimes ugly, account of what it was like to be a Beatle.