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John Borack\u2019s John Lennon: Life is What Happens<\/em> is subtitled \u201cMusic, Memories & Memorabilia,\u201d and that\u2019s a tidy summing-up of what this book is all about. Part social commentary, part reminiscence, part criticism, part price guide, part coffee-table book, Life is What Happens<\/em> occupies a useful spot as it touches on all of those areas.<\/p>\n Life is What Happens<\/em> doesn\u2019t set out to replace your copy of Richie Unterberger<\/strong>\u2019s The Unreleased Beatles<\/em>, but Borack does weave in a bit of information about unreleased material (including a passing mention of the 83-CD set A\/B Road<\/em>). The book doesn\u2019t replace historical overviews such as Bob Spitz<\/strong>\u2019s book (or Hunter Davies<\/strong>\u2019, or any of the Mark Lewisohn<\/strong> books), but Borack knows his subject well enough \u2013 and is an economical enough writer \u2013 to deliver a concise version of the Lennon story. And while it won\u2019t take the place of Goldmine<\/em>\u2019s authoritative record pricing data (Borack has freelanced for that magazine for over a quarter century) the book is delightfully chock full of high-quality photos of old Beatles records (and Yellow Submarine<\/em> lunchboxes, and Beatles Flip Your Wig<\/em> board games, and bobbleheads, and\u2026) along with info on what those items have sold for.<\/p>\n The book works on several levels. As a (softcover) coffee table book, it looks great: the splashy color photographs, professional eye-pleasing layout and overall professional design will make it the sort of book your houseguests will pick up and actually look at. Quite a few of the photos will be new to even the most fanatical of Beatles fans (like me, to name one example). As a look at John Lennon, Life is What Happens<\/em> deftly balances those different approaches — musical criticism, personal anecdotes (by the author as well as many well-known musicians) and straightforward chronology.<\/p>\n In 2011 it\u2019s difficult to say or show much about John Lennon and\/or the Beatles that hasn\u2019t been covered many, many, many times before. And while Borack (author of 2008\u2019s Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide<\/em>) <\/em><\/span>is recounting that familiar story, his fresh perspective on the life of John Lennon is one of the more enjoyable (and again: nice to look at) examples of this now decades-old cottage industry. Beatles and Lennon fans will be proud to add John Lennon: Life is What Happens<\/em> to their bookshelves (and\/or or coffee tables).<\/p>\n
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