Book info

• Title Surrender
• Author Bono
• Year 2022
• Genre Memoir

As one of the music world's most iconic artists and the cofounder of organizations ONE and (RED), Bono's career has been written about extensively. But in Surrender, Bono's autobiography, he picks up the pen, writing for the first time about his remarkable life and those he has shared it with. In his unique voice, Bono takes us from his early days growing up in Dublin, including the sudden loss of his mother when he was 14, to U2's unlikely journey to become one of the world's most influential rock bands, to his more than 20 years of activism dedicated to the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty. Writing with candour, self-reflection, and humour, Bono opens the aperture on his life - and the family, friends and faith that have sustained, challenged and shaped him.

Thoughts

It’s taken me a while to get through this. I read a physical copy of this book and although that’s not my preferred format, it worked for this one. This is long and uncompromising, Bono has things to say and he’s going to say them in his own way and in his own time. He works through some difficult things, but always comes out the other side with a lesson learned.

It’s arty and can get very spiritual, in some places you can start rolling your eyes, but actually, it doesn’t come across as pretentious. Bono knows what he’s doing, he owns it, he knows when he’s being a bit hippy and is unapologetic about it but also not preachy. I was also surprised at how funny this was in places, some really good stories! It’s just a fascinating read from start to finish, even though you have to really want to read it and get invested, both in time and principle.

Rating: 4 / 5