A review by romonko
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono

adventurous challenging emotional informative slow-paced

2.5

I’ve always loved U2 and was thrilled to see that Bono had an autobiography out. I wanted to listen to it because I knew there would be music in it. Bono reads his story himself. It was interesting to hear how U2 began 40 years ago. They are a band that is still together. They all grew up in the same neighbourhood in Dublin. They still all have their main residence there. Hearing how Bono and the band struggled when they began, and their astronomical advance to the top of the charts was exciting and real. This is why I wanted to listen to this book. Bono is honest and sincere throughout, and is a man of faith who has been married for decades which was inspirational, but then we are in the middle of all his humanitarian and political machinations, and I’m afraid my eyes started glazing over. I didn’t want to hear about how marvellous Bill Clinton was or how much of a saint Nelson Mandela was. We all have our own beliefs about humanitarian issues and certainly about political figures. I have to admit that I skipped through a lot of pieces in the audiobook that I was bored with. I think Bono has made a name in history for himself and his awesome band and that is a phenomenal achievement..As to all the other stuff, the less said the better as it smacks of self-aggrandizement. Acts of kindness are much more powerful if they are done quietly and under the radar. I have to admit that the 40 songs included in the audiobook were worth the time spent listening. U2 remains as one of my favourite bands.