Review: Death of a Dreamer: The Assassination of John Lennon

Death of a Dreamer: The Assassination of John Lennon

By: Alison Behnke

Pub. Date: May 1, 2012

Publisher: Learner Publishing Group

Pages: 112

Source: Netgalley

New York, December 8, 1980: The announcement shocked the world. Beatles founder and legendary musician John Lennon had been murdered in front of his New York home. With no warning, a lone gunman opened fire, shooting Lennon in the back just as Lennon returned from a recording session with his wife, Yoko Ono. Husband, father of two, cultural icon, and hero to millions, Lennon was dead.

Around the globe, people mourned the loss of a man who had stood for peace, a man who had given so much joy to the world through his gift of music. No one had seen it coming…except one man—Mark David Chapman, Lennon's assassin.

What drove this former Beatles fan to commit such a terrible act? Follow the lives of both Lennon and Chapman, learn about the political and cultural settings in which both grew up, and trace—step by excruciating step—the final moments of John Lennon's life.

I am a huge fan of John Lennon. I wasn't even born when he was murdered, but I still mourn his death. He was an incredible person, who had a beautiful message to share with everyone, and because of that, he was killed.

Even though John died over 30 years ago, many people, young and old are still fascinated with the man that he was. This is the perfect book for them. There's facts, a timeline and pictures. It's simple and a very easy way to learn about him.

The book was very easy to follow and I loved the pictures that were added. It begins with John's early childhood, to his time in The Beatles, his marriage to Yoko Ono, and eventually his death and the legacy he left behind.

Death of a Dreamer is the perfect book for any Beatles or John Lennon fan. It's also perfect if you don't know much about Lennon and his life and you want to know about the man behind "Imagine".