Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon

By Robert Rosen

Book Overview

By all appearances, John Lennon was working on a tell-all memoir in the final years of his life. Every day he poured into diaries his raw thoughts and feelings-about his jealous rivalry with Paul... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0932551513
• ISBN13: 9780932551511
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: Quick American Archives
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Not Just Another Lennon Bio!

I've read scores of Lennon bios over the years and "Nowhere Man" has become a personal favorite. A lot of the Lennon books that have come out in recent years aren't bringing anything new to a subject that's been written about to death in the 25 years since his horrific murder. Robert Rosen's "Nowhere Man" is coming from an entirely fresh perspective. Not only in the WAY it was written (the author read Lennon's diaries) but in the writing style itself, which features an almost poetic sensibility that really appealed to me. One of my favorite things about "Nowhere Man" is Rosen's savvy decision to incorporate the reading materials that figured so prominently in Lennon's life during his final years. By doing so he takes the reader on a journey into Lennon's inner mind. A journey the author himself took when reading Lennon's diary. The end result is a vivid portrait of Lennon's final years. I would highly recommend it to anybody looking to learn more about that era of his life.

He became what he hated and sought to change...but too LATE.

I thought about this book for days after finishing it. There are books on the Beatles as a group and individually...and then there are show biz books on the pitfalls of fame. This SUPERB book shows that his last years of his life, contrary to conventional wisdom, Mr. Lennon didn't live an ideal life -- free of money woes, free to contemplate, write beautiful music, travel, a life filled with hundreds of friends etc. In fact, as Mr. Rosen's GREAT reporting shows, he was worried about his physical appearance, jealous of Sir Paul, lonely, distrustful of people since he felt they wanted to use him, and striving to be a better father and friend to his son Julian.Rosen temporarily had access to Lennon's diaries (which were later taken back) and the book quickly evolves into less a book about Lennon or a Beatle than someone enslaved by fame and fortune: the once rebellious Lennon had become highly materialistic, a boss who almost gleefully hired and fired servants frequently and a person emotionally chained and drained by Yoko. Indeed, the book confirms fans' suspicions that had he not been with Yoko he might have created MORE during his lifetime. With all his wealth, real estate and servants he led a somewhat depressing, hum-drum life, holed up in his apartment, creatively bankrupt until when, towards the end, he recorded Double Fantasy.The irony is that just as he began to lift himself out of his creative and personal slumps, Mark David Chapman started going quickly downhill. This book brilliantly details Chapman's transformation into Lennon's assasin. And it's done with no corn or cliche -- just brilliant reporting that makes you feel the loss even more when it's over.On a personal note, I was working on a newspaper in Kansas (I am now a fulltime ventriloquist) doing night shift the night Lennon was murdered. When the editor on duty said "They shot John Lennon" my reaction was "Was he hurt?" You'll feel the loss AGAIN when you read this -- but this time a SPECIAL LOSS since it was clear he was finally getting his life, priorities, work and relationships on track when he was struck down. EXCELLENT BOOK ON THE PITFALLS OF FAME EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE BEATLES.

Last Years Of John Lennon

An infinite number of books have been written about the life and death of John Lennon, but very few have taken us into the inner sanctuary of the last years of his life when he was the self-proclaimed house-husband. Most people think that Mr. Lennon lived those last years in domestic bliss, taking care of Sean, baking bread with his biggest worry being what to watch on TV. Robert Rosen once had access to Mr. Lennon's personal diaries and he reveals that those above notions aren't the actual truth. The John Lennon we read about it in this superb book is a very fragile man who was concerned about his weight, his relationship with his first son Julian, his own relevance. We learn of his bizarre belief in numerology and how he delighted in any misfortune that befell Paul McCartney especially his drug bust in Japan. Mr. Rosen doesn't just focus on the failings of John Lennon, he tells stories of his tender relationship with Sean, the pride he took in learning how to sail and of his captaining a boat and the recording of Double Fantasy. The book also chillingly details the downward spiral of Mr. Lennon's assassin Mark David Chapman and the days and months leading up to him actually firing the shots that ended Mr. Lennon's life. Nowhere Man expertly breaks down the final chapters in John Lennon's life and we see him as a human being and not just a reclusive rock star.

A Good Long Look at Lennon

Nowhere Man is an excellent read, and was especially fascinating to me, because I really know so little about Lennon. After all the brouhaha about Yoko's potential response to the book, it is not that hard on her. And certainly not in any gratuitous way. One of the saddest aspects of the story is the way in which Lennon was beginning to pull himself back together after his long hiatus, once he began working again, just before he was killed. When he no longer had the time to sit around all day thinking about himself, which is always very dangerous, he was able to open himself back up to inspiration. The last section, about Honolulu and Chapman, is memorable. Chapman is vividly painted in the strange and intense environment of Honolulu in a way that makes one understand the reason "fan" is a part of "fanatic." The moment of his first sighting of Lennon, when he momentarily forgets his mission and becomes, again, a fan, is amazing. People tend to take strong positions on Lennon, a tribute to his stature. Nowhere Man is certainly a worthy addition to the canon.

Another Reader's Comments

This is a fabulous book--a real page-turner. The intimate details about Lennon's day to day life in those last years are really something special. The book is very funny throughout, and of course, finally very sad. I enjoyed the way the author chose to end the book. And I liked the interweaving of the astrological forecasts, numerology information throughout, and all the contradictions of spirituality and materialism. The entire book seemed to be written with a delicate touch, even though we were seeing into more than one person's inner world.