My Year of the Beatles

Exploring the World of The Beatles Through Books

by Theresa Gauthier

Reviewing In My Life: Encounters with The Beatles Ed. by Robert Cording, Shelli Jankowski-Smith, and E.J. Miller Laino

This has been a fun experiment for me. I’ve been a lifelong fan of The Beatles, but had found that circumstances sometimes got in the way of the pursuit of the things that bring me joy. The Beatles have brought joy to my life for as long as I can remember. Collectively or in their solo artist capacities, in films, in books, in television appearances and in live performances (though I was never lucky enough to see John or George live), The Beatles have always been a part of my life. That they were also a part of my Reading Life was inevitable. 

Those of you who know me well know that books are and have always been (will always be) important to me. I always have had a book with me so I could read if life slowed down enough—that’s become easier since ebooks and reading apps were invented!

Beatles books hold a shelf all their own on my shelves, segregated and separated from the rest of my books much as my Beatles records (vinyl, CD, and, yes, cassette) are separate from my other music. I’ve tried to review a wide range of titles in the past year, and thought it fitting to end with a book that’s a little bit of everything.

 I bought this book, In My Life: Encounters with The Beatles Ed. by Robert Cording, Shelli Jankowski-Smith, and E.J. Miller Laino, at a Beatles Convention back in the late nineties on a whim, and I’ve always been glad I did. This is an anthology containing fiction, recollections, and  poetry about this band that changed the world. 

The Beatles are unique. People who don’t like them will never understand, but they are so far above other bands—true geniuses, they created so much more than just music. Their grasp of their art, their ability to touch their listeners’ emotions and instill loyalty was unsurpassed. 

When I found this collection, I was intrigued. I devoured every word, though I admit, I never really looked at it again until a few weeks ago. I’m not sure now whether reading it is as pure a deep dive into The Beatles experience as it was then, or if it’s colored by my own fond memories of those days when The Beatles conventions (okay, yes, and Star Trek conventions) were a way of life with me.

The book still wows me. 

Writers share recollections of the first time they heard The Beatles, the first time they saw them live, and a detailed description from a waiter at Shumsky’s who served the Fab Four and Entourage when they appeared at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall in 1964. (They all tried the cheesecake.)

Descriptions of concerts, fictions that mention The Beatles, poems that depict things that actually happened as well as just inserting a touch of Beatles history in an otherwise un-Beatles event—whatever the story, the story, The Beatles make it more, make it better, give it a context it might not otherwise have had. 

A piece by Allen Ginsburg, an excerpt from The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe, and Timothy Leary’s “Thank God for The Beatles” and even a piece by Leonard Bernstein.

I’m glad my year of Beatles books posts ended with me picking this particular book up once more. It’s been a joy revisiting the myriad styles, stories, reports, and poetry that The Beatles have inspired.

In truth, I’ve rediscovered quite a few old favorites during the year (Wonderful Tonight by Pattie Boyd, Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison by Joshua M. Greene), and new favorites (The McCartney Legacy Volume 1 1969 to 1973 byAdrian Sinclair and Allan Kozinn) and it’s reawakened a love not just  of the music, but also of the band as a whole, the individual members and those in their immediate circle, not to mention my own long time friends and fellow Beatlemaniacs. (They know who they are!)

I might just keep reading even after I unveil my next year-long tribute subject matter next month.

Now, remember, All You Need Is Love and a good book!