Before committing to this most comprehensive biography of Beatles legend John Lennon, there are a few things you should know.

First, it’s l-o-n-g. At 822 pages, it’s one of the few biographies to rival a textbook for volume of information (there’s even an index). Second, you’ve got to get past the rather stodgy British writing style of Norman, who, although considered the definitive Beatle biographer (thanks to his landmark 1981 bio Shout!) has a style that takes getting used to.

You’ll also find references that may send you to Google unless you’re British, and come across a number of typos one wouldn’t expect from HarperCollins.

Despite all that, this book reveals more about Lennon’s life than any before it. Exhaustive interviews with surviving associates from throughout Lennon’s life provide a clear picture of the troubled star.

Norman also clears up some misunderstandings about another troubled Lennon, John’s father Alf (later known as Freddie). We find that Lennon’s oft-sainted mother, Julia, was more to blame for John’s lifelong psychological demons than Alf, who returned from a stint as a ship’s steward to find his wife living with another man. We learn how Julia’s family shut Alf out of John’s life—a fact John himself ultimately learned through a manuscript written by Alfred Lennon and sent to the star upon Alf’s death.

We also learn how this family history clearly screwed up John Lennon’s personality—causing him to become a violent jerk, then a paranoid mess, then, ultimately, a mature man who found peace of mind with Yoko Ono.

Yoko was interviewed extensively for this book, but ultimately failed to endorse it because she felt it portrays Lennon as “mean.” Well, that’s exactly what Lennon was at times. But in the end, the painstaking research in this work gives us an understanding of what lurked behind that anger and paranoia—as well as the genius of the man’s music.

John Lennon: The Life makes us understand an enigmatic star, and that, alone, makes it worth reading.

Just block out a lot of time.

By Frank Legato

Frank Legato is editor of Casino Connection and also senior editor of Global Gaming Business magazine. He has been writing on gaming topics since 1984, when he launched and served as editor of Casino Gaming magazine. Legato, a nationally recognized expert on slot machines, has served as editor and reporter for a variety of gaming publications, including Public Gaming, IGWB, Casino Journal, Casino Player, Strictly Slots and Atlantic City Insider. He has an B.A. in journalism and an M.A. in communications from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. He is the author of the recently published book on gaming, How To Win Millions Playing Slot Machines... Or Lose Trying.