A behemoth of a read that follows a generally linear path from Bono’s childhood to present day with loads of flashbacks and meandering through various time frames. The book clearly took a serious effort and the voice is so distinctly the author’s it is hard to believe Bono had a ghostwriter. This isn’t a historical documenting of facts, but more a journey into the emotions and impressions of a life well-experienced. Bono ruminates deeply and persistently about life, love, his wife, his parents, success, religion, God, activism, music and his bandmates. I did not realize the depths of Bono’s activism, his intense spiritual nature or the seriousness he applies to almost everything he sets out to do. His fragmented, playful writing style and way-over-the-top use of what I’ll call parallelism for lack of knowing what to call it (“The sound itself is what Edge occupies, and what occupies Edge is the sound”) screams of a lyricist trying to show off as a clever writer. The high frequency of name- and scenario-dropping (I was at Steve Jobs’ house, I was eating with Barack Obama, etc.) reinforces the self-absorbed, arrogant rockstar perception he is known for – even though he makes a great effort to admit he has a huge ego and other shortcomings throughout the book. If you are a U2 fan, you will appreciate some of the behind the curtain. If you are only looking for the “history of U2” then you might find Bono’s emphasis on topics other than albums and tours annoying. Although there is plenty of material on albums and tours. If you find Bono annoying, you won’t last more than a few pages. The book started to drag a bit when page after page was singularly about activism, but overall I really enjoyed the effort Bono put forth, and I see him as much more than a frontman for a globally loved band, but as a complicated and wounded human.