Lennon's difficult family circumstances and unusual upbringing clearly affected his entire life, and this prominent theme is closely studied in the book. Wootton scrutinizes the events surrounding the absence of Lennon's parents: how they both lost interest in their son and shunned him, how the father deserted the family, and how the mother gave him away to her sister Mimi. The author shows how Lennon's quick temper and insecurities may have derived from the trauma of his isolation from his parents. Lennon continued this pattern by deserting his wife Cynthia and son Julian (although he still saw Julian) for Yoko Ono, but deviated from it by his great devotion to Yoko and their son Sean.

Another significant theme is how an intelligent but poorly educated young man suddenly achieved astonishing fame, popularity, and success, eventually passing through superstar ranks to the secular canonization of...