McCartney

Actually this book is a diamond in the rough. I found a beat up copy in the library and almost passed it up because at first glance, it seemed slight. But if you look at the bibliographies of almost every Beatles book,you will find this book as one of the references. After reading it, it's easy to see why. Like Barry Mile's Many Years From Now, this book is a character study,the difference is in Mile's book Paul tells the story in his own words,but in this book, Salewicz interviewed many people who know/knew Paul very well in many cases,before he was famous. What you get essentially, is a feeling of going back in time. Salewicz took the unusual route of concentrating on Paul's early life. He covers the years 1942-1970 and a little bit after,but about 90% of this book actually covers his childhood,and youth until about age 23. A few reviewers complained about this,calling it 'half a book',but I don't know why. There are many good books on the Beatles,and Many Years From Now is an excellent book on McCartney. Even Chris Sanford's book isn't too bad for a book on his entire life. But no one's ever told the story of his early life in this much detail. I found it facinating,and quite a nice change. What I really loved is that Salewicz also chose to interview atypical people like Paul's teachers, his scout master, members of the Scaffold, (Mike McCartney's poetry group),and two girlfriends,Iris Caldwell,and Thelma Pickles(who was also John's old flame but Paul dated her in 1962-63). By talking to people like this,the author is able to show Paul not as a super star but as a person. Incidentally,all these people thought he was a lovely guy. So now I know in vivid detail, what kind of student Paul was,what kind of Boyscout, what kind of boyfriend,etc. Was he brave? Shy? Strong? Was he warm? Deep? Sad? Clingy? Was he afraid of rejection? Afraid of his future? Did he like sexually agressive women? Okay that one I'll give away...(no). Was he a drinker or was he so unable to hold his liquor that he had to be bundled into a cab before 10:00,and deposited home? Oops,gave another one away. I loved this book because it was so unpretentious just like it's subject. If you read this one and Many Years From Now, you will pretty much know who this guy is. Where he came from, what kind of family he had,etc., and this goes a long way in explaining who he became. The only thing I didn't like,and here we go again, is the author's depiction of John. I don't know why so many McCartney books(except for Many years From Now) have to show John as angry, drunk,and jealous of Paul. This is only a fraction of John's personality and I would have liked to see other sides to him in regard to Paul. Why do 'insider' books do a good job of this, but not these 'outsider' books? Oh well at least Mile's Many Years From Now gives you a wonderfully rounded profile on Lennon and McCartney's friendship and partnership as do a few other 'insider' books. Anyway this,Salewi

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is well researched and equally well written.I really like the way interviews with people who knew the former Beatle are included; one gets a "personal" picture of Paul McCartney. This author is skilled at bringing Paul McCartney to the forefront of his readers' collective consciousness.This book gets three cheers and a hearty "yeah, yeah, yeah"! from me!

This book covers Paul's youth, parents background and some background info on his family tree. A great way to get comfortable with the environment which created Paul; as a son, brother, friend & ultimatly as a musician and enertainer.Interviews with teachers, friends from Liverpool create a well balanced look at Pauls background and the dynamics of how and where the Beatles met.A must read for Beatle and McCartney fans.