The subtitle promises 40 Songs, One Story. The first part was right. This memoir is cleverly crafted around 40 select U2 songs. While they roughly follow the chronology of U2’s career, the early chapters include some Songs of Innocence, since this late album is a lyrical reflection on the early days. I began reading this memoir by listening to each chapter’s eponymous song (with lyrics turned on) before reading Bono’s commentary.

The first two-thirds of this book is excellent. Bono is honest and self-deprecating. Songs from his early catalog and the Achtung/Zooropa/Pop era come alive with each new chapter. Then, in the final third, Bono seems to lose the plot. The music of that fantastic album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind, along with No Line and Atomic Bomb are glossed over as stories of politicking and charitable causes fill the chapters.

This is the era of Bono’s life that draws the ire of his critics. I’m not concerned with his causes and use of influence—they just felt out of place in this meditation on songs. Clocking in at over 550 pages, the added layer of activism takes away from the music.

This memoir is still worth reading, especially for a U2 fan. It would just be better titled Surrender: 40 songs, Two stories.

Bono. Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. Doubleday Canada, 2022.