The Fifth Beatle

Vivek Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, Kyle Baker – The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story

Yes, I am starting 2014 off with two book reviews in a row. The library has been good to me.

This is a fascinating book. The artwork is stunning, and the story is one that, the introduction states, many people don’t really know about. For such a short time as he had on this planet, Brian Epstein did one helluva lot with his adult life. He was manager of the Beatles from the get-go (really responsible for their huge rise, in conjunction with their talent, of course). He was manager for other acts as well,  and continued to run the family record store business during most of the crazy years. He also, personally, endured hardship in the face of England’s attitudes (and laws) towards homosexuality. This is an infectious read that sweeps the reader grandly along, but it wasn’t until my mind had had time to process it all (after I was done reading), that the full weight of what he accomplished, and in the face of so much, really sank in as a complete picture. Two thumbs up.