"We're Going to See the Beatles!"

March 31, 2008
Almost 45 years after Beatlemania swept the U.S., memories of the Beatles' legendary U.S. invasion during the mid-1960s remain fresh in the minds of those who were there. In this remarkably personal oral history of the Beatles in America, author and fan Berman (Best of the Britcoms: From Fawlty Towers to Absolutely Fabulous) tracked down 42 individuals from all over the country who cheered the Beatles at New York's JFK airport when they first landed in America, sat in The Ed Sullivan Show audience for the Beatles' live television debut, waited in line for hours (repeatedly) to see A Hard Day's Night, and attended concerts during the group's three chaotic U.S. tours. Bridging their tales with breezy narration, Berman succinctly recounts the Beatles' entire history, from 1963 through the solo years and the deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison. Though some of them have lapsed in their Beatle fanaticism, all of Berman's subjects realize the significance of their experiences and relate them with gusto. As put by Dale Ford, who saw the Beatles three times in San Francisco, including their final gig, "I was thinking to myself, 'Dale, savor this moment. This is gonna go down in history.' And it did."

July 14, 2008
Almost 45 years after Beatlemania swept the U.S., memories of the Beatles' legendary U.S. invasion during the mid-1960s remain fresh in the minds of those who were there. In this remarkably personal oral history of the Beatles in America, author and fan Berman (Best of the Britcoms: From Fawlty Towers to Absolutely Fabulous) tracked down 42 individuals from all over the country who cheered the Beatles at New York's JFK airport when they first landed in America, sat in The Ed Sullivan Show audience for the Beatles' live television debut, waited in line for hours (repeatedly) to see A Hard Day's Night, and attended concerts during the group's three chaotic U.S. tours. Bridging their tales with breezy narration, Berman succinctly recounts the Beatles' entire history, from 1963 through the solo years and the deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison. Though some of them have lapsed in their Beatle fanaticism, all of Berman's subjects realize the significance of their experiences and relate them with gusto. As put by Dale Ford, who saw the Beatles three times in San Francisco, including their final gig, "I was thinking to myself, 'Dale, savor this moment. This is gonna go down in history.' And it did."

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2008
When the Beatles first came to America, some girls stole maids uniforms at New Yorks Plaza Hotel to try to see their idols. Chatty, precocious Linda Binns Liles, then 9, made her way to the press car in the train carrying the band from New York to Washington, D.C., and ended up talking to Ringo Starr for an hour. Such are the memories of the original Beatlemaniacs gathered in this oral history. Later fan recollections can be poignant. Debbie Levitt struck up a conversation with John Lennon as he and Yoko Ono left a coffee shop on the day he was shot to death. Many still cant explain the hysteria of their fandom: It was something that just came over us. A document of historical import, this is also a mostly joyful celebration of an extraordinary phenomenon. Beatles fans, old and new, will adore it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)