Book · 2022 · nyt:combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction=2022-11-20
Surrender
Why people recommend it
Surrender by Bono is a memoir by the U2 frontman that details his life, career, and activism through forty foundational songs. Josh Clark mentioned reading the book on Stuff You Should Know while discussing Bono's ongoing activism regarding debt cancellation for developing nations. Meanwhile, on SmartLess, Bono joined the hosts to discuss the vulnerability of writing the memoir, telling Will Arnett that the process felt like a true form of surrender. Bono explained to the podcast hosts that writing the book served as a valuable tool for dredging up memories from the past, comparing the mental excavation to retrieving items from a river and noting that he would not have remembered certain events otherwise. Sean Hayes also referenced a specific passage in the book where Bono details a profound, conversational moment with his father in a chapel. Finally, Will Arnett mentioned Surrender while introducing Bono's accompanying book tour, noting the connection between the memoir's contents and the live stage performances. The podcast appearances highlighted how the memoir provided Bono with unexpected personal insights while offering readers a deeper look into his personal history and relationships.
Who recommended it
- Josh Clark Discussed
Josh Clark — 1 mention
“I'm reading his books still now it's great oh yeah what's it called Catholic me Catholic you by bonna it is I was trying to think of another Riff on that but that pet nailed it no it's called surrender I think but really good book anyway”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 6
“How is the experience of writing this book and kind of bearing it at all in a way; it's called surrender, so did it feel like that?”
“And then I got caught in it, and I find myself, the real value of writing a book like this is you sort of retrieve memories from the kind of river, um, from, you drudge them, uh, somehow out of the sewer!”
“But if I hadn't written the book, I wouldn't have remembered that!”
“So the book has given me a lot, I will say that!”
“You talk, Bono, in the book again and about your relationship with your dad in about that moment when you're in the chapel and as you and you, you have this really kind of, I don't know if you said you apologize, but you had a kind of almost a conversation with your dad!”
“So from his book, Surrender, uh, 40 songs, one story, um, he did a show at the Beacon, and now it's starting in April of, uh, actually starting April 16th.”