Yoko Oko: Collector of Skies by Nell Beram (review)

This thoughtful biography examines Ono not simply as John Lennon's wife but as an avant-garde artist in her own right and directs the discussion squarely at a teen audience that is likely to be unswayed by residual traces of Beatlemania. Here we meet a privileged child of Japanese parents, educated in Asian and Western cultural traditions, struggling in World War II Japan, anxious to establish a creative life on her own terms, and willing to relocate to any city willing to be receptive to her art. Beram and Boris-Krimsky are not only sensitive docents for her artwork—e.g., her optimistic "instruction" pieces, her enigmatic black bag performances, her controversial "Bottoms" film—but are also empathetic guides to her interior life: Ono's falling back into the shadows of higher-profile husbands, lovers, and artists often left her frustrated, depressed, and scrappily determined to push out into her own spotlight. Certainly her marriage to Lennon looms large, but it is adroitly recontextualized here as one more significant relation within a long and productive career. Clean text space, delicate but legible font, and scads of photographic portraiture and art piece reproductions of excellent clarity contribute to an overall book design worthy of its subject. A timeline of life events, extensive bibliography, photo credits, and index are included. Here's a rare example of youth-adult recommendation: teens may want to consider giving a copy to their Beatle-bitten grandmothers.