Ringo: With a Little Help

Good book

This is a very good book with a lot of detail. The only "drawback" might be that it is not an authorized version of Ringo's life, but one has no reason to think it is fictional in any sense of the word. It appears to have been extremely well researched. It is well written and easy to read. I imagine every person who becomes famous for any reason, must deal with the life dictated by certain aspects of being well known. Every person has differing aspects in their lives with which they must cope, but the most common denominator being that "Fame is a full-time job," as I once heard Tony Curtis remark to an interviewer. Many people don't know that fact until they're up to their eyes in adoring fans. Many people cannot cope with the life that fame brings; almost everyone has their own way of dealing with it. This is Ringo's story, and is very straightforward in showing his up's and down's throughout the years with The Beatles and afterwards. A good read which will give you some insight into the life of one famous person you may not know that much about. I certainly had no idea about many details of his life, especially after the Beatles. Interesting book for Ringo fans.

What a perfect biography! It was illuminating, well-researched, interesting and left this reader with such a good feeling about the subject. This lovingly-written book gives lots of information and great anecdotes. It especially gives Ringo his due. I believe it is easy for people to forget that prior to joining The Beatles, Ringo was THE drummer in the area, not just some spare guy that fate dropped in just prior to The Beatles rocket to stardom. I loved the stories about his family, his early girlfriends, his relationship with Maureen and his relationships with his Beatle brothers. John, George and Paul are just supporting players in this biography, which I especially appreciated because after all, this is Ringo's story and he had a story before and most certainly after The Beatles. However, the author has the courage to portray Paul as somewhat of a self-absorbed/self-important jerk (traits I have long suspected). For me, the most illuminating parts described Ringo's years after The Beatles. I knew he, Keith Moon and Harry Nilsson had hung out together, but I had not realized what close friends they really were. I also loved reading about other important people in Ringo's life, including Barbara. Ultimately, it's a great book about a very talented and truly engaging human being, who impacted and continues to impact so many people. He is someone much-beloved by most people in his life and someone who still brings much joy to his fans. We love you, Ringo, and this book is a wonderful tribute to a great artist and even better human!

Actually, lots of small, new facts that Beatles fanatics like myself will enjoy as well as seeing what was going on with Ringo "all those years ago ..." One example I never thought of was us American fans didn't know the history of the Fab Four and so, even after hearing about Pete Best, it never occurred to us that the group wasn't completely on equal standing ... I think that I speak for a lot of people when I state that if it was the Beatles (re: ANYTHING) than it enjoyed mythic status from the start ... no other way to explain it to myself that I still WILL NOT turn off a Beatles song in progress ... and Ringo always held a high status in my mind as an excellent drummer, period ... the others may have been telling him HOW they wanted the drums to sound, but he made the drums sound like they wanted and that must have been amazing to them ... so much of Ringo's solo efforts went unnoticed (and I am one of those who never tried to listen to him after the great album"Ringo") and it is amazing how people's lives can spiral out of control ... but he made it and this book was a welcome bit of news in an "old" Beatles fan's life ... I think the author did an excellent job - he must have, I stayed up all night and read it at one sitting ... :-)

I wanted to come away from the biography as I came away from the many biographies of The Beatles, alone and individually. In most cases, I have found out some more personal details and felt like I formed a bond with the principals. I really wanted, but missed that connection here. Worth reading, but not one in which you'll savor the writing.

I love Ring an have been wanting a book on him for a long time. But with Christmas coming I have been to busy to read.

This was a gift, therefore I can’t attest to the quality or content of the book other than I purchased a new, hardcover version. I did hear that Ringo did not endorse it. I’m a Prime shopper, so I was than thrilled to not only pay shipping, but pay for expedited shipping at an inflated rate. That aside, it arrived as promised in perfect condition.

Great book

Well written, with a different perspective - that of the last member to join, the tribulations and ultimate survival of being locked into being A Beatle. Entertaining.

Really enjoying this book, about halfway through, always look forward to picking it up again. Nice to get Ringo's point of view from the beginning when he joined The Beatles, I had no idea he felt like an outsider ( most of us didn't know The Beatles with Pete Best, so Ringo was as much a Beatle as John, Paul, and George! What a shame he felt that way ). Great book, definitely recommend it to Beatle fans!

Interesting relive history from another point of view. What emerges is a sensitive character, with all the insecurities of living in the shadow of four giants. But you can also understand what was its place within the world's most famous pop group, and because he was in. The dark side of the moon. . interesting anecdotes too. Interesting anecdotes on the four, through the dark years of the dissolution to the current, more relaxed. The story of the luckiest drummer in the world.

Interesting read about the least interesting of the Fab Four. Interesting to read about the period when Ringo couldn’t give an album away.

Sembrava essere una novità e invece è solo un mix di informazioni prese da altre fonti e scritte con larga licenza dall’autore. Troppi errori cronologici e storici che potevano essere risparmiati con un minimo di attenzione in più. Onesto nella prefazione dove viene specificata la totale estraneità di collaborazione da parte di Ringo, il quale non ha autorizzato questa sorta di biografia. Rimane comunque una lettura piacevole e di buon ripasso generale per chi ha bisogno di avere tutto dei Fab4.