Artist. Musician. Feminist. Activist. This arresting look at Yoko Ono's life, art, and music begins with her childhood of economic privilege, although the years of World War II in Japan were hard ones. By the time she returned to the United States at age twenty (she had lived here for a time as a young child), she was interested in a career in music but her creativity and vision couldn't be contained in a single form or genre. She worked above all with ideas, breaking down boundaries between artist and audience as a pioneer in the areas of performance and conceptual art. This is an accessible, intelligent look at Ono as a singular, visionary artist constantly challenging herself, constantly experimenting, and constantly demanding that the audience be part of the artistic process to complete the meaning of her works (she believes that everyone is an artist). As seen here, Ono and John Lennon were kindred spirits with similar humor and intelligence and vision. Early on, their lives together were lively and challenging by turns but eventually settled into something that sustained them both until John's tragic death. Vilified by the public and media in the years before he died, Ono was embraced in the aftermath, and both responses demonstrate the fickleness of celebrity culture, just one of many fascinating aspects of this work. Ample photographs are included in a beautifully designed book that draws from rich source material, including original interviews, all of which are cited. (Age 14 and older)

This lyrical biography explores the life and art of Yoko Ono, from her childhood haiku to her avant-garde visual art and experimental music. An outcast throughout most of her life, and misunderstood by every group she was supposed to belong to, Yoko always followed her own unique vision to create art that was ahead of its time and would later be celebrated. Her focus remained on being an artist, even when the rest of world saw her only as the wife of John Lennon. Yoko Ono's moving story will inspire any young adult who has ever felt like an outsider, or who is developing or questioning ideas about being an artist, to follow their dreams and find beauty in all that surrounds them.