The book is built around 40 songs by his group U2 and sprinkled with 40 artist drawings.
Real name Paul David Hewson, Bono is not only an accomplished songwriter, singer, guitarist and artist: he is also a businessman and philanthropist with a long history of commitment to great humanitarian and political causes, from peace in the world to the fight against poverty and epidemics such as AIDS.
In his 500-page memoir, 62-year-old Bono traces his extraordinary journey from the tragedy of his mother's sudden death when he was 14 to his own heart surgery in 2016.
It also addresses issues related to the difficulties of writing and the "pseudo-religious status of the rock star".
"The music of U2 has never really been rock and roll", writes the musician in his book, but "under its contemporary envelope, it is opera, great music and strong emotions released in a daily pop music".
Bono is supporting the promotion of his book with a literary tour entitled "Stories of Surrender" in New York this week and then in Chicago, London, Berlin, Paris, Madrid and Dublin.
"Defeat is a loaded word for me. Growing up in Ireland with my fists up (musically speaking), defeat was not an obvious concept. And I still struggle with that (...) in my band, my marriage , my faith and in my militant life", writes the artist and figure of the world humanitarian causes.
Promoter of peace in Northern Ireland at the end of the 1990s, the author of the legendary titles "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "Desire" and "With or without you" also praised last May the fight of the Ukraine for 'freedom' in the war with Russia, during a concert in a kyiv metro station.
© 2022 AFP