The Beatles

Gr 9 Up—For Beatle fans who want all the details of when and how the band developed and which records were instant hits and which ones barely made the charts, this is the book. In addition to such details, Mulligan describes how the group's music shaped the culture of the l960s. The musicians' rise to stardom coincided with the appearance of hippies, a time of youthful revolt against the Vietnam War, and "happenings." The book gets bogged down by dwelling too much on the arguments among the fab four and the influence of drugs on their daily life. Despite their grueling schedules, endless press conferences, and screaming audiences, the Beatles left the world with beautiful melodies and meaningful lyrics. Only nine photos are included, but an exhaustive chronology, list of recordings, further readings, and an index make this volume useful for research.—Peggy Fleming, formerly at Churchville-Chili High School, Churchville, NY