Unless you live under a rock, you've probably heard of Paul McCartney, one of the members of the Beatles (along with John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr). Together, they turned the roll-n-roll genre upside down and created a world-wide appetite for the music.

Paul McCartney was born on June 18, 1942 to James and Mary McCartney in Liverpool, England. They lived a fairly comfortable life, with both parents working (his mother was a nurse and his father a cotton salesman). But when his mother died of breast cancer, 14-year-old Paul, 12-year-old Michael and their father worked together to keep things running as smoothly as possible. While there wasn't any extra money to spend on things, there was plenty of love in the household. James did a valiant job raising his two sons by himself, along with help from other family members.

"Much has been written about Paul McCartney in numerous biographies. But this is the book on his life... Norman leaves no stone unturned and no topic off the table."

Much has been written about Paul McCartney in numerous biographies. But this is the book on his life, starting before his birth (with info on his parents) and ending with an Epilogue written after author Philip Norman talked to him briefly backstage at the Liverpool Echo Arena during his Out There tour on May 28, 2015. Norman covers Paul's childhood, his fortuitous meeting with John Lennon, the formation of the Beatles, his long-time marriage to Linda Eastman, his relationship with Lennon, the band’s breakup, the creation of Wings, Linda's tragic death, his short-lived and volatile marriage to Heather Mills, their nasty and hotly contested divorce, his most recent marriage to Nancy Shevell in 2011, his knighthood and his long list of music awards.

As you can probably tell, Norman leaves no stone unturned and no topic off the table. In addition to covering Paul’s life, he includes a rather comprehensive history of music (particularly that of rock and pop), as his life could not be told without his influence on it and its influence on him.

I learned many things about Paul I did not know, including the fact that he’s a gifted mimic, able to imitate voices easily. I also didn't realize that he could play so many instruments (guitar, drums, piano, etc.) or that he taught himself most of what he knows, with little or no formal training on any single instrument. He is also a talented artist who can draw and paint.

Be warned: Even though the book is well-written and the subject matter quite interesting, this is not light reading as there are 818 pages, not counting 32 pages of photos (some never before made public), the Table of Contents, Acknowledgements, Photo Credits and Index. It took me about a week to finish reading, but it was well worth it.