Here Comes the Sun
BY: SUN STAFF
Dec 22, USA (POST) — This month marks the release of a new book by Yogeshwar dasa (Joshua M. Greene) entitled "Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison". The edition shipped out to bookstores last week, and will be showcased at Barnes & Noble outlets across the country in the first week of January.
Publisher John Wiley & Sons offers the following preview:
"In this intimate biography, Joshua M. Greene sheds new light on the most mysterious of the Beatles. Greene knew George Harrison and has remained in touch with people who were close to him, including many of his closest friends. Drawing on scores of previously unpublished transcripts of recorded conversations and first-hand accounts, Greene gives us an unprecedented close-up portrait, offering fresh insights into Harrison’s underrated contribution to the Beatles’ music, his spiritual awakening through Indian music and meditation, and his efforts to spread spirituality through his solo career. Here Comes the Sun also includes fresh new anecdotes about Harrison and other musical greats, including Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. Written with a you-are-there immediacy and complete with 20 pages of rare photographs, Here Comes the Sun is an insightful, thought-provoking look at the inner life of one of history’s most beloved artists-sure to be a hit with Beatles fans and all those interested in an extraordinary spiritual journey.
Joshua M. Greene (Long Island, NY) is the author of two acclaimed biographies and the producer of numerous award-winning films. His articles have appeared in print media internationally, and his books on the Holocaust were adapted for broadcast on PBS and the Discovery channel."
The book includes a great deal of detail on Harrison's life, as indicated by the chapter titles: 1 Beginnings, 2 George among the Savages, 3 A Price to Pay, 4 A Father to His Spirit 5 Rebirth, 6 In the Land of Gods, 7 Devotees, 8 Looking for Krishna, 9 All Things Must Pass, 10 The Sky beneath His Feet , 11 Dark Horse, 12 Laws of Nature, 13 Sacred Ground, 14 Going Back.
The book describes George Harrison's early life and the religious influences that eventually brought him to Krsna Consciousness:
"As for religion, George had as little interest in it as he did in manual labor. His dad was a lapsed Anglican, while his mother maintained her Roman Catholic traditions and did what she could to instill a sense of faith in her children. Still, religion made no sense to George. “I was raised Catholic,” he told photographer Murray Silver, “but even as a kid I couldn’t understand the claim that Jesus was the only Son of God when, in fact, we all are.”
Young George appreciated that Christ died for the sins of others but snickered at the irony of seeing pubs located across from every church in the city. How convenient, he thought. People can drink themselves under the table and then cross the street to make amends with a fiver on the collection plate. By the time of his first Holy Communion at age eleven, he had grown sufficiently disenchanted to skip Confirmation, deciding that he’d “confirm it later” for himself."
One of the book's reviewers adds this about Harrison't spiritual career: "Harrison reached beyond intoxicants into the bliss of yoga and cosmic chants, a buzz that took him "into the astral plane." He wanted others to share his contact with the mystical and spoke of his spirituality during concerts, where his comments were met with, at best, indifference. Though he spent considerable time exploring the Hindu religion, writes Greene, the musician was a restless quester, always looking for ways to put his spiritual house in order. Greene writes of a newfound "levelheaded dispassion" as Harrison moved into his sixth decade, a sense of liberation from the material world coupled with an affirmation of nature and a personal recognition of his place in the scheme of things. Greene presents a man deeply engaged in the world he longed to transcend." (Kirkus Review, November 1, 2005)
To read more about "Here Comes the Sun", visit the book launch website or the Publisher's website.
"Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison".
Joshua M. Greene
ISBN: 0-471-69021-X
Hardcover, 320 pages
US $25.95
The Russian edition will be in Moscow bookstores by February 2006
The UK edition (Bantam Books) will be released in July 2006
The Japanese edition (East-West Books) will be out by September 2006
Six other languages are in negotiation.
