Fab4 Mania: A Beatles Obsession and the Concert of a Lifetime

Tyler follows her graphic memoir Soldier’s Heart with a lighter-hearted recollection, adapted from her 1960s teenage diary. The story largely focuses on her devotion to the Beatles, complete with authentic pages of cramped ballpoint scribblings of the band’s name, which culminates in her seeing them perform live at Chicago’s Comiskey Park stadium. Along the way, she describes growing up in a working-class Catholic family: enduring sibling spats, struggling to earn money for records and makeup, dealing with her father’s often rough personality, and beginning to wonder at the intertwining mysteries of love and boys. Her adoration of the Fab Four provides a cushion for her teenage angst and, implicitly, a safety valve for her hormonal yearnings. Her obsession with the band, while charming and sincere, is less salient than the surrounding family narrative. Tyler, with her characteristic grace and impressive skill, captures myriad specific details that help bring the era fully to life. But the story doesn’t have the depth of her prior work and may be too reliant on fandom for readers indifferent to the Beatles—though, given their enduring popularity and the nostalgic pull for Tyler’s generation, there’s a wide potential audience. (Jun.)