Summary
The book is divided into a prologue and twelve chapters. The prologue is structured in four sections, one on each member of the band, containing their views on what being in U2 means to the musicians. Bono talks about his personality, The Edge gives a review on electric guitars, Adam Clayton explains how he'd always wanted to be a rock star, and Larry Mullen Jr. expresses the fact that he had never been comfortable with celebrity or fame. Each one of the members also shares ideas about the others. The first chapter, 1960–75: Stories for Boys, follows their childhood stories with memories and photographs taken from their personal collections. The second chapter, 1976–78: Another Time Another Place, reconstructs the formation of the band and their initial equipment and gigs. The third chapter, 1978–80: Staring at the Sun, covers the punk period, when the band was influenced by emerging acts such as The Jam, The Clash, Buzzcocks, and Sex Pistols. The fourth chapter, 1980–81: Into the Heart, deals with the recording sessions of the band first two studio albums, Boy and October, and the filming of their first music video, "Gloria", written and directed by Meiert Avis.
The fifth chapter, 1982–83: Sing a New Song, talks about Bono's marriage to Ali Hewson, the release of U2's third studio album War and how "Sunday Bloody Sunday" became an anthem for peace. Chapter six, 1984-85: In the Name of Love, is about the release of The Unforgettable Fire. The second half of the book opens with 1986–87: Luminous Times, which talks about the release of The Joshua Tree, the band's most popular and critically acclaimed album. Chapter eight, 1987–89: Outside Is America, talks about the cinematic album and documentary Rattle and Hum.
The ninth chapter, 1990–93: Sliding Down the Surface of Things, is about a time when the band changed their sound. Bono and The Edge composed music for A Clockwork Orange: 2004, produced at the Barbican Theatre in London by the Royal Shakespeare Company, but it received mostly negative reviews. U2 released Achtung Baby and the accompanying Zoo TV Tour, and Zooropa and this, in part, spurned the desire to make changes to the way they made their music. Chapter ten, 1994–98: Some Days Are Better than Others, talks about the members of the band, especially Bono, dealing with the situation after coming back from tour, trying to find a routine life. Summer of 1994 is called by Bono as their [U2's] Summer of Love. In 1997, Pop was released.
The eleventh chapter, 1998–01: The Last of the Rock Stars, follows the release of All That You Can't Leave Behind and the death of Bono's father on 21 August 2001, a day after the band was due to play their first concert at Slane Castle for their Elevation Tour. The final chapter, 2002–06: Until the End of the World, opens with the band playing at the Super Bowl XXXVI in January 2002 for the halftime show. U2 played three songs, "Beautiful Day", "MLK", and "Where the Streets Have No Name" while the names of the victims from the September 11 attacks were projected onto a sheet behind the stage, and, at the conclusion of the last song, Bono opened his jacket to reveal an American flag printed into the lining. The experience was described by them as "terrifying". The book then deals with the releases of The Best of 1990–2000, which included two new songs from the Monaco sessions, "Electrical Storm" and "The Hands That Built America". The book concludes with anecdotes and circumstances taken from the recording sessions of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and the following Vertigo Tour.
