Author Guide · Music Memoir
Books Written by
Bono announced his memoir on his 62nd birthday, and Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story came out on 1 November 2022, debuting at number two on The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. The singer of U2, born Paul Hewson in Dublin, narrated the audiobook himself, and it was named Audiobook of the Year at the 2024 Audie Awards. He took the book on tour as Stories of Surrender, and the shows became an Apple TV+ film in 2025. Before that, a book of interviews with the writer Michka Assayas had appeared in 2005. This guide covers his 2 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 2 key books · 2005–2022 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Bono has two key books: Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas (2005) and Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story (2022), his memoir. Start with Surrender; it is his own account, while the earlier book is a set of interviews.
Where to Start with Bono
If you want his life story in his own words
→ Surrender (2022) — the 2022 memoir.
If you want him in conversation
→ Bono (2005) — interviews with Michka Assayas.
2 Bono Books, in Order
Bono
A book-length conversation between Bono and the writer Michka Assayas, published in 2005, three years after he co-founded the campaigning organisation DATA.
Surrender
His memoir, published by Knopf on 1 November 2022, tells his life and U2’s through forty songs, as the subtitle says. In it he revealed that he had had open-heart surgery. It debuted at number two on The New York Times nonfiction list, and his own reading of the audiobook won Audiobook of the Year at the 2024 Audie Awards.
In What Order to Read Bono
Start with Surrender. It is the book written in his own voice, and it covers the longest stretch of his life.
Read In Conversation with Michka Assayas afterwards if you want him talking rather than writing, at an earlier point in his life. An abridged edition of the memoir, Bono: Stories of Surrender, came out in 2025 alongside the Apple TV+ film.
A reading path
1. Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story (2022)
2. Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas (2005)
3. Bono: Stories of Surrender (2025), the Apple TV+ film of the stage show
Other Bono Books
Beyond the 2 key books: 2 more, grouped by kind.
Open a group with the + to see every book in it.
Other books
2
2 books · 2003–2025
- 2003Peter and the Wolfan edition with paintings by Bono and his daughters Jordan and Eve
- 2025Bono: Stories of Surrenderabridged paperback of the memoir with a new introduction
The years · 1960–2025
Quick facts about Bono
- Known for
- Bono is known as the singer of U2 and as a campaigner who co-founded DATA, the ONE Campaign and (RED).
- 1960
- Born Paul Hewson in Dublin
- 1974
- His mother, Iris, dies
- 2004
- Co-founds the ONE Campaign
- 2005
- In Conversation
- 2022
- Surrender
- 2025
- Stories of Surrender on Apple TV+
- Born
- 10 May 1960, Dublin, Ireland
- Real name
- Paul David Hewson
- Band
- U2; 22 Grammy Awards with the band
- Campaigns
- Co-founded DATA (2002), ONE (2004) and (RED) (2006) with Bobby Shriver
- Honours
- Honorary KBE (2007); Presidential Medal of Freedom (2025)
- Audiobook
- Surrender, Audiobook of the Year, Audie Awards 2024
The red mark is 2022: Surrender, his memoir.
How Bono Writes
Surrender is credited to Bono alone and is organised, as its subtitle says, around forty songs that together tell one story.
The book covers private matters as well as the band: it was where he first revealed that he had had open-heart surgery.
He has also performed the book. He read the audiobook himself, toured it as Stories of Surrender from November 2022, including an 11-show run at New York’s Beacon Theatre in 2023, and the shows were filmed for Apple TV+.
Watch
Bono on Surrender
Bono talks to ABC’s Good Morning America in 2022 about his memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.
Frequently asked questions about Bono’s books
How many books has Bono written?
Two key books: Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas (2005) and his memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story (2022). There are also an illustrated Peter and the Wolf (2003) and an abridged memoir, Bono: Stories of Surrender (2025).
What are Bono’s books in order?
Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas (2005), then Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story (2022).
Where should I start with Bono?
With Surrender (2022), his memoir in his own words.
What is Bono’s most famous book?
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story (2022), which debuted at number two on The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list.
Did Bono write Surrender himself?
It is published under his name alone, with no co-writer named, and he narrated the audiobook himself.
Is the Surrender audiobook read by Bono?
Yes. His reading won Audiobook of the Year at the 2024 Audie Awards.
What is Stories of Surrender?
The stage show he made from the memoir, toured from November 2022 and played at New York’s Beacon Theatre in 2023. It was filmed as Bono: Stories of Surrender, released on Apple TV+ on 30 May 2025, with an abridged paperback of the book.
What is Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas?
A 2005 book of conversations between Bono and the writer Michka Assayas, published before his own memoir.
Who published Surrender?
Knopf, on 1 November 2022.
Footnotes
- Bono — Wikipedia
- Knopf to publish Surrender, a memoir by Bono, in November — Penguin Random House
- Bono’s Surrender wins Audiobook of the Year at 2024 Audie Awards — Publishers Weekly
- Bono announces memoir on 62nd birthday — The Irish Post
- Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas — Wikipedia
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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