John Lennon's musical legend is known worldwide because of what he contributed to music, art and pop culture. What isn't as well known and is often glossed over in biographical details is the legend that he left in the American immigration and legal systems. In John Lennon vs. the USA reader get a first-hand account of just what Lennon's deportation case did for the future of the immigration system in the United States, told from the person that knew the case best, Leon Wildes.

For fans of Lennon's musical side, this book offers little more than a few tidbits about Wildes' personal relationship with the Lennons. However, you do get to see that Lennon truly trusted his lawyer and would do anything for another chance to prove his case, such as signing a shopping bag full of memorabilia for a terminally ill child so his father would testify as an expert in the field of cannabis.

What is really remarkable about this book is the legal case itself, regardless of how famous Wildes' clients had been. Before this case, there were secrets, instructions on how to determine a non-priority case hidden from the public, and an interference from American politics like no other. It is a truly scary thought that a paranoid politician with power could try and do so much to deport a musician who, while on American soil, had First Amendment rights and chose to use them.

The case also led to many firsts, including utilizing the Freedom of Information Act and leaving a legal legacy to those today who find themselves on the brink of deportation for various reasons. That is why the book seems timely, even if it is talking about a forty-year-old case: Wildes recognized that there were many immigrants, legal and illegal, that were being ignored or even protected when they should have been deported because of criminal acts, while all Lennon was trying to do was live his life in New York City and help find his wife's first child.

This is the kind of book that gives hope to immigrants fighting to stay in the country when they have a case to do so, and it also offers American citizens a glimpse at how lucky they are to have the rights and privileges granted to them because of where they were born—a book that should be required reading for anyone entering immigration law.

John Lennon fought for over four years with the United States Government to stay in the United States. He had been in the United States for over a year in 1972, when he was first informed he was to be deported. He had come to the states with his wife Yoko Ono in an attempt to gain custody of her daughter Kyoko who was being held by her biological father. While in the states both John and Yoko Lennon had been very vocal against the war in Vietnam. John was convinced that because of their vocal and influential presence in the country, they were being forced out by the government. Leon Wildes is the attorney that took on their case and stayed by their side, defending and fighting for them until they were both given permanent residence. In this book John Lennon vs. The U.S.A. Wildes recounts the court proceedings, the conspiracy against the Lennons and his own personal relationship with the couple.

If you are unfamiliar with the immigration case of John and Yoko Lennon then this will be a very informative read. I was completely unaware and unknowledgeable of not only the case against the Lennons but of immigration and deportation laws. I am however a fan of The Beatles and John Lennon so my interest was piqued from the moment I read the title. Wildes is a biased author but a very persuasive and intelligent person who was able to lay out the facts of the case with ease. I actually really enjoyed the personal conversations between him and John or Yoko. I liked hearing his personal opinion of them as not only entertainers but people. He made them seem human in a world where we praise celebrities as if they are so much more. Wildes also did a great job at dismantling the case against the government and why he and his clients felt like they were not only being watched but unjustly persecuted. This was a battle and one that Wildes wants you to conclude was his clients versus a government and president that thought John Lennon was so influential that he could affect a presidential election.

I really enjoyed this book. From the first page on I found it to be extremely fascinating and a pretty in-depth look at the deportation proceedings against the Lennons. This book brings up a lot of questions about the 1970s and the processes of the government and the FBI. Some people would look at this book and immediately ask what else the U.S. government could have been up to at this time. This book and all of the information was well thought out and well written. I found the appendix with the important documents from the case to be an added plus. This is book that I could easily recommend.

This is an interesting and detailed account of the long and complex case of John Lennon and Yoko Ono fighting their deportation from the United States. It's fascinating to see how immigration laws work - sometimes well, sometimes not. The book is not always easy reading, but it's interesting

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review