Why did the Beatles break up? Yoko Ono is ready to explain

Is she really ready to spill the big beans? John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono told fans in a Q&A that she plans to write the story of her life within the next five years. After almost 40 years of speculation, will Beatles fans finally hear a first-hand account of the story of the dissolution of their favorite band?

It is being reported that Yoko's book will focus "on [Yoko and John's] intense relationship, the myths surrounding her role in the Beatles' break-up, the bed-in for peace, Lennon's infamous 'Lost Weekend' and more."

Five years may seem a long time to wait. Yet today, nearly 30 years after the death of Lennon, there is no let-up in the wave of interest in all things Beatles. Just the last few years have brought us "Across the Universe," Cirque du Soliel's "The Beatles: Love," "Beatles: Rock Band," the remastered albums, and another round of major-venue Paul McCartney concerts - all joyously received. On the book front, there have been a number of distinguished attempts to decode the Beatles in recent years, including Bob Spitz's "The Beatles" (2005), Jonathan Gould's "Can't Buy Me Love" (2007), and Philip Norman's "John Lennon: The Life" (2008).

Is there really anything new that Oko can tell us? Of course. Although she has spoken about John before, and not always in a scintillating fashion (the Guardian pokes fun at her lengthy account of how he liked his tea), Yoko has never given the world a full account of their love, their lives together, and – perhaps most desired – her own understanding of why the Fab Four finally went their separate ways. You've heard it from others – but that will never have the weight of hearing it from her.

Will the book really come to pass? That may be the bigger question. The 76-year-old Ono says that she has long intended to write the book but the hard part has been finding the time to do so.

What should not be hard will be finding a publisher. There are few sure bets in the publishing world. But a genuinely revealing memoir by Yoko Ono would have to be one of them.

Marjorie Kehe is the Monitor’s book editor. You can follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/MarjorieKehe