I've read in scores of Beatles books about the disaster that was The Beatles concerts in the Philippines in 1966. The concerts themselves were fine, but the huge snafu involving President Ferdinand and his wife Imelda Marcos was the problem. They were invited to go to the Presidential Palace the day of these concerts, but ultimately did not go. When they stood up the President and his wife, things got very dicey for The Beatles for the duration of time in the Philippines. Security became lax, and it was very scary navigating the airport for their trip home with the escalators stopped and Beatles support staff roughed up. They vowed never to play there again and have spoken of it in interviews, notably during The Beatles Anthology videos. It was an ugly experience that fed into their decision never to tour again.

It's such a small part of Beatles history that I wondered how a substantial book could be written about it. The book included some history about the Philippines. It also cited other books over the years where the topic had been discussed, to come to a conclusion who exactly was to blame for The Beatles not attending this major government function. I've read most of these books (including recent ones) and it seems that The Beatles manager Brian Epstein kept them from going. There are various excuses and possible misunderstandings that lead to the unfortunate incident that was insulting to the Marcos', and this book explores all those avenues. The book proper ended at the 70% mark and concluded with End Notes. My favorite part of the book was reading about some teenagers who managed to get into the hotel where The Beatles were staying and were invited into their suite. The Beatles were very nice and it was a sweet experience and memory for them. I would recommend a book like this to an avid/seasoned Beatles fan who wants to delve deep into a thin slice of Beatles history.

Thank you to Penguin Random House SEA / Penguin Books for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

The fittingly titled You Won’t See Me: When The Beatles Ghosted Imelda tells the story from start to finish with lots of context, insight, and information on Filipino history throughout about The Beatles 1966 visit to Manila. So don’t be afraid to pick up this book if you don’t know much about Filipino history.

There are moments of joy like seeing Filipino fans happy to see The Beatles in their country and a lucky few fans making their way into the Manila Hotel to see The Beatles (you certainly can’t do this today!) and Paul McCartney buying a pre-fame BenCab painting, but there are a lot of moments of fear such as The Beatles seeing so many guns and wondering if The Philippines are at war and the fallout the day after the concert, where they had little security when leaving the country and had to basically fend for themselves and run for their lives. Definitely a rollercoaster of a story that you won’t want to stop reading!

Author David Guerrero was born in England to a Filipino father and a British mother and is now based in Manila. He presented a BBC World Service programme called “When the Beatles Didn’t Meet Imelda”. This book is organised and well researched and has quotes from people who were there: fans and people who worked behind the scenes, so you get a lot of points of view. There are a few photos and scans of memorabilia and I wish there had been some more.

It’s a quick read about a chaotic 48 hours in Beatles history and I like hearing about less discussed stories as opposed to the ones covered to death. I like specific books with a unique angle. Well done!

"300 years in a Convent, and 50 years in Hollywood" is an oft repeated phrase that arises when speaking of Filipino history.

While this work of non-fiction is solely focused on a silver of cultural, musical history by 'the' boy band, the Beatles, the Author explores what in means in the above context. It's more than why then First Lady Imelda Marcos' highly anticipated meeting did not occur. Rather, the book looks at what led to the moment; miscommunication, social mores, and even individual personalities (see: Brian Epstein).

The Author draws on first hand accounts, third party resources like the seminal newspaper publications of the day, and admittedly his own family's connections. Liked that looking at what happened on that fateful day in July can't been seen as due to ignorance or machinations by parties outside of the band, but rather a convergence of things.

This will appeal to those who enjoy an exploration of musical cultural history with an introduction into Filipino history. Eye-catching cover !

Thank you to Penguin Random House SEA / Penguin Books for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.