From his childhood in Dublin, to his superstardom, to his emergence as one of the world's great philanthropists: here is the story of Bono. Not only is Bono a crucial element in the most dazzlingly inventive band since the Beatles, he is also the most overtly politicized rock superstar since John Lennon, and the biggest espouser of interracial harmony and spiritual "one love" since Bob Marley. He is also one of the very few major rock artists to open up about his deepest spiritual beliefs, his religion, both in interview and in song, and not be despised for it, or thought less of.

As a result, though it was for U2's music, pure and simple, that the name Bono first became famous, the vast international reach he now enjoys has to do with more than mere rock stardom. It's to do with the huge social responsibility he has decided comes with it. With a long history of campaigning behind him—from the movingly rousing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" to the moment he phoned Bill Clinton live on-stage as images of war-ravaged Sarajevo flashed across giant screens behind him—politics and rock 'n' roll have always been linked in Bono's mind.