[2] The book took over two years to complete[3] and features more than 1,500 photographs taken from U2's personal archives, depicting the evolution from their early days in Dublin in 1978, to achieving rock superstar status.

More than 150 hours of interviews were conducted by journalist Neil McCormick with singer Bono, guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton, drummer Larry Mullen Jr., and manager Paul McGuinness.

Bono talks about his personality, The Edge gives a review on electric guitars, Adam Clayton explains how he'd always wanted to be a rock star, and Larry Mullen Jr. expresses the fact that he had never been comfortable with celebrity or fame.

The third chapter, 1978–80: Staring at the Sun, covers the punk period, when the band was influenced by emerging acts such as The Jam, The Clash, Buzzcocks, and Sex Pistols.

The fourth chapter, 1980–81: Into the Heart, deals with the recording sessions of the band first two studio albums, Boy and October, and the filming of their first music video, "Gloria", written and directed by Meiert Avis.

The second half of the book opens with 1986–87: Luminous Times, which talks about the release of The Joshua Tree, the band's most popular and critically acclaimed album.

Bono and The Edge composed music for A Clockwork Orange: 2004, produced at the Barbican Theatre in London by the Royal Shakespeare Company, but it received mostly negative reviews.

U2 released Achtung Baby and the accompanying Zoo TV Tour, and Zooropa and this, in part, spurned the desire to make changes to the way they made their music.

Chapter ten, 1994–98: Some Days Are Better than Others, talks about the members of the band, especially Bono, dealing with the situation after coming back from tour, trying to find a routine life.

The eleventh chapter, 1998–01: The Last of the Rock Stars, follows the release of All That You Can't Leave Behind and the death of Bono's father on 21 August 2001, a day after the band was due to play their first concert at Slane Castle for their Elevation Tour.