Henry Ballate (Cuba, 1966) lives and works in New York City. He is a visual artist, curator, and writer, with training in Cuba, Italy, and the United States, where he obtained his MFA in Visual Arts. His work has been widely exhibited in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and explores themes such as identity, memory, migration, and exile. In addition to his artistic practice, he is the author and editor of various publications on art and literature. He currently works at the New York Public Library.My Friend John Lennon is not a biography of John Lennon. It is a lyrical memoir about memory, friendship, exile, and the enduring power of music. Moving through the streets of New York, from the Dakota to the subway and neighborhood bars, Henry Ballate traces a deeply personal journey in which songs become companions and the city itself becomes part of the narrative.At its heart, this is a story about how music can outlive fear, distance, and time. A song written in Liverpool finds its way across the world, offering refuge, hope, and a sense of belonging to someone who needs it most. Here, friendship is real, even when it seems impossible, and memory becomes a place where absence is transformed into presence.Written with honesty, quiet lyricism, and the unmistakable rhythm of New York, My Friend John Lennon reminds us that music does not belong only to those who create it, but also to those whose lives it changes.