Christ You Know It Ain't Easy: John and Yoko's Battle For Peace, the book, represents an insider's account of John and Yoko Lennon's War Is Over If You Want It peace campaign.

Penned by insider author/journalist/broadcaster Ritchie Yorke, with a foreword by widow Yoko Ono, the e-book that becomes available this Friday recounts the Australian born journalist's friendship with the duo and in particular centres on his colourful exploits after being named the International Peace Envoy to the Lennons' anti-war campaign.

Yorke was closely involved with the three key events which linked the Lennons to Canada – the Montreal Bed In for Peace in May 1969, the Toronto Rock `n' Roll Revival (September 1969) where John in company with the Plastic Ono Band made his performing debut outside of The Beatles, and the launch of the War Is Over billboard publicity campaign. Yorke also was present when the Lennons held meetings with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and media visionary Marshall McLuhan in December 1969.

Christ You Know It Ain't Easy takes its title from the Lennon-written lyric to The Beatles' hit song, "The Ballad of John and Yoko".

Yorke in company with Arkansas' Canadian rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins undertook a 15-country promotion tour publicising the War Is Over effort. On the journey, they broadcast special anti-war messages into Vietnam from a Tokyo-based pirate radio station. They also took John and Yoko's War Is Over posters to the Red China border where they were displayed at the Lok-ma-chau border crossing in Hong Kong.

The release of The Christ You Know It Ain't Easy coincides with what would have been the slain Beatle's 75^th birthday this Friday.    

While in Toronto, Yorke and his wife Minnie Cherry are also rereleasing his books about Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, and Axes, Chops and Hot Licks that tracks the early Canadian Rock and Roll scene. All titles are available on Kobo, and at Ritchie Yorke’s website http://ritchieyorke.com