One Direction: Where We Are (100% Official): Our Band, Our Story

By One Direction

Calling all One Direction fans!

This is the only official book from 1D, charting their journey over the last year and a half – from the places they’ve visited and fans they’ve met, to their thoughts and feelings, hopes and dreams, highs and lows. It has been a phenomenal year – and this is a phenomenal story.

This Christmas, there will be no other book that true One Direction fans will want!

They’ve won dozens of awards. They’ve had a bigger US debut than the Beatles. They’ve played Madison Square Garden, the Royal Variety Show, and sold-out venues across the globe. One Direction – just five young guys from small British towns – has truly gone global. Now the lives of Louis, Liam, Harry, Zayn and Niall are changing beyond recognition.

This year, with their own movie hitting theatres and a 133-date tour stretching across the globe, the 1D star is shining brighter than ever.

How did they feel when they debuted twice at no. 1 in the US – and in 37 countries around the world? How have they kept themselves grounded? And now that they’ve come so far, what are their dreams for the future? In Where We Are, the boys offer you a chance to find out about this breathtaking chapter of their story, straight from the heart and in their own words.

Packed with exclusive beautiful photos, backstage snapshots, hand-written annotations and brand new insights into the boys’ world, Where We Are is a unique book that no fan’s life is complete without – bringing the 1D story right up to date.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9780007489015

One Direction

One Direction are: Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and, Niall Horan. Formed in The X Factor’s Bootcamp stage in 2010, they’ve since gone on to win over 140 awards, smash records in both the UK and the US and sell over 20 million records worldwide.

Book preview

It’s impossible to put into words how much my life has changed since The X Factor . For a start I live in London now, I’m in a band and I get to travel to amazing places… It’s ridiculous when I think about it!

When I compare us now to us in the early days of The X Factor, I know we’ve improved so much as a group. In everything from harmonies and movement to understanding what it is to be onstage and be in a group. I think we’ve gained a lot of confidence and we all feel that we can really be ourselves in front of the crowd.

As much as my life is totally different to how it used to be, in some ways things haven’t changed that much, because I can still live a normal life. People always ask me, ‘Is it impossible to do all the things you used to do?’ but actually I can still go for a drink or dinner and not get papped. I just have to be a bit cleverer about it than I used to be.

If I just want to go out somewhere I try not to think about it too much. I just go and do it. You could drive yourself crazy worrying about whether it’s safe, and you have to live your life. I know that there are certain places where people know me, or their friends do, and if they recognise me they won’t be bothered.

There are times when things can get a bit intrusive, but you just have to get on with it. If you’re walking down the street and someone takes a picture, so what? You’re in public, so you kind of expect it, and it’s not a big deal. But if someone were to take photos of me in my house, that would bother me. You have to have somewhere that’s private.

One of the mottos that I’ve learnt since I joined the band that I try to stick by is: ‘Work hard, play hard and be kind’ – because it works. In order to have a good time you have to work hard to be successful, and being kind to people should be a given. If everyone was a little bit nicer to people, the world would be a much better place. You have a choice where you can either be all right to someone or you can be a little bit nicer, and that can make someone’s day.

ABOVE: Kicking off the Take Me Home world tour at the 02 Arena in London. 23 February 2013

We’ve been so lucky because we’ve been able to go to some incredible places. Of the places we’ve visited so far Sydney is one of my favourites. It’s pretty English – it’s a lot like London in terms of their culture and the way people are – but everything’s just a bit happier because the weather is great, and things move slightly more slowly because people are chilled out.

I also love LA, although I think you have to make it your own. If you go there not knowing anyone it’s not that great, because you need to know where to go and how to get there. If you have friends you can meet at parties and restaurants, LA is the best place in the world. But if you were on your own you’d feel quite lonely.

New York is very different to LA but equally brilliant. In New York you can go out and meet people really easily. There’s stuff going on every night and it’s always so busy that you could easily go out in the early evening and stay out until morning. It’s like London there too, but sped up. If you were staying in New York and you woke up with jet lag at 4am and wanted to see a gig, there would probably be one going on somewhere. No one really eats until 10pm and dinner will go on until 1am. It’s very cool. You can people-watch in New York too, which I really enjoy.

We’ve met some incredible people on our travels. Michelle Obama was great, and I think she and Barack probably really are just the way they come across in the press – very normal. They’re being themselves, they just happen to have ridiculously high-profile jobs. I think Michelle is an amazing First Lady. Everyone seems to love her, and I think that’s because she’s so warm and kind.

Personally, when we’ve been travelling I’ve always tried to meet locals and see how they are in their hometown. When we were in Chicago someone from our record label introduced me to a couple of local guys. I played golf with them and it was nice to go out and do something different. Coincidentally, they used to be mates with Barack Obama and play golf with him every Sunday, and they said he’s really down to earth. One of the guys even invited me over to his house for a barbecue, so I went over and met his family. Things like that are really special.

Going to Ghana for Comic Relief was an unbelievable, life-changing experience. I was so humbled by all of the people we met, and really moved by what we saw. The fact that Comic Relief raised such an incredible amount of money means so much to us, because it will make a huge difference to so many lives. If I was asked to go again, I would in a second.

I haven’t learnt any languages yet, but I really want to learn sign language. So many people can speak different languages, but if you could make a difference to that one person who can’t communicate it would be amazing. I met a girl and her mum in Ireland once and they both signed, and I signed ‘thank you’ back to them and they couldn’t believe it.

If someone who was using sign language came to your show or your book signing and you could sign back to them, it would be such a good feeling. I think that’s much nicer than being able to order steak and chips in French. So the plan is to learn much more sign language as soon as I get a chance.

I’m not a big shopper when we’re travelling, so amazingly I save money when I’m away. Especially when we’re touring. I’ll pick things up here

Reviews for One Direction

[heatherlinc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a lovely story about 15-year-old, Rowan, who is trying to hold her family together after the death of her older brother, Jack, in a drowning accident. Her father has left the family home and her mother is suffering from a severe nervous breakdown so it left to Rowan to take care of the house, her mother and her little sister, Stroma. However, Rowan's life becomes even more complicated when a teenage boy hands her a negative claiming that she dropped it while in the checkout queue of the grocery store.This book deals with personal identity, bereavement, friendship and the difficulties of growing up. Rowan is a very engaging, likeable character who is struggling to survive. She is stubborn, introspective, brutally honest with herself and lonely. Although quite sad in parts, the book doesn't wallow in gloom and the thread of mystery throughout the story adds to a satisfying plot with an unexpected twist at the end. A worthwhile read.

[weener_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

15-year old Rowan's world is still shaken from the death of her outgoing, lovable older brother Jack. But she's not reeling. She doesn't have time for that. Jack's death has left a hole in her family that has plunged her mother into a deep depression, broken up her parents' marriage, and left her to singlehandedly run the household and care for her 6-year old sister, Stroma. Then something weird happens at the grocery store, and her life starts to change. A guy she's never seen before tells her that she dropped something and hands her a photo negative. It's definitely not hers. She doesn't even have a camera. So she throws it away. But the curiosity of a schoolmate, Bee, who witnessed the exchange compels her to fish it out of the trash and develop the photo. It's really not hers. But it's of her dead brother. Where did it come from? And who was that guy? This is one of the most mature and realistic "journey of healing" type books I've read. It wasn't gimmicky at ALL, and this book had the potential to be extremely gimmicky. It wasn't wrapped up too nice and neat at the end. The 15-year old narrator matures visibly throughout the course of the book. I especially liked the way the romance was handled. Rowan didn't bore everyone by spending page after page pining after her crush when she clearly has other things on her mind, and yet it managed to feel natural, not cheap or tacked on. It was a minor part of the book, but added a nice element. I would definitely recommend this book to teens looking for a realistic read.

[bluejulie_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was one of the more touching YA books I've read. No wonder that it received awards and great reviews.Occasionally, I felt that the style of writing was a bit too distracting, pulling one's attention away from the story to the more stylistic, verbal elements, instead of emphasizing the plot, the characters and the message.The characters in the book are all very memorable. Particularly Rowan with her big heart, tolerance, acceptance and understanding for everything and everyone. She's a much better person than I am and I wished, many times throughout the book, that I could be a bit more like her.Reading this story will leave a mark.

[4sarad_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First I should say that I did like the characters and cared about them. That being said, I didn't like much else. The plot varied between being unbelievable (coincidences, etc.) to being way too predictable. Also, the formatting of the dialogue was annoying. I guess I've just read so many books like this that this one doesn't stand out in any way for me, other than the fact they're in London rather than in the US.

[thursohighlibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the most exciting voices in young adult fiction, Jenny Valentine succeeds again with this story of a family coping with the death of a child.

[lisagibson_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rowan is holding the family together, after the death of her brother Jack. Problem is, it's been several years since Jack's passing. Her mother is beyond help at this point and doesn't even realize Rowan and her sister, Stroma are there half the time. While in the store on day, a boy gives Rowan a photo negative. It's not hers and the small piece of film is the first piece of a mystery that leads everyone to some amazing, life altering truths. What will happen with the boy, Harper who gave Rowan the negative too? As everyone holds on to their pieces of Jack, yet tries to get on with life, while not completely losing him. I loved this book. Rowan was a strong character with a terrific voice. I also loved the fact that it's set in London so I get little pieces of the British slang. I guess I should say, "I love this book to bits!"

[westfargolibrary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

British teenager Rowan is the glue that is holding her family together after the death of her brother. It's been two years since her brother Jack died, but her sister still writes him letters and her mother remains depressed. Her parents divorce has left Rowan as the caretaker of the family - far more responsibility than a fifteen year-old should have to take on. While this book was written for the teenage crowd, adults will find familiarity with the issues of depression, loss, and first loves.

[jennie_103 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a good case of "never judge a book by its cover". I bypassed this one for a while because the cover just looked too teenage (I'm an adult who just happens to still read a lot of children's/YA fiction). And yet when I did get round to it, I found it completely absorbing. One of those can't-put-it-down books. And I absolutely hadn't guessed the twist at the end!

[edgoldberg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In Broken Soup, three freaky things happened to upset fifteen-year-old Rowan’s life. The first thing was that her older brother died from a freak swimming accident in France. As a result, her mother withdraw into herself and her father withdrew from her daily life, moving out of the house, leaving Rowan to care for her mother and her younger sister, Stroma. The second thing was an unknown boy standing behind her at the local coffee shop handing her a photo negative which he said dropped out of her bag. She knew she didn’t drop it.The third occurrence was Bee, a high school senior she never knew or socialized with, coming up to her at lunch and asking about the negative. She was also in line at the coffee shop. This confluence of events and their later unraveling, leads to totally unimagined and unforeseen results. You see, the negative was a photo of her brother, looking extremely happy. The boy, Harper, who gave Rowan the negative, is a New Yorker traveling around Europe (Rowan lives in London) whose current address is an ambulance with all the creature comforts of home. And Bee, well, I’ll let you find out who Bee is.Jenny Valentine has written an intriguing second novel. The main characters are interesting and, in some cases quirky: from Stroma, the precocious six-year-old, to Harper, living in an ambulance, to Carl, Bee’s father who smokes marijuana and is more like a father than Rowan’s own father. There is some intrigue as Rowan seeks more information about the photo and about her brother. There is love on many levels: boys and girls, mothers and fathers, parents and children. And finally, there is the realization that not all burdens should fall on the shoulders of a fifteen-year-old. Broken Soup is a quick but fulfilling read.