Born to Run

This book had its moments. The writing could at times be profound and poetic, beautiful even, and regardless of what anybody thinks of this book, Bruce Springsteen is still among the greatest rock'n'roll legends. Having said that... I really didn't enjoy this. Although there were some nice sections, the writing was ridiculous and littered with CAPS LOCK RANTS... and... lots of weird punctuation!!! Also the pacing was all over the place, with his early days getting most of the attention and his later albums each getting a few pages and all lumped together at the end. As I said, Bruce Springsteen remains one of the greatest rock legends and nothing can really diminish that status, but I just didn't enjoy this much.

Listening to Bruce Springsteen tell his sweeping epic of a life story in his warm, smoky lilt made his poetic words come to life in the most moving way. Equal parts soulful, sad, and hopeful. I felt like I was listening to my wisest and most beloved family friend speak to me. His story has a music all its own.

I always appreciated Springsteens musik without being a dedicated "fan". This book was a very pleasant surprise. Honest and well written, providing some fantastic touchdowns in different ages. Read this book around the death of my own father, and maybe that is part of the reason that I found the chapters revolving around Springsteen troublesome relation with his "old man" particularly compelling. Now I will go dig up some old albums and listen to these with new ears/New perspectives. Thanks for the music and the memories Bruce!

Fans only. Though you probably will be one, if you've given him the time: he is unusual among rock auteurs, populist and wholesome to the point of naivete: I was... a circumstantial bohemian - I didn't do any drugs or drink... I was barely holding on to myself as it was. I couldn't imagine introducing unknown agents into my system. I needed control and those ever-elusive boundaries... Music was going to get me as high as I needed to go... the counterculture stood by definition in opposition to the conservative blue-collar experience I'd had. Prose is clumsy enough to be actually his work, and is eloquent by rockstar standards: When it rains, the moisture in the humid air blankets our town with the smell of damp coffee grounds wafting in from the Nescafé factory at the town’s eastern edge. I don’t like coffee but I like that smell. It’s comforting; it unites the town in a common sensory experience; it’s good industry, like the roaring rug mill that fills our ears, brings work and signals our town’s vitality. There is a place here—you can hear it, smell it—where people make lives, suffer pain, enjoy small pleasures, play baseball, die, make love, have kids, drink themselves drunk on spring nights and do their best to hold off the demons that seek to destroy us, our homes, our families, our town... He's had thirty years of psychotherapy, the poor sod. He is intellectual enough to take his feelings and their theories seriously - but not intellectual enough to be sceptical about their interminable and unscientific faffing. [Values #3]

The central question of Springsteen's Born to Run is: How the hell do you get from Freehold, N.J., to superstardom (including hosting a podcast with a former president) in only 50 ish short years? The Boss’s autobiography, “Born to Run,” answers this paradox nicely. Many of the stories that Springsteen tells diehards will know about it but what makes this book special is how Springsteen pulls back the curtain to reveal how his own family life - including his upbringing - and search for love and acceptance as an adult has shaped his blue-collar songwriting. The most poignant parts of the autobiography come towards the end, when Springsteen discusses connecting with his mentally ill father as he nears his death bed, muses on his friendship with Clarence Clemons, and discloses his own struggles with depression. This is a surprisingly vulnerable autobiography ("Chronicles Vol.1" by Dylan this isn't). We often think of rock stars as being larger than life, but in many ways, Springsteen has always tried to remain true to his roots. What this autobiography reveals is the heart of the rock star. The Boss is just a man, with his own demons and struggles, searching for living proof and a bit Lord's undying light, just like the rest of us. And perhaps that is why his music connects with his fans.