BORN TO RUN by BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (2016)

These three things have brought me the most joy in my time here on earth: first and always, my family; second, books; and third, music. This excellent autobiography by one of my favorite musicians happily brings together all three of my loves; besides being a book about music, it was lent to me by a member of my family, my son-in--law Andy. I have enjoyed reading several biographies and autobiographies of musicians in the past, but none as much as this one. First, it appears to have been actually written by Springsteen himself, as opposed to the usual practice in such instances of a celebrity telling his story to someone else, who cleans it up and writes it down. Mainly, though, I was impressed because it is unexpectedly well written.

I don't know why I am surprised that Springsteen would prove to be such a good writer; after all, this is a man who can tell an entire novel's worth of story in a five-minute song, complete with arresting images and gut-deep emotion. The authenticity that he brings to his lyrics is also present in this account--it seems true. He does tend to overwrite at times and his navel-gazing does become a bit much at times, but overall he does a very fine job.

This is not a gossipy tell-all about fellow musicians or the story of wild and crazy shenanigans and bad behavior. Instead, it is an introspective look at the events that shaped him into the man he is, which in turn shaped his music and his message. He is self-deprecating to a fault, except for his honest evaluation of himself as a hard worker and a highly effective song writer. The one surprising revelation he makes is that he has periodically suffered from crippling depression.

As one of the perks of the computer age, I was able to go from the book to Youtube to give myself a more informed listen to a great many Springsteen songs, as I read about their inspiration and intent. I have to admit that I probably spent as much time listening as I did in reading, because I got carried away and played whole albums. More than any other musician since Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen has brought to our attention the marginalized, the overlooked, the unfortunates still searching for the American Dream. Since much of his music is delivered in the rock format rather than in a singer/song writer format, casual listeners may be oblivious to his message. I am sure many consider "Born in the U.S.A." to be only a patriotic celebration, while the words actually depict a failure of the nation to live up to its promise.

I highly recommend this autobiography to those who love the music of "The Boss" and to those who appreciate honest and effective writing.