Reviews

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

eschenbach_r3ads's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

kcrouth's review against another edition

5.0

I just finished it - WOW. I can't wait to listen to him reading it in the audio book version.

WOW. Bruce :) <3

blaineduncan's review against another edition

4.0

At times clunky, the writing still maintains a very specific Springsteen rhythm. His excitement and realization of how lucky (and good) he is doesn't waiver, either. The chapters on the death of his father and of Clarence are exceptional and touching. I liked it quite a lot except when it bogged, which wasn't often.

rounding's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.25

howardgo's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Originally published at myreadinglife.com.

This is yet another book that I likely would never have read if it weren't for my reading club. In April, we read a biography or memoir. While I was a fan of Bruce Springsteen in the '80s, I had never heard of him before that. After that, I didn't really follow him. So I was kind of "meh" about reading this book going in.

It is a little slow and choppy in the beginning part where he is talking about his childhood and family. The language is very poetic and flowery with similes and metaphors all over the place. Essentially what you would expect from such a prolific and successful songwriter. And the storytelling leaves gaps that seem to be expected to be filled in by the context but for me did not quite work. It left me feeling a little lost from what he was trying to say in places. But when he starts on his independent life and starting to make music for a living, it really hums! I listened to the songs as he mentioned them in the text. It felt a bit like having a soundtrack to the book.

Springsteen is a real poet and storyteller. He really gets to the heart of the human condition and shares it in a way that really connects with the reader and listener. While he doesn't "tell all", he is very open about the things he struggled with, particularly his mental health. He really did feel like an NJ working man who just happened to make it big.

bird_babe's review against another edition

2.0

First I have to make clear, I am not a Bruce fan. Enjoy his music, but not fanatical...
I found his book so difficult to read. Way too long, way too much detail, really needed a good editor. Written in a very simple style. Reminded me of a middle school student's diary. Sorry Bruce.

patmcmanamon's review against another edition

3.0

I've been a Bruce Springsteen fan since high school in the early '70s so his autobiography brings a lot of thoughts and feelings. First, get ready for a different kind of writing. Bruce Springsteen pens his tale the way he writes his song lyrics -- with long, emotional phrases that in music have impact but in book writing can come across as overwrought. But that's him and that's why those of us who love his music love him. Wise to be prepared, though. The best elements in this book are the human ones, many of which serious Bruce fans already know. It's something to read that a man who seems so in control of himself and his feelings struggles significantly with angst and depression. That's one of the strongest takeaways I have. Bruce on stage has the world in his hands, and he loves it, just as he loves the music, its power and its ability to express and awe. He loves writing music and he loves rock and roll itself. Bruce is clearly born to do music, born to run (see what I did there?) from his Jersey surroundings to something bigger, an experience that he feels is transcendent when he's on stage and he and the E Street Band connect with the audience. Bruce loves bringing the audience to something he feels is transcendent as they join his three hour journey on stage. Away from the stage, he is a walking bundle of contradiction and struggle. And he lays most of his feelings at the feet of the distant relationship he had with his brooding father. I'm a huge Bruce fan, but reading this book doesn't deepen the relationship I have with his celebrity. He freely admits to his narcissism, does not hide his ego and describes how he controls the E Street Band in ways that just aren't totally comfortable, even though it clearly works and led to wild success and wealth. But there's a lot of humanity in this book that help connect with Bruce the person. His struggles are our struggles, and to know that even the most famous among us has them brings a strange level of comfort. Bruce deals with self-doubt, second-guessing, depression that hits like a sledgehammer (that he in part attributes to the melancholy that is part of his Irish heritage) and some unsettled relationships, past and present -- along with some very deep, personal and settled ones rooted in love. To me, one line stands out that I'll paraphrase referring to his father: You didn't love me, so how can I love myself. In the end Bruce is human, with dreams and struggles and feelings. Which is maybe what he's been telling us all along in his music.

askmashka's review against another edition

adventurous informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

210's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

megpro7's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75