I am a huge Bruce fan and really enjoyed reading this book. It was honest and compelling - basically depicting a man's journey through various aspects of his life. I especially loved reading about his early days in the business and his somewhat conflicted relationship with the E street band members. I have never read other Bruce books so I don't have anything to compare it to. However, I don't think you can go wrong if you are a Bruce fan. I love Bruce Springsteen's music, and I tried very hard to like this book about his music, but I just can't recommend it. The writing is horrid, and he bounces about in time and place enough to give one motion sickness. A book like this would benefit enormously from some editing. The stories regarding why a song was written, or how it was written are interesting, but how it was played should be left to the music itself. I don't need to read pages and pages of badly written descriptions of musical riffs, chord changes, and instrumental replacements which just wear down my desire to continue reading. I'd much rather, and would recommend, putting on the LP and listening instead. Springsteen's music tends to become personnal...with each listener absorbing it within the context of their own stuggles, emotions, relationships, etc. To have someone telling me what it should mean is as bad as someone telling me what a particular painting "means" or how a particular book will "move me". I am always interested in what the artist intended, but ultimately it is my own emotional involvement that endears the piece to me. Bruce Springsteen's music involves me...he is an artist...and he deserves better than this.
What do You think about Bruce Springsteen (2013)?
Brilliantly written, and captivating through every part of Bruce's career. Highly recommend!
—Daniel
