Born to Run

Right off the bat, I was gripped by Bruce’s vulnerability. In the opening pages, he intimately shares his early struggle with “impostor syndrome.” His willingness to reveal his humanity encouraged me as an author to dig deeper and “leave blood on the page.”

Bruce relates in great detail his countless early struggles in trying to get his music heard. I was deeply inspired by his candor and his “never take no for an answer” attitude. In the panoply of books about overcoming adversity to achieve a dream, this book is a stand-out.

Bruce is a National treasure. If you’re from New Jersey, you, by law, must love The Boss.

Actually, I didn’t care for his music when I first listened, but on the second, I did. Then, after seeing him live in concert, I was hooked. We Jersey boys have many things in common: we both grew up Catholic, we both play a little guitar, and neither of us holds back from sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of being raised in “God’s Country.”

Bruce’s storytelling is as sharp and as moving as ever in this no-holds-barred memoir. My… show more.

I’ve always admired Bruce Springsteen’s innate storytelling ability and purposeful selection of every word he writes.

His memoir, Born to Run, recounts his steadfast pursuit of becoming a musician, from his early days of performing in Asbury Park to the present-day pockets of solitude he finds while sitting on his motorcycle at the Manasquan Inlet watching the tides come and go.

Springsteen’s knack of weaving colorful and authentic stories makes me want to be a better writer. He underscores each singular topic he writes about as unique yet universal, something we can all relate to in one way or another.… show more.

I read an excerpt of this first, and the beautifully poetic writing blew me away. Springsteen’s lyrics are just a taste of what he’s capable of. As a writer, I found this memoir really inspiring, with all of his ups and downs and the realities of hard work and fame.

As far as I can tell, Springsteen wrote this himself. And, god, is he talented. I already knew him as the architect of arguably the greatest run of rock ‘n roll albums of the 1970s, an output matched only by Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell in the broader pop pantheon. Now I know he was an amazing guitarist to boot, and a wonderful writer. This book tells a great American story. Springsteen is that rare memoirist who manages to explain what makes himself tick.