Customer Reviews

Runaway Dream: Born to Run and Bruce Springsteen's American Vision

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Mazur is both a fan and a scholar, and both come through loud and clear in this new examination of arguably the quintessential Springsteen LP, Born to Run. There is a little redundancy here about Bruce's life, band and background in the earlier years, but it's necessary context if, unlike me, you have not already read dozens of books about Springsteen and the E Street Band.

This could not have been published at a more perfect moment in time; for the late summer and into the fall of 2009 the band is touring and playing individual LPs from beginning to end, and Born to Run is the one most frequently played. On a drive to Chicago to see a show that featured BTR, I read the individual sections aloud in the car and we followed it up by listening to the song we just read/heard about. Although I have probably listened to this album, cassette, CD, DVD, and MP3 iterations of this disc thousands of times, I learned both about the context of the lyrics of the songs and the instrumentation and composition. The section about the locations that populate the album was also extremely informative to anyone not born in the shadow of Freehold, NJ.

It's a real treat to read something written by both a passionate fan and a dedicated scholar. If you are lucky enough to have tickets to a show this fall that will feature Born to Run, buy this book immediately. If fate does not deal you that lovely circumstance, buy the book, pull out whatever format you have this music on, and take the time to go through each song after you have read the section on the lyrics and the music. I would be dumbfounded if you didn't learn something new--and I have been to +-150 Springsteen concerts and read everything I could get my hands on, and this was enlightening in many ways. In short, a real treat.

If you're purchasing this book, it's because your already probably a Springsteen fan. The info presented about the album "Born to Run" is interesting, though you leave the book feeling there could have been more. Springsteen is quoted, but these quotes are items that were presented from the past, nothing new. The book (in my opinion) could have been better had there been some "new" info/quotes from people involved with the making of the album. The role of Clarence Clemons on Born to Run is huge -- so why not have some info from him about his role in the making of this masterpiece?? What about other band members? What were their feelings??

The other problem I had with the book is that about midstream, it moves away from Born to Run and tries to cram in more facts about Springsteen and his professional life after Born to Run. Is the book a reflection of Born to Run, or, a biography of Springsteen? The author can't seem to make up his mind. The book also feels rushed when it makes this transition -- probably because you can't cover that much ground in less than 200 pages.

With that said, you would think I didn't like the book; but I did. As a fan of Springsteen, this book was a good, quick read; and the author's love of the subject clearly shines through. In the end, there is a passage about the author feeling renewed after seeing Springsteen in concert and being able to now reconnect with the world. I couldn't agree more.

If you love Springsteen, this book will renew that feeling. If you're looking for more than that, I don't think you'll find it.

Very interesting book by an academic (who happens to be a huge Springsteen fan) on the significance of Born to Run to Springsteen's career and its expression of American culture.

but I knew prior to reading it that it was NOT a bio of Bruce Springsteen, nor was it a lenthy discussion of the characters involved in the making of "Born to Run." When I finished the book, I felt like I had spent a great evening talking to old friends about how the album had grabbed us and influenced our lives. (Actually, I immediately e-mailed those old friends to do just that.) The book is really more of an exploration of what it means to be an American teen, where we came from, and what we learned as we grew up. It leads to self-examination and reconnects us to our ideals following life's disappointments. To be truthful, I'm more a fan of the book than the artist; I haven't purchased a Springsteen album/CD since "The River." I think I understand why Mr. Masur's classes at Trinity College are rumored to be challenging, but popular. Buy this book if you are interested in the historical, social, and even personal framework of the album.

Perhaps the mistake was mine in expecting something from this book that it was not prepared to deliver. Mr. Masur is evidently a lifelong fan of Bruce Springsteen, as are, I suspect, many of the people who would be inclined to pick up this book. The book is a lavish tribute to Springsteen and his music, and includes some interesting, if pedestrian, analysis of the music and lyrics. While it devotes most of its attention to the album "Born to Run" as the subtitle suggests, it does tend to lose focus and meander aimlessly through the rest of Springsteen's career. Perhaps this would be forgivable if there was a substantive payoff to this coverage, but it seems that the author was just looking for a reason to write about how amazing he thinks Springsteen's work is. I don't disagree with him about this, but his gushing reviews bring nothing new or interesting to the table. It was the "American Vision" part of that title that drew me to this book, and I expected something more substantially academic. Yet Masur's use of social and historical context is minimal, and the book is generally lacking in depth and critical analysis. It is merely a lengthy and unfulfilling fan letter.

Book in very good conditions!

Thanks a lot!

Vitor França