Rating: 
Summary: This book is a terrific read.
Review: This book helps the reader understand why Bruce Springsteen's music has lasted. Alterman explains Springsteen has grown up -- an how his music has changed and grown with him. It's a terrific, well-written read.
Rating: 
Summary: A Writer's Bruce Diary
Review: This book is more like Eric Alterman's personal diary of his devotion to Bruce Springsteen. The introduction of the book tells of his meeting and shaking hands with Bruce in the green room of The Charlie Rose Show and ends with him attending a show at the Asbury Park Convention Center before the start of Bruce's reunion tour with the E Street Band. In between we get more of Alterman's account of how Bruce affected his life. The book does provide a biography of Bruce's life and his work, but it has been told before and much better in other Bruce books (most notable of course is Dave Marsh's "Born to Run"). Alterman is a political and cultural commentator and the one saving grace of the book is his commentary on Bruce's political leanings and his effect on our culture. Also, it contains an account of his 90's work which has not been extensively written about to date. Being a huge Springsteen fan myself, I want to read everything that comes out about him and that's what lead me to this book. After reading it, I was very disappointed. The book is competently written and if it had more cultural insight and less Alterman it would have made for a better book. For true Springsteen devotees only.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing New
Review: This book reads like an 11th grade term paper. Nothing new -- just repeating information gleaned from other sources. Thankfully it's short, so I didn't waste too much time on it.
Rating: 
Summary: Some punk's idea of a teenage nation
Review: This is a really fun book for someone (like me) who both makes a living working in and writing about politics and who has spent more time than I normally would like to admit listening to the Boss. What's most compelling is Alterman's tracing (in a NOT academic way) Bruce's various views of community. He's picked up several Springsteen references to his nation of fans as an "imagined community", words taken almost directly from Benedict Anderson's book about nationalism that bears the same title.I have one small reason for not giving this book a fifth star. I would have hoped that a writer of such talent in indentifying various bodies of thought would have been able to secure an interview with Springsteen. Much of this book demands comment from the Boss -- such as hearing what our self-taught muse has read that has influenced him. Occassional comments in other interviews or in concert monologues is an odd way to assemble his thought ... more akin to writing about a dead president than the living king of rock. Or the quintessentially American tension in his music between rebellion and responsibility. Most rock artists (other than say Dylan) have avoided taking it on directly in their lyrics. What does this say about the limits of Rock as an art form? I want to know what the Boss thinks. A draft of this manuscript certainly should have been worthy of getting a few hours of Springsteen's time so that he could speak more directly about his ideas. And if Alterman did try to do this and failed, that in itself is a story worth telling. Still, a really fun read. I read it in two sittings.
Rating:
Summary: Pretentious -- unlike Springsteen
Review: This is a useless piece of thumbsucking in which the author rambles on as he attempts to cash in on a great artist.
Rating:
Summary: Actually, I'd give it three-and-a-half
Review: This is one of the toughest books for me to rate because two different kinds of people will have different reactions to this book. Springsteen fans will love it. They won't learn any new biographical information (most/all of Alterman's research comes out of Springsteen bios and Backstreets magazine) but they will gain fresh perspective on where Springsteen has come from and what he has meant to all of us. That's why I give this book four stars instead of three. Some artists transcend their craft and Alterman shows how Springsteen has been more than catchy tunes and lyrics. But if you're not a Springsteen fan, this is a two/three-star book. It is a non-critical look at a hero by a fan. There's some inside baseball here and Alterman writes as though he expects his reader to have some pretty thorough background knowledge of Springsteen. Ultimately, if you're a Springsteen fan or interested in how music has affected culture and politics in America in the last quarter of the century, this is a good place to go.
Rating: 
Summary: Stick to the politics
Review: While Alterman is one of the most creative, and insightful, political authors in the country...this book is basically a fan letter. It is light and easy to read, but Alterman does not know Springsteen and has never really even met him.
Rating:
Summary: sophisticated and fun
Review: written by a self-confessed fan, this book captures the larger importance of Bruce by careful attention and subtle appreciation of Springsteen's work placed into social context. it's fun if you love Springsteen's music and want to think about it too. many insights supported by careful research and obvious deep appreciation of the artist and his work.
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