“Born To Run” by Bruce Springsteen

I am a chameleon when it comes to music. I gravitate toward the music that my partner likes. My husband Jeff likes Phish and Phil Lesh, and so do I. Paul liked the Velvet Underground and Nirvana, and so did I. Bill liked James Taylor and Carly Simon, and so did I. But rock and roll for me all started with the music of my high school boyfriend Doug. The music wafting from the Blaupunkt radio in his grey BMW 2002 was usually Jackson Browne or Bruce Springsteen. I remember how I felt when he would pick me up at the Westlake School for Girls, and we would drive out of the parking lot blasting Springsteen. I felt, for maybe the only time in my life, cool. Springsteen has that effect on people. You feel excited, soulful and part of the experience. “Born To Run” by Bruce Springsteen is the story of how a boy from Freehold, New Jersey, who never wanted to hold down a 9-5 job became a poetic rock legend. The book, which apparently took him more than seven years to write, is very honest and extremely illuminating. He chronicles his life on stage with the E Street Band and off stage with his wife Patti and three children. One son is a radio producer, the middle son a firefighter and the daughter an equestrian show jumping champion. He talks about struggles, triumphs and everything in between. I listened to all 18 hours and 16 minutes of Bruce telling me his story in my car driving back and forth between San Francisco and San Rafael.  I have to say listening to Springsteen made my commute exceptional. P.S. Jeff added that he doesn’t want to be pigeon-holed for just liking Phish and Lesh. He also likes the Beatles, the Allmans, The Bee Gees, The 5th Dimension, Elvis, Dylan, Diana Ross, the Eagles, Clapton and Johnny Cash, too. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.