“Here we live in the shadow of the steeple where the holy rubber meets the road, all crookedly blessed in God’s mercy, in the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, race-riot-creating, oddball-hating, soul-shaking, love-and-fear-making, heartbreaking town of Freehold, New Jersey.”

Springsteen’s gift for lyrical prose and recognition of life’s inherent contradictions are evident in his description of his hometown. He poignantly conveys his love for the eccentricities and roots of home as well as the intolerance and racial tensions of postwar New Jersey. Springsteen’s ability to see both sides—the “love-and-fear”—permeates his memoir, and his evocative rendering of Freehold foreshadows his later descriptions of friends and places. His equitable appraisal of the character of people and situations gives the narrative a nuanced and mature perspective.

“Here your rejection by the boys is a badge of sensitivity and can be played like a coveted ace for the perks of young geekdom.”

Bullied by boys at school for shyness and sensitivity, Springsteen discovers these traits appeal to girls. The girls, he argues, stand in for his doting Italian grandmother, who showers him with attention. He learns to use his shyness to attract their attention. In addition, it confirms that his introversion and identity as a “softhearted dreamer” are characteristics worth cultivating. Indeed, those characteristics prove indispensable to him as a creative artist.

“There is a strength, fear and desperate joy in all this hard spirit and soul that naturally found its way into my work.”

The book is as much about Springsteen’s music as the people and events that inform it. He describes the “work, faith, family” (24) creed that he inherits from his mother and her sisters, which influences his artistry and dogged work ethic.