Born in the U.S.a.

JIM CULLEN teaches at the recently founded upper division of Greenwich Country Day School. His many books include The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation as well as Those Were the Days: Why ‘All in the Family’ Still Matters, and Bridge & Tunnel Boys: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and the Metropolitan Sound of the American Century, both from Rutgers University Press.

• A Springsteen Chronology Introduction  Chapter 1: Republicans and Republicans: Reagan and Springsteen at Center Stage Chapter 2: Democratic Character: Springsteen and the American Artistic Tradition Chapter 3: Realms of Kings: Springsteen and the American Dream Chapter 4: Born in the U.S.A.: Springsteen and the Weight of War Chapter 5: The Good Life: Springsteen’s Play Ethic Chapter 6: Man’s Job: Springsteen’s Masculinity Chapter 7: God and Bruce Springsteen Conclusion  Acknowledgments Notes Index

“Marshals impressive scholarship to assimilate the Boss into the main currents of American thought.” - A.O. Scott (The New York Times Book Review) “Jim Cullen writes with authority and empathy about the blue-collar roots that shaped Bruce Springsteen and gave rise to his music of rebellion. This is a provocative look at one of America’s cultural icons.”- Eleanor Clift (Newsweek) “Cullen’s line-by-line analysis of Bruce’s songs crackles with insight.” (New York Daily News) “In articulating what’s behind the vaguely red-white-and-blue sentiments that Springsteen’s songs so often evoke, he has written a book as unpretentious and good-hearted as its subject.” (Boston Phoenix) “This is a well-written, painstakingly researched, and surprisingly unpretentious book.” (Asbury Park Press) “Cullen’s unapologetic pursuit of deeper cultural meanings in Bruce Springsteen’s music and life is refreshing … he proves a sensitive interpreter of Springsteen’s work.” (Publisher's Weekly) “Cullen’s study of Bruce Springsteen is a full-fledged cultural critique … his parting words, ‘When I listen to Bruce Springsteen, I remember how to be an American,’ finally ring true.” (Kirkus Reviews) “Offers illumination and thoughtful, discriminating observations about its myriad subjects. And it has aged almost as well as Nebraska.” - Eric Alterman (The Nation)