Born to Run (Springsteen)

Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use these LitLovers talking points to start a discussion for Born to Run...then take off on your own:

1. What did you know about Bruce Springsteen, or what expectations did you have, before reading Born to Run. Were your expectations met? Has your understanding of Springsteen changed, or has it been confirmed by the book? How does his memoir-writing voice compare with his lyric-writing voice?

2. Talk about Springsteen's growing up years (three a.m. bedtimes, 3 p.m. risings) and his family. What does he mean when he writes...

It was a place where I felt an ultimate security, full license and a horrible unforgettable boundary-less love. It ruined me and it made me.

3. Follow-up to Question 2: Douglas Springsteen had a large impact on his son's music. Discuss their difficult father-son relationship, as well as Douglas's mental illness. Bruce writes of the time his father broke down in front of him:

It shocked me, made me feel uncomfortable and strangely wonderful. He showed himself to me, mess that he was. It was one of the greatest days of my teenage life.

—In what way was it both shocking and wonderful

4. In his songs, what message was Springsteen hoping to convey to his father? Or to himself?

5. Many teenagers dream of being a rock star and spend hours working at it. How was Bruce Springteen's commitment different? Could you say it was almost compulsive, perhaps manic?

6. What does the following passage reveal about Springsteen's struggle to find himself?

I wanted to kill what loved me because I couldn’t stand being loved. It infuriated and outraged me, someone having the temerity to love me—nobody does that … and I’ll show you why. It was ugly and a red flag for the poison I had running through my veins, my genes. Part of me was rebelliously proud of my emotionally violent behavior, always cowardly and aimed at the women in my life.

7. Talk about Patti Scialfa. In what way has she helped ground her husband? How would you describe Springsteen's feelings for her? How difficult would it be married to a superstar like Springsteen? What strains would it place on a relationship?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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