Customer Reviews:
 Thoughtful analysis is a must for diehard fans August 18, 2008
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
Casual fans -- the ones who haven't shelled out cash money for a Springsteen album since "Born in the U.S.A." -- need not apply for "The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen." They would probably find Jeffrey B. Symynkywicz's album-by-album, almost song-by-song evaluation of Springsteen's work from a spiritual perspective to be almost maddeningly comprehensive and, at times, just plain kooky: Who thinks this much about this stuff?
But for those of us who do think this much about this stuff -- we know who we are -- this detailed, thoughtful analysis is a welcome and thought-provoking look at the words of an important artist whose work has and continues to resonate on a spiritual level.
If there's an underlying philosophy that Symynkywicz points to in Springsteen's work, it's that we have to bring our own "love and joy" to our lives. "Nothing will change if we put all our hopes for salvation outside of ourselves," Symynkywicz writes, "if we waste the whole summer waiting `for a savior to rise from these streets.'"
There's a fair amount of lyrical analysis, some of it fairly obvious to anyone who's listened to these songs carefully (meaning most people who'd be interested in this book). But more interesting, to me at least, were Symynkywicz's looks at the underlying religious implications of some of the songs, including references to scripture. The allusions are intriguing, and make you want to listen to these songs again, either to try to hear what Symynkywicz hears or to dismiss it as a lot of hooey.
That's most true in the book's section on "The Rising," one of Springsteen's most spiritual albums. Because the lyrics are more oblique than some of his earlier tales of Magic Rats and '69 Chevys, they're more open to the type of interpretation Symynkywicz excels at -- and he rises (so to speak) to the challenge of analyzing them in the context of the horrific events of Sept. 11, which inspired them.
Granted, even the diehard Springsteen fans might not want to delve this deeply into his work, out of fear that it might become too academic and lose some of its primal power, or even its sense of fun, an important component of most Springsteen albums and certainly his concerts. Still, if you have all those albums on your shelf and have enjoyed them through the years -- and maybe even leaned on them to get you through the rough patches of life -- "The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen" will at the very least have you nodding your head in enthusiastic agreement.
Interesting view August 14, 2008
3 out of 8 found this review helpful
This book shows an interesting view on Springsteens work. Very interesting to read how the writer intepretates the Boss's songs & lyrics.
 A Deeper Look at the Springsteen Canon August 12, 2008
6 out of 11 found this review helpful
I have just finished reading this book, and will soon go out and buy several more copies for friends and relatives-- longtime Springsteen fans and newcomers alike. Symynkwicz does an excellent job of laying out before us in a clear and coherent manner so many of the themes that we always knew were there in Bruce's work-- themes like hope, redemption, the power of love, and the yearning for social justice and real patriotism. Because this book is so well organized, one album at a time, and because the author lays out the lyrics and main ideas of particular songs so clearly, it can be used both by those who have an expert's knowledge of everything Springsteen has written, as well as those who might just be curious, or just passing fans. The book also is a nice balance between the popular and the scholarly, and a nice blend of Springsteen's ideas and the author's. It's full of very interesting & pithy insights that will get the reader thinking further into the meaning in Bruce's wonderful lyrics.
 Corny and Simplistic August 12, 2008
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
Reads like a high school term paper. Every other sentence quotes song lyrics (i.e., too much) and is weak on explication and context. Most of the points are greatly overwrought and exaggerated. Corny, even to a Bruce Springsteen fan like myself. I am half done reading so, to be fair, I'll update this review when I have finished the entire book. Hope to find more substance as I go.
A Great Reflectin on Our Spiritual Journey with Springsteen -- Great for Individuals and for Small Groups July 29, 2008
13 out of 21 found this review helpful
Let me start by explaining what this book is NOT: It's not written by Springsteen. There's no new set of interviews with him at the core of this book. There's no music CD. It's not part of the publicity for a new album.
Now, let me explain what this IS and why it's a gift to all of us from the author, a Harvard-educated scholar of religion who is pastor of a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Massachusetts: This book is a spiritual memoir of living with Springsteen's music as part of our spiritual soundtrack for a third of a century.
You probably can sing some of his songs without accompaniment and, when certain songs pop up unexpectedly, they evoke all sorts of memories, don't they?
This book invites us to walk with the author through all those years with Springsteen -- one album after another -- and contemplate his spiritual insights and how they connect with our lives to this day.
It ends with a fascinating Ten Commandments (suggestions really) of Springsteen's gospel.
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