[Robert J. Wiersema]Walk Like a Man : Coming of Age with the Music of Bruce Springsteen(pdf){Zzzzz}

As he enters his sixties, Bruce Springsteen remains a paragon of all that is cool and right. Born in the U.S.A. still ranks as one of the top-selling albums of all time, and Springsteen the man is an unstoppable force, selling out multi-city arena tours year after year. He's a genuine voice of the people, the bastard child of Woody Guthrie and James Brown, and an elder statesman who has inspired generations of bands, including U2, the Hold Steady, and Arcade Fire. He's won twenty Grammy Awards, an Oscar, and two Golden Globes and is a double hall-of-famer.

There are dozens of books about the Boss, exploring every facet of his career. So what's left to say? Nothing objective, perhaps. But when it comes to music, objectivity is highly overrated. Robert Wiersema has been a Springsteen fan since he was a teenager. By most definitions, he's a fanatic: following tours to see multiple shows in a row, watching set lists develop in real time via the Internet, ordering bootlegs from shady vendors in Italy. His attachment is deeper than fandom, though: he's grown up with Springsteen's music as the soundtrack to his life, beginning with his working-class youth in rural British Columbia and continuing on through dreams of escape, falling in love, and becoming a father.

Walk Like a Man is liner notes for a mix tape, a frank and inventive blend of biography, music criticism, and memoir over the course of thirteen tracks. Like the best mix tapes, it balances joy and sorrow, laughter seasoning the dark-night-of-the-soul questions that haunt us all. Wiersema's book is the story of a man becoming a man (despite getting a little lost along the way), and of the man and the music that have accompanied him on his journey.

Publisher: Greystone Books (October 11, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1553658450
ISBN-13: 978-1553658450

Editorial Reviews
Review
“Walk Like a Man beautifully and accurately describes the way that rock and roll and fandom can touch and change our lives.”
—Craig Finn, The Hold Steady

"Walk Like a Man gives us one man's Boss, served up the way it should be-obsessive, penetrating, and rapturous. Wiersema is no critic, but an articulate every-fan who taps the Springsteen zeitgeist as it radiates from the music into his own life."
—Joel Selvin, senior pop music correspondent, San Francisco Chronicle

"Walk Like a Man is about growing up, getting old, and being lucky enough to have a treasured soundtrack to make sense of it all."
—Ray Robertson, author of David and Moody Food

"Walk Like a Man succeeds on multiple levels both as music writing and as a reflective story of how to navigate manhood"—Bookslut"

About the Author
Robert J. Wiersema is an independent bookseller, a reviewer who contributes regularly to several national newspapers, and the best-selling author of two novels: Before I Wake and Bedtime Story. He lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Give a Life a Soundtrack
By J.Adamson on December 4, 2011
Robert J. Wiersema, the best-selling author of the novels Before I Wake and Bedtime Story, has a special treat in store for readers. His latest work is a nonfiction piece that chronicles his life growing up with the music of none other than Bruce Springsteen. I'll be honest--I am currently a twenty-something, and Bruce Springsteen is not on my "most played" section of my ipod. Sure, like anyone in North America, I know some of his songs--but I surely can't call myself an avid fan, nor can I claim to understand Springsteen's nation-wide clans of roadies and "Tramp" followers. I know, I know, it's a generational thing. My father on the other hand, loves Springsteen. In fact, when I told him I was reviewing a book about how Springsteen influenced a man's life, my dad said "well how old is this guy, anyway?"--a true, devoted fan, already questioning the authenticity and possible devotion of the author attempting such a task. "I grew up with Springsteen" my dad said, defensively. Well, amazingly pops, so did a lot of other people. (It must be a Springsteen thing.)

I have loved every previous novel (and a novella) Wiersema has done. They have grabbed me and held me down with consistence. The man is notorious for keeping me up at night. But in all honesty, I was skeptical about how I would connect with his latest work. I am not emotionally connected to the music of Springsteen like my dad, for instance is. As well, this wouldn't be a novel, it is about the author's life. Of course, I wasn't going to pass up a book by a great author I have been following (much like a Springsteen fan wouldn't pass up a new album). But, here's the thing-- and I will be blunt. I really loved it. LOVED IT.

A Human Touch !!!!!!!!!
By Mick Lynch on September 26, 2011
Just like any other famous musician, there have been thousands of books written about Bruce Springsteen, by people that knew him, worked with him or feel they have a justification to write his life story, but Robert J. Wiersema is different.
As he says himself "I've written a few books that some readers liked...... but when it comes right down to it I'm as ordinary as it gets", so here is your normal Joe Bloggs not necessarily giving us Bruce's life story, but essentially giving us his own life story shaped through a prism of Springsteen songs, which he has compiled in the form of a mix-tape.
He stresses early on that this is not a greatest hits tape, and in some cases he has picked alternative version or live versions, rather than the studio version that your average listener would be more familiar with.
But before he gets to the music, he gives us a nice biography (about 30 pages length), brief enough to fill us in on the history of New Jersey's finest, but never boring us with his complete life-story, and covered throughout the book you'll find our many things about Bruce's life, how he got the name "The Boss", and how deeply he was affected by 9/11, with the death of over 150 firemen from Monmouth County.
To go with the biography, there's a simple discography which covers his complete recording career right up to 2010 so no stone is left unturned here, while also touching on the recent death of Clarence Clemons, and a list of 10 definitive bootlegs worth getting your hands on.
As for the music, his tape starts with `Rosalita' "where it all stated for him as a 13 year-old", and Side 1 also includes `My Hometown' (the Clifford Robert Olsen Killing spree in 1981), It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City (his tough time at school), through `4th of July' where he tell a fantastic story of getting a lift to a gig with an interesting couple, and refusing to leave the gig because they wanted to head early, (despite being 200 miles from home) such was his devotion to Springsteen.
If Side 1 covers his single years, Side 2 is his married life, as it opens with `Tunnel of Love'. `Living Proof' is the next stage after marriage where they're trying for children (cleverly shutting up his father-in-law at one stage), `Brilliant Disguise' covers the openly honest chats he's had with his best friend, while `The Rising' reminds him of front row standing, near Patti Scialfa.
While I wouldn't be familiar with every song on this tape, having read the book, I am curious to have a more in depth listen to those album tracks that weren't singles. Having said that, I'm sure any Springsteen fan (including my brother who idolises him) could pick 14 of his songs and have a relevant story why each one means so much to them. My one criticism of this book is the amount of footnotes on each page. While some of them are relevant, there's way too many, and thus interrupts and disturbs your continuous enjoyment of several funny and interesting stories.
As Wiersema is virtually unknown on the European side of the Atlantic, I do feel it would need to be a higher profile person to attract readers to this book, but there's no doubt he's a real fan, but I think this book is more applicable to people that know the author, rather than fans of the boss, but that shouldn't take from how enjoyable this book really is.