Resumen
Child psychologist Robert Coles strays far from his familiar territory in this enlightening meditation on Bruce Springsteens talent for reflecting the aspirations, hopes, and fears of his audience. In interviews with the singers listening public--like a policeman who takes issue with the lyrics to "American Skin," about the 1999 New York police shooting of Amadou Diallo, and a schoolteacher who uses "The E Street Shuffle" as a classroom learning tool--Coles provides an intriguing glimpse of how Springsteen is perceived by the very Americans hes singing about. Positioning the musician among such literary figures as the physician and poet William Carlos Williams and the novelist Walker Percy (the latter a noted Springsteen admirer), Coles argues for his subject as a true populist figure in the tradition of Frank Sinatra--an artist whose songs accompany his listeners through their everyday lives, providing comfort and understanding, as well as a little much-needed perspective.<
