Book explores political vision of 'The Boss'

Thu, January 14, 2010 |

Valparaiso University graduate student and Dyer resident David Masciotra says when most people hear a Bruce Springsteen song, they automatically think of the powerful vocals of "The Boss" that have entertained fans for decades.

But with his new book "Working on a Dream: The Progressive Political Vision of Bruce Springsteen," Masciotra hopes to help the artist's fans think deeper about his impact in the world beyond music.

"My goal is to rescue Bruce Springsteen – a songwriter and performer whose influence on my thinking, writing and living is so profound that I cannot conceive of myself without him – from the relegation of simply being an "entertainer," which too many of his fans seem content to file him under," says Masciotra. "In addition to being a great entertainer, he is also a philosopher, political activist and prophetic critic of American culture who demands greater love, service, justice and equality throughout the personal and political life of Americans."

Masciotra, who is pursuing a master's degree in English studies and communications, says his book chronicles Springsteen's political mission and messages throughout his career.

"Springsteen's work begins by detailing the suffering and triumphs of everyday people as a means to examine American society," he says. "It gives dignity to ordinary people, and navigates the darker side of the American experience, which is too often ignored by the powerful who would prefer not to take into account the excluded, oppressed and neglected."

The book also examines a number of issues that Masciotra says Springsteen has illuminated, including how his music darkly comments on the increased isolation of Americans and calls for a return to community living and values that are based on compassion, empathy and tolerance. Masciotra also describes how Springsteen has forced listeners to wrestle with the facts of rising poverty rates in the world's richest nation, of wars with questionable justification and of the continued mistreatment of racial minorities.

"Working on a Dream: The Progressive Political Vision of Bruce Springsteen," will be available online and at the Valpo bookstore Jan. 28.

Masciotra hopes readers will see Springsteen's larger progressive political vision that encourages greater participation in the American democracy through an examination of this artist's work, which includes broader political commentary, sociological anaylsis, spiritual meditation and cultural criticism.

He has written for Z Magazine, Catholic Worker, The Humanist, PopMatters and the Herald News in Joliet, Ill. where he was a weekly political columnist.

"I hope that like Springsteen's music, I can offer reason to hope in times of struggle, and as Cornel West writes, 'a way to look into the darkness and sing a sweet song,'" says Masciotra.