Shades of Springsteen

A gifted speaker and writer, John Massaro speaks very astutely to contemporary issues involving love, masculinity, and sports, connecting with both the reader and Springsteen. Kenneth Womack, author of Solid State: The Story of “Abbey Road” and the End of the Beatles

John Massaro writes about classic Springsteen themes––politics, love, sports, and masculinity––with insight, care, and thoughtfulness. Massaro finds meaning in the singer’s lyrics that should resonate with Springsteen fans, whether long-time admirers or those just learning about him. June Skinner Sawyers, co-editor, Long Walk Home: Reflections on Bruce Springsteen

Book on The Boss published by Potsdam Professor,' by Craig Thorton WWNY7

First Person: Springsteen and politics, Adirondack murder mystery, ins and outs of dog training - interview with John Massaro "First Person," North Country Public Radio (Canton, NY)

Massaro’s work is academically sound — he’s done his research, quoting everyone from Jung to Albert Camus to Ta-Nehisi Coates, not to mention a who’s-who of Springsteen experts like Peter Ames Carlin, Eric Alterman, Marc Dolan and Andy Greene. But the book is also part memoir, with stories of Massaro’s own father and family experiences that resonate within Springsteen’s words, and vice versa. It’s a fine analysis even without them, but don’t skip those sections: If you’ve read this far, I have a feeling you’ll relate. Blogness on the Edge of Town

Shades of Springsteen fits squarely into what is now a sizeable literature of Springsteen studies. The tenor of that discourse, like that of fandom generally, has a deeply personal dimension, but Massaro is part of what might be termed a strongly ethnographic cast in recent Springsteen writing....Rutgers University Press, which published Shades of Springsteen, has been at the vanguard of this trend in honoring its local son....Shades of Springsteen is a useful contribution to a vibrant, ongoing conversation. Jim Cullen, New Jersey Studies

Massaro’s thesis of connective tissue in the themes of the book’s subtitle Politics, Love, Sports and Masculinity that he artfully argues drive Springsteen’s canon and best explains the songwriter’s ability to overcome his own issues of depression, is solid. He digs deep, but with an entertaining flair, explaining how all of these themes comes through in nearly every stanza of Springsteen’s songs. James Campion, The Aquarian