It Ain't No Sin To Be Glad You're Alive The Promise of Bruce Springsteen

This highly praised celebration of Springsteen's artistry & influence is the most perceptive portrait yet of the remarkably gifted musician who, since the media anointed him "the future of rock 'n' roll" in the mid-1970s, has redefined the image of the rock star & emerged an authentic American hero -- a man to whom millions of loyal fans look as a voice for their yearnings, hopes, fears, & dreams. "Part biography, part lyrical deconstruction, & part fan letter, Alterman's book locates the singer-songwriter's strength in his ability to connect the small struggles of the common man with the broad political & social forces that engulf us, & to do so with a human touch." --Time. "It Ain't No Sin to be Glad You're Alive celebrates Springsteen's enduring legacy & reaffirms his position as a recording artist & performer who personifies America in the same way that Woody Guthrie, Walt Whitman, John Steinbeck, & Bob Dylan have in their work." --Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Fascinating, well researched, & serious: three qualities not often found together in biographies of musicians. It Ain't No Sin to be Glad You're Alive ranks with Peter Guralnick's work & is an essential document in evaluating Springsteen's legacy." --Rosanne Cash.

Eric Alterman is currently a columnist for The Nation, MSNBC.com, and Worth magazine.