Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama to publish Renegades: Born in the USA book

Legendary American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen and former US President Barack Obama are publishing a book based on their recent podcast conversations.

Out on October 26th, Renegades: Born in the USA comes in an oversized, illustrated format, with handwritten Springsteen lyrics, annotated Obama speeches, and other archival material.

“Over the years, what we’ve found is that we’ve got a shared sensibility," Obama writes in the book's opening pages. "About work, about family, and about America. In our own ways, Bruce and I have been on parallel journeys trying to understand this country that’s given us both so much. Trying to chronicle the stories of its people. Looking for a way to connect our own individual searches for meaning and truth and community with the larger story of America.”

Springsteen adds, “There were serious conversations about the fate of the country, the fortune of its citizens, and the destructive, ugly, corrupt forces at play that would like to take it all down. This is a time of vigilance when who we are is being seriously tested. Hard conversations about who we are and who we want to become can perhaps serve as a small guiding map for some of our fellow citizens…. This is a time for serious consideration of who we want to be and what kind of country we will leave our children. Will we let slip through our hands the best of us or will we turn united to face the fire? Within this book you won’t find the answers to those questions, but you will find a couple of seekers doing their best to get us to ask better questions.”

The 320-page book will be published globally by Penguin Random House in partnership with Higher Ground.

Springsteen’s latest album, Letter to You, was released in October 2020, with the musician set to perform a Central Park concert alongside Paul Simon this year. Over the past 12 months, he’s collaborated with the Killers, Bleachers, Bon Iver, and, of course, Obama.

Check out the trailer for Renegades below:

Photo credit: Rob DeMartin