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Better Together
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In attempting to blend the social and musical history of New Jersey's faded seaside resort Asbury Park—where Bruce Springsteen first made his name in the 1970s—Wolff has an overabundance of engrossing material that never quite coheres to animate his thesis that the history of Asbury Park is the history of America. Founded in 1871 by James A. Bradley as a Methodist retreat, Asbury Park was designed to attract religious, moneyed vacationers who wanted a resort uncorrupted by alcohol and gambling. But the history of the resort is not so pretty, according to Wolff. The many African-Americans who served the rich there were restricted to the dingiest part of the beach. The Ku Klux Klan moved in, as well as organized crime. Continuing racism led to rioting in the 1970s, when the ghetto erupted in looting and the destruction of local businesses. Wolff (You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke) weaves into his narrative the musical heritage of Sousa, Sinatra and Bill Haley to underscore the social changes affecting the town over time. Asbury Park's current renewal efforts are mired in troubles—but the song Wolff hears there is still one of hope. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist *Starred Review* Anyone familiar with Bruce Springsteen's music knows about the role place plays in his work, and no place more than Asbury Park, New Jersey, a seaside resort town that has seen many ups and downs and for Springsteen exists in imagination as well as reality. In this luminous history of Springsteen's Asbury Park, journalist, biographer, and poet Wolff tells the story of a promised land. This Asbury Park somehow inspired hope in people like Springsteen, who were able to see beyond its often shabby exterior to what once was and could be again. Asbury Park was also the hometown of Springsteen's fellow outsider, author Stephen Crane (1871-1900), who saw it as symbolic of both a still-young nation's ideals and the hypocrisy of late-nineteenth-century America. Contradictions are a part of Asbury Park's history. Established to honor Francis Asbury, the pioneer of American Methodism, the city was envisioned by founder James Bradley as a resort town. Despite its small size, it has embraced many paradoxical visions--model religious community, beach town, haven for music from ragtime to rock--and represented freedom, fun, and democracy, though also Northern racism, violence, and corruption. Writing about the idea of a place, Wolff creates popular history at its best. Springsteen fans will love it, and so will anyone interested in American social history. June Sawyers Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved See all Editorial Reviews
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THIS IS THE history of a place that never existed. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more) brush manufacturer, baby parade Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more) Asbury Park, New Jersey, Ocean Grove, Convention Hall, James Bradley, Springwood Avenue, Long Branch, New York City, New York Times, Stephen Crane, Cookman Avenue, Independence Day, Atlantic City, Ocean Avenue, Van Zandt, Arthur Pryor, Civic-Church League, Clarence Hetrick, Red Bank, United States, Joe Mattice, Wesley Lake, Asbury Evening Press, Daily Journal, Shore Press New! Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages: Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me! What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?
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