Barack Obama & Bruce Springsteen’s Book ‘Renegades: Born in the USA’

Friends and legends President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen have co-authored a new book that is due for release in October. The pair, who initially began their Renegade podcast together earlier in the year, have now transitioned to book format after becoming a huge hit with global audiences during the show’s run in 2021. The book hopes to build on the conversations that were started in the podcast, which currently holds the accolade of being the most listened-to podcast globally on the Spotify platform.

Renegades: Born in the USA

Following the huge success of the podcast of the same name, Renegades has been described as “a collection of candid, intimate, and entertaining conversations”. The book is being created in association with Crown Publishing/Higher Ground/Penguin Random house, and is set to be aesthetically pleasing, packed full of photographs, illustrations, and even features annotations and snippets from handwritten lyrics and political speech notes.

This adds a new dimension and intimacy (even from the podcast), giving even more insight to everyone’s favourite, unlikely friendship. There’s no doubt that listening to ‘The Boss’ and the 44^th president has helped get many through a difficult year, and the bonus extras that are set to be a part of the printed book’s features will certainly be a hit with fans around the world.

“Two longtime friends share an intimate and urgent conversation about life, music, and their enduring love of America, with all its challenges and contradictions, in this stunningly produced expansion of their groundbreaking Higher Ground podcast, featuring more than 350 photographs, exclusive bonus content, and never-before-seen archival material.

RENEGADES: BORN IN THE USA is a candid, revealing, and entertaining dialogue between President Barack Obama and legendary musician Bruce Springsteen that explores everything from their origin stories and career-defining moments to our country’s polarized politics and the growing distance between the American Dream and the American reality. Filled with full-color photographs and rare archival material, it is a compelling and beautifully illustrated portrait of two outsiders— one Black and one white—looking for a way to connect their unconventional searches for meaning, identity, and community with the American story itself. It includes:

• Original introductions by President Obama and Bruce Springsteen
• Exclusive new material from the Renegades podcast recording sessions
• Obama’s never-before-seen annotated speeches, including his “Remarks at the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Marches”
• Springsteen’s handwritten lyrics for songs spanning his 50-year-long career
• Rare and exclusive photographs from the authors’ personal archives
• Historical photographs and documents that provide rich visual context for their conversation

In a recording studio stocked with dozens of guitars, and on at least one Corvette ride, Obama and Springsteen discuss marriage and fatherhood, race and masculinity, the lure of the open road and the call back to home. They also compare notes on their favorite protest songs, the most inspiring American heroes of all time, and more. Along the way, they reveal their passion for—and the occasional toll of—telling a bigger, truer story about America throughout their careers, and explore how our fractured country might begin to find its way back toward unity and global leadership.”

Renegades: Born in the USA is available from 26^th October. Buy your copy from the Official Renegades Website or you can pre-order via Amazon.

The English-language print edition will be 320 pages long and include more than 350 full-colour photographs and illustrations with a suggested list price of £35/$50. The digital edition will be priced at £15.99/$17.99. A Spanish-language edition will also be available, published as Renegados.

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