They’re both bosses who were born to run, and now they’re publishing a book together.
Former President Barack Obama and rock legend Bruce Springsteen are collaborating on Renegades: Born in the USA, a book set to be published this fall, Penguin Random House announced in a news release. The publisher says the book will be “a collection of candid, intimate, and entertaining conversations” between Hawaii and New Jersey’s favorite sons.
The book is based on the Spotify podcast featuring the two that debuted earlier this year, in which Obama and Springsteen “share exclusive stories and ruminations about life, music, and their enduring love of America, with all its challenges and contradictions.”
“Published in an oversized, fully illustrated format, Renegades also features rare and exclusive photographs from the authors’ personal collections and never-before-seen archival material, including Springsteen’s handwritten lyrics and Obama’s annotated speeches, offering a compelling and beautifully illustrated portrait of two outsiders—one Black and one white—who have helped shape the American story,” Penguin Random House said.
The book is being published in partnership with Higher Ground, the production company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama.
Penguin Random House shared an excerpt from the opening pages of Renegades in which Obama writes that he and Springsteen have a “shared sensibility.”
“In our own ways, Bruce and I have been on parallel journeys trying to understand this country that’s given us both so much,” the former president writes.
Renegades is slated for publication on Oct. 26.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
