1 A Young Boy

CHAPTER 1 A Young Boy Bruce Frederick Springsteen was born on September 23, 1949. He lived in Freehold, New Jersey, with his parents and two younger sisters, Virginia (called Ginny) and Pamela. Ginny was one and a half years younger than Bruce, but Pamela was much younger. Bruce was twelve when Pamela was born. Pamela was such a cute baby that Bruce didn't mind helping out. He liked playing with her or even giving her a bottle.

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Freehold is a medium-size town located near the New Jersey shoreline, and about a ninety- minute drive from New York City. There were lots of farms and factories when Bruce was a boy. It was not a wealthy town. People in Freehold were mostly "blue collar" workers.

Blue Collar Workers The name "blue collar" comes from the color of denim work shirts worn by men who have low-paying jobs—jobs in a garage or on a factory assembly line, for example. "White collar" describes workers who make more money. They work in offices where they need to dress up in shirts with white collars. Most of the jobs in Freehold were at the local factories. The biggest was Nestlé, which produced chocolate bars and coffee. While Bruce was growing up, one of the big employers, a rug

factory, left town. Jobs became harder to find. Bruce's mother, Adele, worked as a secretary for a lawyer. She had a good job. However, Bruce's father, Doug, had trouble finding steady work. For a while he drove taxis and trucks. At one point he was a prison guard. To make ends meet, the Springsteens moved in with Doug's parents after Bruce was born. They stayed for six years. Bruce's grandparents lived in a house that had cracked walls, windows that rattled, and just one kerosene heater to warm the house in winter. His grandparents didn't believe in a lot of rules for him. Bruce was allowed to stay up all night, watching television and playing with his toys.

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