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Bruce Springsteen's song 'Outlaw Pete' will be adapted as a children's book

The book 'Outlaw Pete' will be illustrated by Frank Caruso.

'Outlaw Pete' is by Bruce Springsteen and Frank Caruso.
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

Bruce Springsteen’s song “Outlaw Pete” will be turned into a children’s book.

According to USA Today, the book will be illustrated by Frank Caruso and will have the same title as the original song. “Outlaw Pete” will be published on Nov. 4. 

The song, which was originally released on the 2009 album “Working on a Dream,” covers the life of a criminal named Pete who eventually meets a bounty hunter named Dan. As the cover of the book depicts a baby, the book could possibly include the events of the first verse of the song, which includes the lyrics “At six months old he'd done three months in jail/ He robbed a bank in his diapers and his little bare baby feet.”

Caruso praised the character of Outlaw Pete in a statement. “When Bruce wrote Outlaw Pete, he didn't just write a great song, he created a great character," he said. "The first time I heard the song this book played out in my head. Like Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Dorothy Gale and, for me, even Popeye, Outlaw Pete cuts deep into the folklore of our country and weaves its way into the fabric of the great American literary characters.”

Meanwhile, Springsteen said of the character, “Outlaw Pete is essentially the story of a man trying to outlive and outrun his sins,” according to Rolling Stone.

“This book will be treasured by anyone who appreciates Bruce Springsteen’s unique gifts as a storyteller,” Jonathan Karp, president and publisher of Simon & Schuster, said in a statement, according to Publishers Weekly. “Frank Caruso’s illustrations vibrantly capture the spirit of Springsteen’s work.”

According to USA Today, the Simon & Schuster title "Brave Cowboy Bill" by Kathryn and Byron Jackson, which Springsteen read growing up, was what inspired him to write "Outlaw Pete."

In addition, Springsteen may have another project as an author in his future. This past January, he told Rolling Stone that he “wouldn’t call it a book” but that he had “miscellaneous writings” he’d been working on.

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