Product Description
From one of the most beloved and bestselling authors in the English language, a vivid, nostalgic, and utterly hilarious memoir of growing up in the 1950s
Bill Bryson was born in the middle of the American century—1951—in the middle of the United States—Des Moines, Iowa—in the middle of the largest generation in American history—the baby boomers. As one of the best and funniest writers alive, he is perfectly positioned to mine his memories of a totally all-American childhood for 24-carat memoir gold. Like millions of his generational peers, Bill Bryson grew up with a rich fantasy life as a superhero. In his case, he ran around his house and neighborhood with an old football jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a towel about his neck that served as his cape, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and vanquishing awful evildoers (and morons)—in his head—as "The Thunderbolt Kid."
Using this persona as a springboard, Bill Bryson re-creates the life of his family and his native city in the 1950s in all its transcendent normality—a life at once completely familiar to us all and as far away and unreachable as another galaxy. It was, he reminds us, a happy time, when automobiles and televisions and appliances (not to mention nuclear weapons) grew larger and more numerous with each passing year, and DDT, cigarettes, and the fallout from atmospheric testing were considered harmless or even good for you. He brings us into the life of his loving but eccentric family, including affectionate portraits of his father, a gifted sportswriter for the local paper and dedicated practitioner of isometric exercises, and OF his mother, whose job as the home furnishing editor for the same paper left her little time for practicing the domestic arts at home. The many readers of Bill Bryson’s earlier classic, A Walk in the Woods, will greet the reappearance in these pages of the immortal Stephen Katz, seen hijacking literally boxcar loads of beer. He is joined in the Bryson gallery of immortal characters by the demonically clever Willoughby brothers, who apply their scientific skills and can-do attitude to gleefully destructive ends.
Warm and laugh-out-loud funny, and full of his inimitable, pitch-perfect observations, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is as wondrous a book as Bill Bryson has ever written. It will enchant anyone who has ever been young.
User Reviews
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Summary: This Could Be Your Life
Review: If you grew up in the 50's, 60's, 70's, and even the 80's, and you enjoy reading, you simply MUST read this book. I was born in '68, well after Bill Bryson, and most of which he wrote were things that I experienced as a kid. It made me smile, laugh, and even brought a tear to my eye. For some reason, this book is in my top ten of all time. I loved it that much....
Date: 2010-07-28
Rating: 5
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Summary: a gut-buster
Review: If you were born in the 1950's as I was you really have to read this book. So much that I have forgotten is brought back to vivid life.
I got this with my new kindle, it's the first book I have read on it. A word of warning though, it's a real buster. I'm steal laughing.
Date: 2010-07-16
Rating: 5
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Summary: cuts across boundaries
Review: I did not grow up in the US neither did I grow up in the 50s. Nevertheless, the book brought back fond memories of childhood. This is a book more about growing up than anything else. A great read.
Date: 2010-07-14
Rating: 5
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Summary: Hilarious and wistful at the same time.
Review: Bill Bryson is one of my favorite authors, and with this book he has managed to bring to life a world that no longer exists. While Mr. Bryson is as laugh-out-loud funny as always, he also manages to create a longing for a simpler and sweeter past.
Whether you want to relive your own childhood or learn about someone else's, this book is highly recommended.
Date: 2010-06-28
Rating: 5
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Summary: Childish Viewpoint - Adult Observations
Review: This book is a wonderful and witty memoir of Bill Bryson's childhood journey through the 1950's. Mr. Bryson goes back to the absurdity of the golden age of no seatbelts, no airbags, helmets, and bottled water or knee pads. An age where people still trusted the FDA and cigarettes were recommended by doctors.
The "Thuderbolt Kid" is Bryson's alter ego, which adds some humor the memoir but no real substance - but it's a great title, isn't it?
What gives this book its unique voice is that the memoir is told through the eyes of Mr. Bryson as if he went back in time to his childhood but retained his talent for writing and life experience - yet writing from the perspective of a child with a wink and a nod towards the appreciative audience. The anecdotes are told through outlandish exaggerations which are so outlandish and unbelievable they become hilarious - like Mrs. Vandermeister who was "700 years old, possibly 800"
The book is polished, entertaining and a well written. The stories are nostalgic but not overly sentimental and contain wry wit laden with sharp observations. The characters in this book are refreshing as they are seen from a childish viewpoint - but observed by an adult. Bryson does an excellent job to of balancing the simple optimism of the 1950's against the social upheaval which were tearing society apart at the time.
Date: 2010-06-23
Rating: 4
