The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir

Bill Bryson

This is Bill Bryson’s memoir of growing up in the 50’s in Des Moines, Iowa. The fifties were certainly a very different era, and at that time I believe America was much more homogenous, and his experiences of growing up in an Iowa suburb were very similar to mine growing up in a Boston suburb, or yours growing up anywhere else in suburban America. Bryson is a fantastic observer of his time and environment and an extremely talented and humorous writer. I rarely laugh out loud when I read a book, but this book had me chuckling over and over again. If you are a “boomer” this is a must read. You will re-live many of your childhood experiences, dreams, and fantasies. Since this book was recommended to me by my 27 year old son, Sam, I feel reasonably confident that anyone from any generation would find this book informative and extremely entertaining. This is one of those rare books I read that when I got to the last page I wished it was twice as long. Quite simply said, I loved this book!! I rarely quote blurbs off the book jacket, but I think the quote from the San Francisco Examiner perfectly catches the spirit of this book: “Bryson writes about … America in a way that’s both trenchantly observant and pound-on-the-floor, snort-root-beer-out-of-your-nose funny.”

Review by Len Oppenheim

20% off Hardcover price.