The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
by Bill Bryson
Published by Broadway Books
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Reviewed by Kathy Perschmann
(Also available as audiobook)
Bryson was born in Des Moines in 1951, with parents who were both writers for the local paper. He had an idyllic 1950s childhood, with plenty of time to get into trouble and an imaginary life as a superhero. His description of all the accoutrements of his Captain Thunderbolt outfit is detailed and hilarious.
Bryson's writing is always crisp and funny, but this memoir turned on his childhood is both funny and nostalgic and offers an analysis of the untroubled world in the 1950s. The passages on the Dick and Jane books (used in the 1950s to teach children to read) is very amusing. This may be the reason he is such a fine writer today--in direct rebellion to the simple, repetitive and unimaginative language of the Dick and Jane books.
Book clubs will love this book, not so much for the controversy or artiness, but for the funny reminiscences and the shared experiences of a Midwestern childhood.
Armchair Interviews says: Gift yourself and someone who has the shared experience.
Author's Web site: http://www.billbrysonbooks.com