The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid - Bill Bryson

This latest instalment from Bryson matches all his previous works in side-splitting humour and irreverent observation, only this time from the point of view of his childhood years, as opposed to his early Travelogues and his recent tome about the Earth's History and Science. Our eponymous Thunderbolt Kid describes his vain attempts to vaporise an array of Teachers, relatives and other annoying people whilst growing up in Des Moines, Iowa ('Somebody had to', he famously quotes). An identity given to himself to protect his fragile youth from the evil of grown-ups, the Thunderbolt Kid is a real insight into the painful trials of young ...  Read the complete review

Introduction --------------- Travel writer and author Bill Bryson recalls his childhood in Des Moines, Iowa The Book ------------- Over the years, Bill Bryson has become renowned as a humorous travel writer. However, his last couple of books suggest he has given this up and is now concentrating on other areas. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid looks at what life was like in the 1950s, from both the perspective of growing up in Iowa, and looking at the changes which affected America. Bryson’s books tend to be a mixture of funny anecdotes and informative stories, often little known facts. This one follows that pattern in ...  Read the complete review