In large part, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir is about childhood. Bryson writes about the events and feelings he had growing up in Des Moines during the 1950s. For the most part, Bill's childhood is a good one. Nothing bad really happens, although there are larger threats that he is aware of. An enjoyable walk down memory lane for me, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson tells of his early years in Des Moines, Iowa in the 1950's. Such a strange time, so many things to worry about - Communists, Atomic War, giant mutated bugs - and yet, as a whole such a happy time.
In his case, he ran around the house wearing a jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a towel round his neck that served as his cape, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and vanquishing evildoers (in his head) as The Thunderbolt Kid. Using his old fantasy life as a springboard, Bill Bryson recreates the life of his family in the 1950s in all.
Book Summary
The Life And Times Of The Thunderbolt Kid Summary
A vivid, nostalgic and utterly hilarious memoir of growing up in the middle of the United States in the middle of the last century. A book that delivers on the promise that it is 'laugh-out-loud funny'.
The Life And Times Of The Thunderbolt Kid By Bill Bryson
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 middle of the United States in the middle of the last century. A book that delivers on the promise that it is “laugh-out-loud funny.”
Some say that the first hints that Bill Bryson was not of Planet Earth came from his discovery, at the age of six, of a woollen jersey of rare fineness. Across the moth-holed chest was a golden thunderbolt. It may have looked like an old college football sweater, but young Bryson knew better. It was obviously the Sacred Jersey of Zap, and proved that he had been placed with this innocuous family in the middle of America to fly, become invisible, shoot guns out of people’s hands from a distance, and wear his underpants over his jeans in the manner of Superman.
Bill Bryson’s first travel book opened with the immortal line, “I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.” In this hilarious new memoir, he travels back to explore the kid he once was and the weird and wonderful world of 1950s America. He modestly claims that this is a book about not very much: about being small and getting much larger slowly. But for the rest of us, it is a laugh-out-loud book that will speak volumes – especially to anyone who has ever been young.