The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir

As someone who also grew up in the 50’s and 60’s, and from the midwest, this book evokes images of that simpler time, and a time of more innocence. Bill Bryson has a wonderful way with words and had me laughing out loud many times. What a delightful read!

Bill Bryson writes about his younger self growing up in Des Moines, Iowa in the 1950’s. As one might expect, this “youthful autobiography” mixes reality with major doses of exaggerated childhood memories and some childlike imaginary flights of fancy (hence the “thunderbolt kid” part of the book title). Still, the book is nearly as much simply about life in general in the 1950’s (though often reimagined through a youthful, personalized lens).The closer your own youth matches that of living in the Midwest in the 1950’s, the more you will like this book. So I especially liked this book, but that’s because I am near the bullseye of Bryson’s target audience. Bryson was born in 1951 and grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. I was born in 1945, grew up in South Bend, Indiana and now live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. So much of what Bryson writes about the 1950’s are life experiences and events deeply embedded in my memory cells as well. And some of what Bryson writes about 1950’s Iowa (such as the traditional butter cow at the Iowa State Fair) is still a tradition here in Iowa.Bottom Line: This book is part history, part exaggerated autobiography and part childhood fantasy. But all of it has Bill Bryson’s trademark sense of humor.

Mr. Bryson’s humorous, at times hilarious autobiography of growing up in 1950s Des Moines, Iowa should appeal to baby boomers everywhere, and quite possibly to everyone who grew up after television and in the shadow of the atomic bomb. “The most startling difference between then and now was how many kids there were then…Kids were everywhere, all the time in densities now unimaginable…” You don’t have to have grown up in Des Moines, or the even the Mid-west to appreciate Bryson’s account. I re-read his remembrance of the Dick and Jane books several times. There was, according to Bryson, “just one very odd thing about the Dick and Jane books. Whenever any of the characters spoke, they didn’t sound like humans.” When they arrive at grandma’s farm, Dick “seems to have a kind of mental stuck needle” and repeats certain assertions, had as though they were being announced for the first time. The book has its share of facts, some of them tragic. Racial injustice, the decline of the family farm, the failures of the education system and more are on touched in Bryson’s account. Still, the era had its moments, and Bryson memories are indeed fond ones: “What a wonderful world that would be. What a wonderful world it was. We son’t see its like again. I’m afraid.”

Bryson hits hilarity high notes, as well as poignant moments, a wealth of local history, a wonderful look into past events and statistics, and a touching sense of his own life and his family. A treasure of a book!

Bill Bryson’s “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid”, is laugh-out-loud, throughly enjoyable read. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

I'm a big fan of Bill's writing. He is perhaps my favorite author. Have read most of his books, and admire and enjoy his sense of humor. I had high expectations for this book, having also grown up as a midwest baby boomer, and could relate to the era. But agree with some of the reviewers that this book was a bit contrived, and lacked the humor of some of his others. I felt a little put off at some of the implications of his affluence, even though my own upbringing was from similar circumstances. When buying this book for myself and my younger brother as a gift, I had high hopes it would be a continuation of his exceptional writing in "The Lost Continent", which I enjoyed very much. Because it is Bill Bryson the author, and because his work is always at least notable, I give it the benefit of the doubt. However, I would recommend to anyone considering their first Bill Bryson book to start with "A Walk in the Woods", and continue through "The Lost Continent" (particularly for you 50s-somethings), "In a Sunburned Country" (great overview of Australia with Bill's exceptional wit and humor) and "A Short History of Nearly Everything" (what I consider to be an exceptionally important and enlightening read for anyone). In "Thunderbird Kid", Bill seems to have simply reached too far to try to entertain us. And I just guess I just expected more.

I have read all of BIll Bryson's books. I love his style. But I have to admit that this book was not my favorite of his. Still, I enjoyed the silliness of this book. Some of the stories about growing up in that era and in the Midwest were very relatable.

Very talented writer and I would say comedian in a written sense. I grew up and live in Des Moines. Born in 56 and an " East Sider ", my experiences was different, however I do remember many of the places he mentions in the book. My father worked at the R&T also and as a kid I used to stop by and see him working in the mail room. They let an unescorted 10 year old walk through the building back in the 1960s. I miss the innocent days of pre 9-11 when you could walk a friend to their flight and wave goodbye from the waiting area. The modern world has its benefits, but the charm of innocence is all but gone in our world today. Sad, but that's "progress".