The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir, by Bill Bryson
Taking a very humourous trip down memory lane, Bill Bryson recreates life in middle America in the 1950's and 1960's with style and finesse. While changing names to protect the innocent, and the infamous, Bryson brings a quirky band of characters to life.
From summer vacations, led by his Dad who preferred to save a dollar and avoid line-ups by going to out-of-the-way holiday spots, such as "battlefields of the little-known War of the Filipino Houseboys" to the attraction of the "stripper tent" in the yearly carnival, Bryson coats childhood, Des Moines, and post World War II America in a sugar-coated veneer. While his reminiscences of a perfect small-town boyhood may seem a tad too-sugary at times, Bryson's smooth writing style and wonderful sense of timing make this memoir enjoyable and a must-read for anyone old enough to reminisce about anything!
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