- Bryson’s writing is polished, funny, and a pleasure to read.
- The characters and events of his childhood are engaging and interesting.
- Bryson does a nice job juxtaposing the optimism of the 1950s against less visible social turmoil.
- Bryson’s nostalgic recollections might not engage readers who don’t remember the period.
- Bill Bryson was born into a quirky and interesting family in Des Moines, Iowa in the 1950s.
- Bryson’s recollections include the good, the bad, and the hilarious incidents of his childhood.
- This is a memoir about the place and time in which he grew up as much as Bryson’s personal story.
The title refers to Bryson’s childhood alter ego, a superhero who has the power to vaporize all adults who interfere or annoy. Bryson’s rich imagination clearly played a large role in his childhood, and it’s that imagination coupled with a gift for slick writing that makes Thunderbolt Kid so enjoyable. It’s hard to predict whether this book will appeal more to those who remember the 1950s, or those who weren’t born yet and will be charmed by Bryson’s descriptions.
Bryson augments his own memories with slice-of-life tidbits from newspapers of the era along with deeper research into what was going on in the world outside Des Moines. The idyllic atmosphere seems at time to involve willful denial of other national problems, and Bryson is careful to temper the 1950s optimism with darker hints. He describes segregation and Jim Crow laws along with the nuclear arms race that led to schoolchildren being taught to hide under their desks.
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is a fantastic book for any reader who remembers childhood.
