The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

A Memoir

By: Bill Bryson

Narrated by: Bill Bryson

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Bill Bryson was born in the middle of the American century, 1951, in the middle of the United States, Des Moines, Iowa, in the middle of the largest generation in American history, the baby boomers. As one of the best and funniest writers alive, his is perfectly positioned to mine his memories of a totally all-American childhood for 24-carat memoir gold. Like millions of his generational peers, Bill Bryson grew up with a rich fantasy life as a superhero. In his case, he ran around his house and neighborhood in an old football jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a towel about his neck that served as his cape, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and vanquishing awful evildoers (and morons) in his head as "The Thunderbolt Kid".

Using this persona as a springboard, Bryson recreates the life of his family and his native city in the 1950s in all its transcendent normality, at once completely familiar to us all and as far away and unreachable as another galaxy. Warm and laugh-out-loud funny, and full of his inimitable, pitch-perfect observations, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is as wondrous an audiobook as Bill Bryson has ever recorded. It will enchant anyone who has ever been young.

©2006 Bill Bryson (P)2006 Random House, inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This affectionate portrait wistfully recalls the bygone days of Burns and Allen and downtown department stores, but with a good-natured elbow poke to the ribs." (Booklist)

I absolutely love this book

I used to listen to this book as a kid, I loved the stories, and jokes, and in some ways saw it as something to look forward to in life. To live this kind of experience as he did, despite the fact the world he writes about is already gone. Now, as an adult, listening again, I was able to draw even more from this book and it's story, the reminiscing view of your childhood, and once again, I connected. He really does a great job reading it too, he being the author makes it feel like someone is telling me a story, not reading a book. This is truly a book for all ages, and a story I will never forget.

A fun listen.

As a child in the sixties I remember southern California having much character and uniqueness from town to town and city to city.
It was fun to hear about Iowa and Bill's childhood. This book chronicles the simplicity yet richness of the fifties and sixties in the USA!

Brings back the good old days

I loved this book. It brought back so many memories about growing up in the fifties. Bryson has a unique talent for capturing unique things about places and times and he really captures the strangeness of the 50's. His recollections are almost like "Twilight Zone" stories, but mostly fact, not fiction. I've read a lot of Bryson's books, but this was my first Bryson on Audible. I enjoyed his reading of the book, with his "touch of British" accent.

Laugh out loud funny

This is such a funny and entertaining book! I highly recommend it to anyone wondering what it was like to grow up in middle America in the 1950s.

Funny!

So different from A Short History of Everything. This book was very funny! My stomach hurt from laughing at times. I loved the way he imitatates the adults. I have to go and listen to some of his other "memoir" type books.

Wonderful, simply wonderful.

Bill Bryson takes us back to a much simpler time and much happier place in a joyful, hilarious and somewhat emotional memoir.

I can't recommend this chapter of Billy's life highly enough.

Enchanting and memorable.

Even though Bill Bryson was a few years older than me, many of the experiences of his childhood brought back many of my own memories of the 50's and 60's. It reminded me of a simpler time yet one that wasn't quite as utopian as we all thought. I loved it!!!

loved the story and the history!

the beginning got me hooked. without giving to much away, I loved the history and the story! will listen to bill Bryson again.

A blast from the the past

I too grew up in Iowa, although a bit later and not in Des Moines (my parents still mourn the degeneration of the Des Moines Register), however I totally relate to this story of how life used to be in the 50's for kids in the Midwest. We should all be dead or seriously maimed. The story is very funny and a great listen - I've listened several times just to smile. His descriptions are so great - exaggerations worthy of any school aged boy!

Highly Entertaining

I have loved this book for years. I frequently pick it up and re-read or re-listen. Worth every cent and more.