Did you ever wonder how it would have been if you had grown up in the 1950’s and 1960’s?  Well, wonder no more! Author Bill Bryson does a great job of reliving these decades as a kid growing up in Iowa in THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE THUNDERBOLT KID.   The author himself is the actual Thunderbolt Kid, who, for a time, believed that he possessed a wonderful, amazing superpower (due to a dose of too many comic books, no doubt).

The book itself really does not seem to go anywhere in particular, yet it is, at times, a hilarious recollection of history and pop culture and one boy’s life growing up in the middle of the last decade.  Written from a child’s point of view in retrospect, it seems that everything that Des Moines, Iowa had to offer a kid in the 1950’s was simply the best.  Growing up, the Thunderbolt Kid seemed to have the best of everything: the best neon-colored ice cream, the best (and possibly only) local restaurant with an atomic, the best department store, the best  grocery store housing the absolute bestest Kiddie Corral ever.  It seems that, despite odd occurrences like urinating in a toity jar and wearing capris to school once, the Thunderbolt Kid grew up very happily, enjoying the best of life.

Bill Bryson’s writing style is quite witty and there were some genuine laugh-out-loud moments in the book.  THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE THUNDERBOLT KID is a unique cross between a memoir and a humorous stroll through historical pop culture.   I’d highly recommend THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE THUNDERBOLT KID to anyone who loves history, pop culture of the 1950’s and 1960’s, humor, and/or just loves to read.  This book has a wide audience appeal and won’t disappoint!

June 13, 2007