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| The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid | 
 enlarge | Author: Bill Bryson
Publisher: Black Swan
Category: Book
Buy Used: $1.64
New (2) Used (19) from $1.64
Avg. Customer Rating:  66 reviews
Sales Rank: 279354
Format: Import
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 4.8 x 1.1
ISBN: 0552772542
EAN: 9780552772549
ASIN: 0552772542
Publication Date: 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Book is in good condition. Clean pages and covers. Tight bindings.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Not as good for the younger generations... December 20, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I'm a big fan of Bryson's previous work, and I believe this one would have been just as good if I weren't only 28 years old. I couldn't relate to his stories enough to get the hilarity of this that Baby Boomers will. I still chuckled a lot since the stories are still humorous, they just would be more so if you also had experienced these things yourself. If you're of the younger generations like me, this might not be your best bet for Bill Bryson. Try "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" or "Notes from a Small Island," (the 2nd especially if you've ever traveled in the UK).
 A Wonderful Read October 20, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is a humorous walk down memory lane for anyone who grew up in the 1950's. It may have more appeal to males, but is generally relevant enough for most Boomers.
 Memoirs From Another World September 17, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Having been born in 1956, I was able to relate to Bill Bryson's "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid". I, like Bryson, am a baby boomer. Sure, having been born in Australia provided a different perspective, but the core elements of the USA and Australia were and are very similar.
Bryson's memoirs are gentle, whimsical and often outright funny. It's a joy to read a book that from time to time causes you to laugh out loud. Sure it provokes strange looks when travelling on public transport. Such is the pleasure that Bryson's writings invoke.
Compare to the 21st century, the 1950s and 1960s seem like another world. The streets seemed so much safer. As a child, we would wander great distances while not in the company of adults. There was a world to be explored. By comparison, it's an unusual child today that is not dropped off and picked up from school before being ferried to a pre-arranged assignment whether it be sports, drama or simply child care. Also, most childhood activity in my time was experienced out doors. Today, television and computer games have created a very different sense of place. Bryson skillfully covers these changing times.
"The Thunderbolt Kid" is not a difficult read. It is, however, a very pleasant read that I can recommend to all.
A Wonderful read, even for those who did not grow up in the 50s! November 15, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
"The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" is an entertaining romp through the wonderfully complex, and yet simple, world of a child of the 1950s. Though I grew up in Detroit in the 1980s, I was still able to identify with a number of things the author discussed, as I believe they are universal truths when it comes to a boy's life and his quests for knowledge, acceptance, and superherodom. My only complaint about the book, and it is indeed a small, but easily rectifiable one, would be the last chapter. In his conclusion, the author puts a bit of his modern political stanses into the otherwise almost unbiased memoir. There are a few such comments throughout the narrative, as well as a couple apologetic moments on behalf of the entire era, but other than those and the last chapter, it mostly focuses on the memoir-at-hand, and I recommend this book to anyone who was ever a kid!
The 21st Century Jean Shepard November 28, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
To any of you out there who remember and liked Jean Shepard's book "In God We Trust - All Others Pay Cash" - and for those of you that never heard nor read Shepard's book or of Shepard himself, then you owe it to yourself to read this great memior of a baby boomer growing up in the Mid-west during the 50's - Bryson is very much like Jean Shepard - writing and conveying in a masterful sense what it was like growing up as a pre-adolescent in another time. Although I am about the same age as Bryson, I do remember listening to Jean Shepard on the radio and also reading his books as a teenager which transported me back into the 40's and Jean's adolescence - and Bryson, really does just a good of a job as Shepard - only I could connect more with the pop culture of the 50's more than the 40's - some great writing here - and a phenominal style that makes you laugh to yourself (and to others as well) when reading this great piece of nostalgia.
It's a fun and fast read - and anyone of any age can appreciate it. Go ahead and get ahold of this book - you won't regret it once you start reading it - it is hard to put down and not think about what you read in each chapter.
Buy it, Read it, Enjoy it!
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