Right after Bill Bryson's memoirs of growing up in middle America in the 50, Annie Dillard's memoirs of growing up in the 50s in Pittsburgh was a great extension. Dillard's voice is smooth and beautiful, with the perfect balance of poignant reflection and biting adolescent angst. Like Bryson, she talks about a childhood marked with atomic bomb drills and the golden age of baseball. And just like Bryson's obsession with girls, Dillard's memories are laced with boys. To match Bryson's obsession with comics, Dillard was a consumer of nature and science books which lead to high literature and poetry as she grew older. Dillard speaks of a privileged childhood, of moving up to better neighborhoods, and rocks she inherited, through the paperboy, from an old gentleman who had nobody other than the paperboy to pass on his collection. Bryson, having spent some good time as a miserable paperboy, can tell you more about this dying profession, but Dillard will captivate with moments of incredible images that will live in your mind for years. You might see a diver with different eyes, or you get the urge to go in the woods with a pickax. You will certainly appreciate having Goodreads, to share your books and opinions about books with the greater world with such ease.