Drew's review
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir
by Bill Bryson
Drew's review
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson
Drew's review
rating:
recommended for: Anyone who enjoys humor and Americana
I'm a big fan of Bill Bryson's writing, but this one was both uplifting and saddening at the same time. The premise of the book is how Bill learned to see a country be wooed by the siren song of prosperity through the guise of his own internal superhero persona, the Thunderbolt Kid. This is an engaging book which takes the reader back to simpler times, with plenty of Bryson's characteristic laugh-out-loud funny moments to go around. The Thunderbolt Kid persona is really a subtitle to the main idea of the book - a fond trip down memory lane to revisit America in a more innocent state.
That was the saddening part of the book as well - the inevitable loss of innocence that prosperity and productivity brings makes one yearn for the days when going downtown was the highlight of the week, where people dressed up to go out, and where things were just more fun because people didn't know any better. Bryson's insightful commentary on how the American people used their newfound free time due ...more
That was the saddening part of the book as well - the inevitable loss of innocence that prosperity and productivity brings makes one yearn for the days when going downtown was the highlight of the week, where people dressed up to go out, and where things were just more fun because people didn't know any better. Bryson's insightful commentary on how the American people used their newfound free time due ...more
