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Neal Thompson

Goodreads Author

Born

in Morristown, N.J., The United States

Website

http://www.NealThompson.com

Twitter

nealthompson

Genre

Nonfiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Mystery

Influences

Erik Larson Laura Hillenbrand Michael Chabon Laura Lippman Megan ...more

Member Since

January 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/nealthompson

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I'm the author of Kickflip Boys: A Memoir of Freedom, Rebellion, and the Chaos of Fatherhood (May 2018). Tony Hawk called it "fun, moving, raw and relatable.” Michael Chabon said it "captures the ache, fizz, yearning and frustration of being the father of adolescent boys." Maria Semple calls it "a riveting, touching, and painful read! My stomach was in knots page after page."

I've written four other books - stories about flawed and adventurous men - and have blabbed about those on ESPN, the History Channel, PBS, C-Span, Fox, TNT, and NPR. Plus five minutes on The Daily Show.

My previous book, A CURIOUS MAN - a bio of eccentric world-traveling millionaire/playboy cartoonist Robert 'Believe It or Not' Ripley - was an Oprah.com Book of the ...more

58 posts
Neal Thompson's Blog

AUTHOR EVENTS

Upcoming and previous events, interviews, etc:

Yaddo Variations, NYC (May 16, 2019) - with Dani Shapiro (Inheritance) and Jonathan Santlover (The Widower's Notebook)

Orcas Island LitFest (April 6, 2019), “The Ties That Bind: Memoirists on Writing About Family,” with Nicole Chung, Cere Demuth, and Terese Marie Mailhot.

AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs), Portland OR (March 29, 201...

Combine Editions
Neal Thompson’s books

Average rating: 3.75 · 3,041 ratings · 496 reviews · 8 distinct works • Similar authors

	A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" Ripley 3.62 avg rating — 2,156 ratings — published 2013 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Light This Candle: The Life & Times of Alan Shepard--America's First Spaceman 4.07 avg rating — 385 ratings — published 2004 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Driving with the Devil: Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels, and the Birth of NASCAR 4.11 avg rating — 323 ratings — published 2006	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Kickflip Boys: A Memoir of Freedom, Rebellion, and the Chaos of Fatherhood 3.95 avg rating — 102 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hurricane Season: A Coach, His Team, and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 75 ratings — published 2007 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Abandoned 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Meditation: For Beginners Anytime, Anywhere. How to Relieve Stress, Anxiety and Depression. A Quick Guide and Techniques to Return to a State of Inner Peace, Mindfulness and Happiness by Neal Thompson (Goodreads Author), Ruby Jackson 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Board 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Neal’s Writing

Light This Candle - Chapter 9 (Biographies & Memoirs)

1 chapters — updated May 13, 2015 06:32PM

Description: In advance of this Thursday’s 50th anniversary of the day Alan Shepard became America’s first spaceman, I’ll be posting excerpts from ‘Light This Candle,’ along with photos and links related to Shepard and the book. Here’s a sample from Chap 9

Neal is Currently Reading

Neal is currently reading

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

by Jenny Odell (Goodreads Author)

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Nov 12, 2019 09:06PM

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A Man With One of Those Faces (The Dublin Trilogy #1)

by Caimh McDonnell (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 02, 2019 08:39PM

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Costalegre

by Courtney Maum (Goodreads Author)

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Jul 19, 2019 10:14PM

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Neal wants to read Apeirogon: A Novel by Colum McCann (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Neal has read The Terra-Cotta Dog (Inspector Montalbano, #2) by Andrea Camilleri	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 30, 2019 05:43PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Terra-Cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Terra-Cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Neal has read The Shape of Water (Inspector Montalbano, #1) by Andrea Camilleri	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Neal rated a book it was amazing Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 30, 2019 05:35PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Neal has read Normal People by Sally Rooney (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Best Fiction	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 30, 2019 05:34PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Normal People by Sally Rooney. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Normal People by Sally Rooney <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Neal has read Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Neal has read Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Best Fiction, Best Debut Novel	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 30, 2019 05:30PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Neal has read The Killing Of The Tinkers (Jack Taylor, #2) by Ken Bruen	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Neal has read Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip Heath	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 30, 2019 10:43AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Decisive by Chip Heath. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Decisive by Chip Heath <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Neal Thompson

“You must carry along with you a lively imagination and plenty of romance in your soul. Some of the most wonderful things in the world will seem dull and drab unless you view them in the proper light.”
― Neal Thompson, A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" Ripley

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“Why any one place should forever hold enchantment for the reason you are born there is a mystery. But like cats and birds we are pussy-footed and pigeon-toed and our footsteps lead toward home.… The Eskimo longs for his northern bleakness and his ice hut, the cowboy dreams of the wide open towns and prairies of the west, the old salt is looking out to sea … and down in the hold of many ships are dead Chinamen’s bones going home to China.”
― Neal Thompson, A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" Ripley

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“ BELIEVE IT! Millions of gallons of wine, stored in casks in warehouses, ruptured and spilled, turning Santa Rosa’s streets into red rivers of wine, whose bouquet attracted the discerning noses of farm animals. Residents soon found drunken pigs and dogs staggering in the streets.”
― Neal Thompson, A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" Ripley

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