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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 Abbot ...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 Wee ...more

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Average rating: 3.8 · 4,000 ratings · 635 reviews · 8 distinct works • Similar authors

	A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" Ripley 3.63 avg rating — 2,350 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
	Driving with the Devil: Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels, and the Birth of NASCAR 4.16 avg rating — 479 ratings — published 2006 — 10 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
	The First Kennedys: An Immigrant Maid, Her Bartender Son, and the Humble Roots of a Dynasty 3.90 avg rating — 508 ratings — published 2022 — 10 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 4.14 avg rating — 442 ratings — published 2004 — 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
	Kickflip Boys: A Memoir of Freedom, Rebellion, and the Chaos of Fatherhood 3.84 avg rating — 135 ratings — published 2019 — 9 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 — 85 ratings — published 2007 — 15 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
	The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of an American Dynasty it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	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
	Winter Faith 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 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

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Neal Thompson's Blog: Blood & Whiskey

Neal’s Blood & Whiskey #20

Hello friends and readers,

Welcome to 2023. Did you make a resolution to read more? Maybe drink less? Finally learn to play ukulele? I can help with the first two of those. (The last one is mine — the ukulele was a 2021 Xmas gift…)

First, here’s a great book to start the new year with:

Everybody Knows (Mulholland) — Jordan Harper

Mae Pruett is a “black bag” publicist for a Hollywood PR firm. She’s a

Neal is Currently Reading

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The Luminaries

by Eleanor Catton

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Jan 25, 2023 09:07PM

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In the Distance

by Hernan Diaz (Goodreads Author)

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Jun 12, 2022 10:12AM

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Our Woman in Moscow

by Beatriz Williams (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 04, 2021 10:11PM

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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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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Book Nook Cafe: What I read March 2014	140	84	Oct 07, 2014 02:36PM
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2015: Completed Tasks (DO NOT DELETE POSTS)	3276	582	Nov 30, 2015 09:01PM
The History Book ...: CHRISTINE'S 50 BOOKS READ IN 2015	77	108	Dec 12, 2016 06:43PM
A Million More Pages: Sesame Street Guest Stars Through the Ages	104	143	Jan 01, 2018 10:11AM
The History Book ...: CAR RACING (LIKE NASCAR)	103	274	May 25, 2020 10:42PM
Play Book Tag: * Poll Ballot Tally -- Announcements and Reporting	5567	182	Dec 31, 2020 04:35PM
Crazy Challenge C...: Astronauts Spell Challenge	1591	125	Mar 19, 2021 12:51PM
Crazy Challenge C...: Oscars Through the Years	832	120	Mar 22, 2021 08:45PM

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