The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

By: Bill Bryson

Narrated by: Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson's hilarious memoir of growing up in middle America in the Fifties, complete, unabridged, and read by the author.

Born in 1951 in the middle of the United States, Des Moines, Iowa, Bill Bryson is perfectly positioned to mine his memories of a totally all-American childhood for 24 carat memoir gold. Like millions of his generation, Bill Bryson grew up with a rich fantasy life as a superhero. In his case, he ran around the house wearing a jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a towel round his neck that served as his cape, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and vanquishing evildoers (in his head) as The Thunderbolt Kid.

Using his old fantasy life as a springboard, Bill Bryson recreates the life of his family in the 1950s in all its transcendent normality. In a period that saw the inexorable rise of television, the opening of Disneyland, the testing of the atomic bomb, and the explosion of choice in everything from food to cars, Bill Bryson's days followed in reassuringly cosy succession, enlivened by modest triumphs and disasters.

Warm and laugh-out-loud funny, The Thunderbolt Kid is full of Bill Bryson's inimitable, pitch-perfect observations and this unabridged recording contains every single amusing anecdote and amazing fact. Nothing is left out, so you can enjoy the whole book in its entirety, read by Bill Bryson himself.

©2014 Audible, Inc. (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The way he tells it, to be a child in 1950s Middle America was very heaven... His own happy scrapes and triumphs (mostly scrapes) contain a good few laugh-out-loud moments, but with trademark modesty he conjures an entire era, ' the ancient lost world of the mid-20th-century.'" ( The Sunday Times, Audio book of the week)

"Considerable added value as it is read unabridged by its author, Bill Bryson." (The Times)

Boyhood dreams

A whimsical look at childhood memories in the US. Sometimes interesting, sometimes sentimental with enough humour to carry the story.

a must for bryson fans

another great storytelling by bill bryson. well worth a credit for any fan. if youve not listened to bryson before, maybe start with a walk in the wood, one of my favourites

Delightful and entertaining

I enjoyed this very much, chuckled all the way through and was almost sorry when it finished. It was a bonus having the author read his own work. Thank you for sharing your childhood adventures with your reading public!

one of the funniest Bryson books I've heard

it's not often I'll be forced to laugh out loud with a book, but this had me doing it several times a chapter. so enjoyable.

Another Bryson Hit

This is a great book. It contains more profanity than his past works, but usually in a context where some explicatives are required. There are also some political jabs that I think will spoil this work a generation or two down the road. I love Bill Bryson and all his other works... and as usual, it's a real treat to have the author reading their own book!

Funny, entertaining and well written

I found this audiobook a very entertaining and amusing listen. Bill Bryson has a way of telling the story that makes it very enjoyable. It also had the effect of reminding me of my own childhood that, although had little to do with his (different ages and places) I could still relate to many of the stories.

A pleasure

What made the experience of listening to The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid the most enjoyable?

Not been American

Who was your favorite character and why?

The father, proving fathers are the same world wide

What about Bill Bryson’s performance did you like?

from the horse's mouth

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, styled that one could dip and out, therefore, prolonging the pleasure

Any additional comments?

Marvelous insight into growing up in small town America in the 50/60's

No disappointment from Billy Bryson's novel!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Learning about America's unofficial history, enriched with some private stories from Bill's family gave the book really authentic feeling. All this with really great narration make the book great fun.

Have you listened to any of Bill Bryson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

American taboos revealed: when American men could be found naked

The 50's were dangerous

Any additional comments?

Obviously this type of book benefits greatly by having the author read it and this was very enjoyable. Wow the 50's were dangerous, its a wonder anyone survived. A great romp through Bill Bryson's early life, growing up in the 50's. If you like his other books you will like this one. It has some wonderful over and understatements throughout. He captures a kid's perspective with great skill.

I just loved it!

This is such a funny autobiography and brings to life the minds of small and not so small boys! Having Bill Bryson read his own biography is an added bonus as he brings it to life. I laughed out loud so often. A wonderful listen.