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The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

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The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

By: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Bill Bryson
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About this listen

 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. Art & Literature Authors Funny Witty Feel-Good

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)
All stars
Most relevant  
Really enjoyed this trip down a memory lane of a time long gone, and replaced with a much poorer version. Great read, well narrated.

Childhood

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Recommend it .. to bring a smile to the dial . Young people in 1950s were perhaps not quite as angelic as we like to believe.

A fun read.

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Highly entertaining and relatable, even to someone raised in a later generation. The recounting of Bill Bryson’s own childhood memories also lead to recall many of my own, which warmed my heart and made me smile.

A book I will listen to again

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I loved this book. I found it hilarious. I'm surprised that it isn't one of the better known Bryson books. I think it's one of his best. I do suspect that quite a few of the stories are exaggerated, but what the hell: they're really enjoyable.

Thoroughly enjoyable

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Hilarious, thoroughly enjoyed and, surprisingly, even learnt many facts!! Well read by the author which added a certain charm to the story

Wonderful

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Laugh out loud. An entertaining remembrance of an atomic age American childhood.
Funny enough to make you forgive the boomers…. just a little bit.

Bill Bryson is a delight

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Bill Bryson has become one of my all time favourite authors. My daughter introduced me to his books and I’ve enjoyed every one. Great travelling companion.

Never disappoints

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he never disappoints

an evocative telling of a long ago time
10/10.
highly recommended

simply wonderful

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Laughed and laughed, then laughed some more, laughed until I cried, then laughed again and again and again.
The funniest book of Bill Bryson’s that I have read to date.
Thank you for surviving to relate the tales of a well misspent youth Bill Bryson, much appreciated :-)

Life through Bill’s eyes

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Fantastic imagination and honesty. A great insight into the early life of Bill and 50s America.

Great original read

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