Comments (27)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 27 items
Oct 09, 2023betsymarzoni rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Funny, nostalgic recounting of growing up male in the 50's in Des Moines, Iowa. If you fit any of these three categories, you will most likely enjoy this book. Bryson is very good at turning phrases that make the reader laugh out loud,…
Sep 03, 2022Cynthia_McCarthy rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Humorous. of course, and a long loving look at boomer childhoods for those of us who remember having one.
Dec 22, 2021The_Most_Casual_Observer rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
AS ONE WHO LIVED through the 50s, I thought it was funnier for the turns of phrase and writing, than the incidents depicted, which somehow lack the ironic contrast with today that would bring real hilarity to the work. Nevertheless…
Jul 12, 2021Hmnewman rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I tried reading the book, lost interest. Then I listened to the audio. It was OK, probably not meant for my generation.
Sep 30, 2020SandraMB rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I absolutely loved reading At Home, Road to Little Dribbling and In a Sunburned Country. They are all very informative, and Little Dribbling and Sunburned Country were very funny. But I can't say the same thing for this book - yet I grew…
Aug 01, 2018Waterdoggle rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Had no idea young Billy Bryson was such a trickster as a youth! Most Boomers will feel his nostalgia for a time before franchises and shopping malls drained the life and character out of small cities and towns. What I most loved were his…
Jul 06, 2018ArapahoeLesley rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Bill Bryson can do no wrong. The wit and wisdom that he brings to everything he writes will keep me coming back for more for as long as he keeps writing. I'm having a great time catching up on all his past books.
Aug 19, 2016beckyjreimer rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Amusing and quick read!
May 24, 2016tcosco rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
There were a few good laughs and some interesting 50's history and recollections but overall this book isn't nearly as entertaining as Bryson's other books. It feels like a crude recollection of childhood smattered with vulgar language and…
rb3221
Nov 24, 2015rb3221 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
For anyone who lived through the 1950's (or for anyone who wants to know what it was like to live in the 1950's), I would recommend this book. Bryson remembers this simpler time, a time where parents expected you to be outside from eight…
May 09, 2015PimaLib_HeatherR rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A memoir about a happy childhood!
Jan 24, 2015WVMLStaffPicks rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A child of the fifties, Bryson's brilliant and hilarious portrayal of the themes of the day (the emergence of television, the atom bomb...) and scenes from his family life will have you reading aloud to anyone who will listen. If you like…
Dec 09, 2014kakacurt rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A very well written and complete walk down memory lane if you grew up in the 50's. Wonderful quick to read book!
Apr 28, 2014BobKao rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
For all Brysonites, this is a must read!
bescales
May 28, 2012bescales rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
For anyone interested in a good memoir that captures life in the 50 and 60s, this is the book to read. Having grown up in the 70's, I could relate to a lot of the nostalgia and belly laughed at the similarities. Bill Bryson is a witty and…
Nov 13, 2011markd rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A very good book - everyone born in the 50s should be able to relate to it - especially if you were born in the US of A. There were many laughs. Bill Bryson has a nice engaging style.
Sep 20, 2011reedstevens rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
Dreadful, vulgar, smugly middlebrow. When I grew up in the 50's we did not joke about pissing in the jam jars or snigger at the neighbor man who jerked off watching Julie Newman on TV. I used to like, admire even, Bill Bryson. Not any…
Jul 10, 2011DeltaQueen50 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable walk down memory lane for me, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson tells of his early years in Des Moines, Iowa in the 1950’s. Such a strange time, so many things to worry about - Communists, Atomic War,…
Jul 04, 2011
I wasn't born nowhere near where near the 1950's but this book was laugh out loud funny,i couldn't help but enjoy reading it? I will ever forget the "toity" jars....If you're looking for a good laugh,read this memoir!
Jan 25, 2011smc01 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Bill Bryson's stories about growing up in the 1950s are thoroughly delightful. He has a knack for taking the ordinary and making it extraordinarily funny or special. It was refreshing to read about someone's normal, happy childhood.
Jan 10, 2011Mobama68 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This was a very fun read! Laughed out loud often.
Nov 01, 2010TSherman rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Hilarious! I love Bill Bryson. He has a unique way of looking at life and writing about it.
Sep 24, 2010muffie rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Read this for book club while other read different Bill Bryson novels, very interesting and many good laughs
Apr 24, 2010kfabbric rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A great laugh out loud read! For anyone born in the '40's or '50's it's great discussion book.
Dec 13, 2009
Fun, as all his books are.