Bill Bryson grew up in Des Moines and moved to England as a young man, where he has spent the majority of his adult life. His time in England doesn't feature in this book, which focuses solely on his childhood, but it does have a heavy influence on his speaking voice. Bryson reads this audiobook himself, and his native midwestern dialect ("newscaster English," as we linguists like to call it) combined with twenty plus years of British influence has created a spectacularly lovely idiolect. Even if the book itself were not wonderful, which it is, simply listening to Bryson read aloud is an absolute delight. Happily, the book is also excellent. Fans of Bryson's trademark dry wit and outlandish tales told in deadpan fashion will find this book similarly hilarious. I literally laughed out loud many times while listening, sometimes eliciting strange looks from passersby as I listened on my ipod while walking down the street.

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Unfortunately, I'm not old enough to fully enjoy this memoir. Bryson talks about his childhood in Des Moines, and while I enjoyed it, I couldn't fully appreciate it. But funny, nonetheless.

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How do you recall your childhood? I am sure there are lots of stories you can tell. Are they cute? funny? nostalgic?

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is a memoir from writer Bill Bryson where he recounts his childhood through his memories. It is a look at Des Moines, IA through the 1950's; a place where even the bad memories turn out right.

There are laughs and nostalgic sighs to share throughout this book. The Audio CD is read by the author, and while it covers topics typical to teens in the later part, even my middle schoolers insisted I play it while they were in the car. Many of the stories contain swear words, but none that most kids will not have already heard at school.

You will enjoy this audio book.

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