Bill Bryson fans have a treat in store for them. Bryson’s newest book, a memoir called The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid goes on sale October 17. Some folks who relish his travel stories might be disappointed, but let me tell you, I was skeptical about his recent book on the history of science. But I got it read it savored it loved it. It is now one of the books I recommend to friends and family alike. So I can hardly imagine anything Bryson writes, especially about his own life, being bad.
The conceit here is that he tells us about his middle America upbringing with the help of a superhero persona. According to Tom Brocaw, his eminence of the anchor chair, the book is “a laugh-out-loud pilgrimage through his Fifties childhood.” You can take a look at an excerpt here. And if you want to catch Bryson in person, he is doing a book tour and will be in New York, Washington DC, Des Moines, Pittsburg, San Francisco, and Seattle throughout October.