IRB #2 - The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir

            The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson is a memoir of growing up in the 1950s in Des Moines, Iowa. The author gives a detailed account of his memories of running around as a superhero named "The Thunderbolt Kid" with a football jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a cape on. Using these memories to paint a bigger picture, the author explains all the unique aspects of his native city half a century ago when "automobiles and televisions and appliances (not to mention nuclear weapons) grew larger and more numerous with each passing year, and DDT, cigarettes, and the fallout from atmospheric testing were considered harmless or even good for you" (Bryson). I thought that this would be a very interesting book to read because with all the new technologies these days, a period of time where there were no smartphones seemed unthinkable. I also picked this book because, being a guy and all, I was naturally attracted to the idea of being a superhero when I was a kid too, and I hope that this would help me to relate to the author more easily. By the end of this book, I wish that I will have learned about the advantages and disadvantages of living in the 1950s. I also hope that I would  be able to go through Bryson's memories through the eyes of the author's younger-self and experience every great experiences that he experienced in the past.