The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid — Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson's first travel book opened with the immortal line, 'I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.' In this deeply funny new book he travels back in time to explore the ordinary kid he once was in the curious world of 1950's America. It was a happy time, when almost everything was good for you, including DDT, cigarettes and nuclear fallout. This is a book about one boy's growing up. But in Bryson's hands, it becomes everyone's story, one that will speak volumes - especially to anyone who as ever been young.