Worth a Read

I've been reading The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson for the past couple of weeks. It's a memoir of Bryson's childhood that humorously describes life growing up in the 1950s. For me, the book started out a bit slow, with observations of 1950s life that weren't all that intriguing; but Bryson's humor and wit really came through at the end of the first chapter, and it has turned into an enjoyable read. Bryson's writing is especially hilarious when he is describing his personal experiences during this time period and focusing less on the stats of the day.

Here's the excerpt that reeled me in, describing his visit to a local restaurant and his experience with an employee and the restaurant's "gift box":

"I seem to have got a doll," I said, with something approaching an ironic chuckle.

He looked at it carefully. "That's surely a shame because you only git one try at the gift box."

"Yes, but it's a doll," I said. "For a girl."

"Then you'll just have to git you a little girlfriend to give it to, won'tcha?" he answered and gave me a toothy grin and an unfortunate wink.

Sadly, those were the last words the poor man ever spoke. A moment later he was just a small muffled shriek and a smoldering spot on the carpet.

Too late he had learned an important lesson. You really should never fuck with the Thunderbolt Kid.

Good stuff.