The Thunderbolt Kid, of course, is Bryson
himself, the young boy living in Des Moines, Ohio during the 1950’s. And life and times is what we get with recollections
of his early life growing up in the Midwest and reflections on the social
trends and national events of that formative period in the USA.
The recollections are often funny, laugh out
loud funny, helped by childlike exaggeration that fits the voice and tone of
the memoirs. And the reflections are
insightful ranging across race relations, nuclear armament, consumerism and
communism to name but a few.
Why the Thunderbolt Kid? That is his alter-ego after joining the ranks
of the superheroes that populated the comic books of the day. His superpower – that of blasting those
adults, and there were many (teachers, neighbours, shopkeepers, cinema
managers), that he found frustrating, obstructive or unpleasant, into oblivion.
Bryson at his brilliant best.
No comments:
Post a Comment