Includes bibliographical references (p. [269]-270).

"From one of the most beloved and bestselling authors in the English language comes a vivid, nostalgic, and utterly hilarious memoir. Bill Bryson was born in the middle of the American century--1951--in the middle of the United States--Des Moines, Iowa--in the middle of the largest generation in American history--the baby boomers. Like millions of his generational peers, Bill Bryson grew up with a rich fantasy life as a superhero. In his case, he ran around his house and neighborhood with a tee shirt that identified him as "The Thunderbolt Kid". Using his old fantasy-life persona as a springboard, Bill Bryson recreates the life of his family in the 1950s in all its transcendent normality"