Bill Bryson is an immensely popular writer who has tackled a wide variety of subjects. The focus of his latest book is something pretty personal: his childhood in Des Moines, Iowa. Department stores and movie theaters are just two things that Bryson argues were different and better in the 1950s, parts of a life that he observes doesn’t exist anymore. Affection for the world of his childhood and funny, engaging writing make The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid a guaranteed crowd pleaser.