Second Reading

-Dentists are terrifying.
-Father is extraordinarily cheap.
-Pokes a hole in his head.
-Kids are fascinated by minor injuries.
-Group of degenerates known as the butters bully the children.
-Mother is very forgetful.
-Knows his house inside out.

First Reading

Bill Bryson's childhood was somewhat normal for the time period. His years as a boy felt as if they lasted forever with the strange and often humorous moments that one might reflect upon later in life. He viewed his town as the best in the world. His childhood was happy and he did the sorts of things any boy his age might do. The world he grew up in was marvelous and spectacular through his eyes and remains that way in his now much increased age. His father and mother were journalists (it was quite unusual for a wife to work in those days) and he would go on work trips with his father to enjoy the rest of modernized america. The 50's promised a world of ease and opportunity. Machines would do the work for us. Appliances flew off the shelves into eager hands. In the midst of this all was a young boy, absorbing all the peculiarities and wonder of the world around him.

Thoughts Before Reading

This is an autobiography written by an author named Bill Bryson. It is set in the 50's in a town called Des Moines. It chronicles the focal points of his childhood and is written to emphasize humor. The style looks to be relatively lax. He had a memorable youth that had its remarkable moments. That is all i know about Bill Bryson and his book at this point.