Bill Bryson?s first travel book opened with the immortal line, ?I come from Des
Moines. Somebody had to.? In this deeply funny and personal memoir, he travels
back in time to explore the ordinary kid he once was, in the curious world of
1950s Middle America. It was a happy time, when almost everything was good for
you, including DDT, cigarettes and nuclear fallout. This is a book about one
boy?s growing up. But in Bryson?s hands, it becomes everyone?s story, one that
will speak volumes ? especially to anyone who has ever been young.