Bad Boy by Jim Thompson is an autobiographical account of the author's early years, from boyhood to early adulthood. It delves into Thompson's shenanigans during his schooldays, his adventures in various early jobs, and his experiences working as a bellboy in a midwestern hotel in the early 1920s. The book provides insights into Thompson's upbringing, his struggles with poverty, and his journey towards fulfilling his passion for writing fiction. Through short chapters, Thompson paints a vivid picture of his colorful early life, laying the foundation for many of the characters and themes that would later appear in his novels.
The narrative in Bad Boy is described as raw, humorous, and occasionally tender. Thompson's writing style is commended for its honesty and lack of pretension, offering readers a glimpse into his formative years with vivid and detailed descriptions of the people and events that shaped him. The book is praised for its entertainment value, addictive quality, and the way it sheds light on the origins of Thompson's dark and twisted storytelling.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for Bad Boy include themes of violence, alcoholism, poverty, and mental health struggles.
From The Publisher:
From the beginning, Jim Thompson knew he was going to catch hell no matter what he did. And during a childhood spent at the mercy of a father whose schemes put him on the wrong side of the law as often as the right, and a grandfather who knew the bad parts of town like the back of his hand, young Jim learned sin better than any writer had before.
From his rabble-rousing adolescence in the American Midwest, to wasted teenage years in the seedy underbelly of the hotel industry, to Thompson's chilling encounter with the real-life inspiration of THE KILLER INSIDE ME, BAD BOY offers a fascinating glimpse at the formative years of the man who would become one of the most famous authors of modern American Noir, in the autobiography-as-novel that follows the birth of the legend himself in the signature style Thompson made famous.
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Bad Boy?
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