Bad Boy (Autobiography)
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
An autobiographical tale of the life of underappreciated crime novelist Jim Thompson details his rich and bawdy youth.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0375700307
ISBN13:9780375700309
Release Date:September 1997
Publisher:Vintage
Length:208 Pages
Weight:0.40 lbs.
Dimensions:8.0" x 0.5" x 5.2"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Laugh-out-loud funny
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
As others have said, definitely read other Thompson books first ("The Killer Inside Me" or "The Criminal" would be excellent choices), but this is a great book. By modern standards, it's tame. The title seems an exageration, given Thompson's self-censoring repression of anything truly ribald, profane or shocking ... though maybe this is more a reflection of where pop culture has come today than of Thompson. That said, the book is extremely funny in places & a great insight into the writer. For the truth behind Thompson's stories, try Robert Polito's excellent biography, "Savage Art," which is a must for anyone who gets really interested in Thompson anyway. If you read many Thompson books, there's a good chance you'll get seriously interested.
more of an autiobiographical novel than an autobiography
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
I don't think anyone could dispute that Thompson has taken many liberties in retelling his own story. Even so, the stories are well-written and wildly entertaining. The fabrications don't detract from the overall enjoyment, they enhance it. You find in these pages the roots of many Thompson characters. That is a large part of the fun. The chapters are very short, giving Bad Boy an addictive quality. You'll likely finish it quickly and wish that there was more(there is: Rough Neck). Bad Boy is funny, twisted, ugfly and occasionally tender. Jim Thompson created an image for himself. This is merely the autobiography of that self-made image. If you want more fact than fiction you should check out one of his biographies. I wouldn't recommend this as a first Thompson book. Get familiar with him first...and then check out this wonderful book.
Get to know Thompson first!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
This is a good book, but you get more out of it if you've read a couple of his other novels before this one. It's kind of slow paced in the beginning(his childhood)but picks up with his bellhopping and bootlegging.Solid.
Excellent, a wild and intense life
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Hard to believe he survived all he went through
Rough sketch of the Killer inside me Sheriff
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 27 years ago
For the most part this Thompson book examines the menial jobs of his youth and is as colorful as his books tend to be, with characters of questionable moral focus. Besides his obvious flare for the genre this book includes a real gem in the description of the author's first encounter with a texas officier who would provide Thompson with the model for the main character in the killer inside, for this reason alone the book is well worth the read.
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
