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Fatherhood
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From one of America's most beloved funnymen comes a hilarious look at the lighter side of fatherhood. So, what is fatherhood...?
It's pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope.
It's helping your children learn English as a second language.
It's asking your son to make up a name rather than tell anyone who he is.
It's knowing that "Everything's okay, Dad!" means "I ...more
It's pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope.
It's helping your children learn English as a second language.
It's asking your son to make up a name rather than tell anyone who he is.
It's knowing that "Everything's okay, Dad!" means "I ...more
Paperback, 178 pages
Published
May 1st 1987
by Berkley Books
(first published 1986)
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This was a very enjoyable read! It was another one of those books that I’ve know about for a long time, but never had the interest in reading. I came across it again recently, and, since now I am a father of two, thought it might be interesting. It was. I laughed on almost every page. What I loved most is that Cosby is so sarcastic about his appreciation for his children, speaking often of a concealed desire to set them on fire or getting rid of them and making new ones. He refers many times to
...more
For some reason, my father-in-law is not a big Bill Cosby fan. We've never really talked about why this is, but it's common knowledge around here and it gets brought up from time to time.
My mother-in-law saw this at a used book sale and gave it to me as a gift from him, telling me how much he loves Cosby, knowing the whole time that we both knew he didn't. It was pretty funny. The only thing funnier would have been if she left me a note on the inside cover extolling Cosby's virtues while mimicki ...more
My mother-in-law saw this at a used book sale and gave it to me as a gift from him, telling me how much he loves Cosby, knowing the whole time that we both knew he didn't. It was pretty funny. The only thing funnier would have been if she left me a note on the inside cover extolling Cosby's virtues while mimicki ...more
Not a bad read - breezy and humorous, though not all that insightful. It contains Cosby's patented wholesome humour with a dash of cynicism, which contributed to the shock of his fall from grace as America's 'dad'. Released during the height of the Cosby Show, it dovetails nicely with that image.
Overall, you can see why Cosby was such a popular satirist. His grasp for brevity and storytelling is very good, akin to that of P.J. O Rourke (though O'Rourke doesn't use a ghostwriter). It's not hard t ...more
Overall, you can see why Cosby was such a popular satirist. His grasp for brevity and storytelling is very good, akin to that of P.J. O Rourke (though O'Rourke doesn't use a ghostwriter). It's not hard t ...more
I was looking for a book with some of his normal humor, but this was basically only about fatherhood and the stages of raising a child, even to the afterward written by a doctor explaining the different stages of childhood. The thing I found ironic was his commenting on how important family is and how wonderful his wife is while he was raping other women.
phony.
Read in 1986. This book was actually ghost written by humorist Alvin Poussaint. What a shitbag!!
I read this book as a young father and didn't get too much encouragement from of it. I loved Cosby's comic routines and the Cosby Show, but I guess I was expecting some deeper insights on fathering more than all the cynical humor about all the trouble kids cause their parents. I also wondered why the book needed a lengthy introduction and afterward by a Harvard psychiatrist. Dr. Poussaint seemed to be trying to salvage Cosby's content with some expert professional advice on raising kids. Not tha
...more
Before I start this review, I'd like to give a shoutout to Mr. Bill Cosby.
This book is really good, and I'm waiting for the second one.
Anyways.... This book is a really good read!
I highly recommend it for any Cosby Fans, or people trying to get into the Cosby Fan Subreddit.
This book has taught me, and many other people across America, just how to parent....
BILL COSBY STYLE!
It even shows some special moves, like the chloroform shuffle, and the zip zip bobbity bah!
Buy this book, now! ...more
This book is really good, and I'm waiting for the second one.
Anyways.... This book is a really good read!
I highly recommend it for any Cosby Fans, or people trying to get into the Cosby Fan Subreddit.
This book has taught me, and many other people across America, just how to parent....
BILL COSBY STYLE!
It even shows some special moves, like the chloroform shuffle, and the zip zip bobbity bah!
Buy this book, now! ...more
A humorous account of Cosby's fatherhood days, interspersed with some comic, some intelligent and some nonsensical material. However, it is quite hard to get a coherent message on the subject sometimes, even if you get a laugh or two instead.
While I did not find Cosby's book to be a particularly illuminating guide on fatherhood, it is, nevertheless, an entertaining read. On the other hand, one should not dismiss this book as comic, bargain-bin trash. There are some good points as well. Such as t ...more
While I did not find Cosby's book to be a particularly illuminating guide on fatherhood, it is, nevertheless, an entertaining read. On the other hand, one should not dismiss this book as comic, bargain-bin trash. There are some good points as well. Such as t ...more
I found this on the shelf at a holiday house, near a book celebrating Rolf Harris. Reading this particular Cosby book does nothing to foreshadow the staggering number of claims that have been made against him in the last fifteen or so years; it is more tinged in hindsight by the late nineties murder of his only son, who is frequently mentioned here.
Fatherhood is a collection of pithy anecdotes telling us that kids say the darnedest things and if you hit your son twice he will behave forever. It ...more
Fatherhood is a collection of pithy anecdotes telling us that kids say the darnedest things and if you hit your son twice he will behave forever. It ...more
Sep 22, 2015
Ganesh Sanal
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who love children and those who hate them
This was a light read. So light that even I could finish it in a night. And boy, never had I laughed so much reading a book. Bill Cosby was great. Parenting is really tough and the greatest take away from this book is that you learn to go easy on things that would have, previously, ended up in you tearing your hair out. He shows the funny and frustrating side of raising the most evil creation of man and also shows us the joy he had in doing that 5 times.
Having said all that, the title and market ...more
Having said all that, the title and market ...more
I gave this two stars because I did chuckle a few times. Otherwise, I would give it one star.
I've enjoyed Bill Cosby on television and seen a few clips of comedy routines that I found humorous, but as written material, his comedy falls flat. Bill Cosby's delivery accounts for 80% of the routine. Without his delivery, the book sounds merely like hyperbolic cynicism. In addition, it would have been improved immensely by leaving out the profane and occasionally blasphemous language.
To make matters ...more
I've enjoyed Bill Cosby on television and seen a few clips of comedy routines that I found humorous, but as written material, his comedy falls flat. Bill Cosby's delivery accounts for 80% of the routine. Without his delivery, the book sounds merely like hyperbolic cynicism. In addition, it would have been improved immensely by leaving out the profane and occasionally blasphemous language.
To make matters ...more
First off, I chose to read this because he was in town but too expensive for me to see. Secondly, I was actually surprised and disappointed in this book (saved me from spending too much money on his show, I guess). Surprised by the swearing and sometimes vulgarity he shares when I never viewed him that way before. Disappointed because he seems to demean children a whole lot more than he praises them. Of course, there were some funny lines that he shares accurately about the difficulties of child
...more
Sep 23, 2015
VijayaRaghavan S N
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to VijayaRaghavan by:
Ganesh Sanal
This book doesn't offer you any take aways. All you get is a few hearty laughs on how Bill Cosby dealt with his fatherhood. So don't read the book with any expectations of being a better dad once you are done with this book. It's the lightest among the light reads. So even if you feel the book didn't reach your expectation levels you can quickly get through the book without having to leave it incomplete.
In short, the book gives accounts from his life on being a father and how he came up with wit ...more
In short, the book gives accounts from his life on being a father and how he came up with wit ...more
I've had this book for awhile. Started it a half dozen times but always switched over to something else. I didn't do this on purpose, it's just my penchant for sci-fi and fantasy is stronger. I decided the other day to start and finish this book, and it was well worth it. I know Cosby isn't the household and wholesome name he once was, but damn this book is honest and funny as hell! It's just a good enjoyable read and was written when he was at his best. Just a good time, but my oh my how the mi
...more
Apr 15, 2009
K.D. Absolutely
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Jillian's husband (in the future)
Shelves:
humour
I read this when I was still a young father. I particularly liked the idea of writing letters to you daughter or son in each of her birthday and keeping those letters in a safe place. Then when she is already getting married, that's the time you give those letters to her. I also got goosebumps regarding Crosby's poignant story of the box that he kept on the topmost shelf of his closet that contains the mememtos of his daughter's childhood like dried spilt spaghettis, coloring books, shoes, etc.
...more
Classic Cosby. As mentioned if you've seen his comedy special Bill Cosby: Himself this is the text (extended) version.
He doesn't blast parenthood or kids, but he does relay how it's not as beautiful and damn sure not easy being a parent, let alone a father. In the end all the work pays off in knowing you did your best. He also says some tidbits like making sure never to ignore your children and refrain from calling them an idiot (and of course people slip on occasion). ...more
He doesn't blast parenthood or kids, but he does relay how it's not as beautiful and damn sure not easy being a parent, let alone a father. In the end all the work pays off in knowing you did your best. He also says some tidbits like making sure never to ignore your children and refrain from calling them an idiot (and of course people slip on occasion). ...more
Laura gave a copy of "Fatherhood" last year for Father's Day, and at last, I cracked it open and cracked up on nearly every page. The night I finished reading the book, I was reminiscing over the death of Ennis Cosby, Bill Cosby's son, murdered back in the 1990s. The very next morning, while I was still reflecting on Ennis's tragic death, I read online that one of Bill Cosby's daughters, Ensa, had just passed away. So, the timing of my reading of this book was strange.
...more
May 05, 2012
Brett
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fathers-to-be, naturally.
Recommended to Brett by:
The Wife!
We grew up on the cassette tapes of Bill Cosby, and the stand-up film "Himself". Lots of those jokes and stories are in here... We're expecting our first child, so this was only right to dive into. I read the entire thing, front to back, in one night. A quick, easy read that isn't dated despite being published two years after I was born.
...more
Fatherhood by Bill Cosby (Berkley Publishing Group 1986) (306.8742). When this was written, Bill Cosby had the world by the tail. Now he appears to have been the “Roofie King.” Fat Albert would be horrified; perhaps “Old Weird Harold” would have understood. My rating, based on 2015 perceptions: 3/10, finished 1990.
Not quite what I was expecting, the book is pretty much a stand up comedy skit where he talks about his experiences with his kids, the silly things they've said and done. It's a light read with a couple laughs to lighten perceptions around parenting.
...more
Was given this book as a joke shortly after it was published. There are amusing recollections. We enjoyed Cosby's 'Noah' in 64 - when staioned at Ramstein. Today, after his retrial the jury found him guilty on three counts - news at six.
...more
Very funny!!
Sum up a book in one sentence challenge: Fatherhood can be frustrating yet funny. (Also it’s all fake, I’m a monster.)
If you like Bill Cosby, then you'll love this book. It's about how he found ways to be a father. This is one of the funniest books I've ever read.
...more
Aug 15, 2018
Donald Trump (Parody)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fathers and daughters
legends never die, but Bill's been taking it in the shorts lately. he's great at what he does. one of the good ones.
...more
funny
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American comedian, actor, television producer, activist, and luminary. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a vanguard role in the 1960s action show I Spy.
He later starred in his own series, The Bill Cosby Show, in the late 1960s. He was one of the major characters on the children's television show for its first two seasons, and created the humorous educati ...more
He later starred in his own series, The Bill Cosby Show, in the late 1960s. He was one of the major characters on the children's television show for its first two seasons, and created the humorous educati ...more
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