Fatherhood (Paperback)

by Bill Cosby (Author), Alvin F. Poussaint (Introduction, Afterword) "So you've decided to have a child..." (more)
Key Phrases: Father's Day, Duke Ellington, Jesus Christ (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this bestseller, the star of the top-rated TV series regales and comforts parents with refreshing, marvelously ludicrous tales about his life as the father of five. PW praised the appraoch, stating that "although Cosby mostly restates material that appears in many other books about family life, past and present, his is a winner."
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Here are two books by popular contemporary figures that deal with similar subject matter but take vastly different approaches. From a father's perspective and with his unique sense of humor, Cosby discusses the decision to have a child, the changes the child brings about, and the issues of discipline and independence. By making parents laugh at the pitfalls of parenthood, he shows them in his fresh and funny way that even at their moments of greatest frustration they are not alone. Harvard psychiatrist Poussaint's introduction and lengthy afterword, in which he discusses the changing role of the modern father, add greatly to the book's value as a parenting guide. By using actual letters children have written to her and weaving them together with personal anecdotes, Blume allows children to express their innermost feelings. She is thereby able to reveal children's fears about growing up, popularity, sexuality, and death and their experiences with such serious problems as drug abuse, incest, and life in foster care. While her book will give guidance to parents trying to understand their children (there is a list of agencies, as well), it will also appeal to young adults trying to understand themselves. Although neither book gives in-depth treatment to any topic, both are sure to have wide readership. Recommended for public libraries. Florence Scarinci, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, N.Y.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 178 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (May 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425097722
• ISBN-13: 978-0425097724
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #141,668 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, December 8, 2000

By	Candice (Missouri) - See all my reviews

When I went though our minature library at home, I never knew that I would end up reading the book "Fatherhood" by Bill Cosby. Since I needed a book for my class I decided to try it out and I am glad that I did because it was worthwhile. Most young people probably feel that they will get nothing out of this book and that it is only for fathers, mothers, or old people. This book taught me a lot of life lessons not just about being a parent but about everyday living. It made me realize all of the things parents have to go through and sacrifice because of their children from changing diapers to seeing your daughter off to the prom. Most of all though, Bill Cosby wasn't just telling the readers this stuff, he was showing. Everything he said was serious yet funny. he is a comedian so i guess he was expected to write something funny. Maybe if more young people read this book there wouldn't be so much abuse and poverty going on with their children. I give this book five stars and am glad that I had the experience of reading it.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Humor that strikes home, July 27, 1998

By A Customer

Cosby applies his unique way of looking at everday situations with there inherent, funny, shortcomings to Fatherhood. However, this is not just a work of humor. Cosby makes an honest attempt at providing real advice cloaked in humor. A significant part of the book is also dedicted to the Afterward (not written by Cosby) which contains real parenting advice. Cosby covers a variety of parent situations and never fails to be humorous. Nevertheless, I only rated the book 4 stars because the humor rated only a smirk from me (maybe it's just my taste)and some of the book is starting to seem dated, but mostly because I thought the primary focus of the book was blurred between a work of humor and a work on parenting to the point where it compromised both with a lack of depth. I would also like to mention that the quality of paper used by the publisher proved a annoyance. I bought my copy in a bookstore (prior to my discovery of amazon) and the pages where warped near the s! pine. This was true of all of the copies of this book I have seen anywhere.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plain common sense about parenting, May 3, 2004

By	JLind555 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fatherhood (Paperback)

Bill Cosby, who is probably America's favorite father, wrote a gem of a book about his experiences with being a father to five children, four girls and a boy. Cosby's book reads much like his stand-up comedy, but there is so much down-home common sense in these pages that the reader can relate to much of what is written and is reminded of his or her own childhood. Reading this book, it was rather reassuring to find that I wasn't the only mother who threatened to introduce her child to the joys of time-travel (Mrs. Cosby to obnoxious child: "I'm gonna knock you into the middle of next week"), and Cosby reminded me of my own dad banging on the door to my room during my teens when I jacked up the rock 'n' roll station, bellowing through the wall to "TURN THAT CRAP DOWN!" Cosby also provides some back-up for parents who have reached the conclusion that sometimes the best reason you can give to your child who demands to know why he or she can't do this or that, is "because I said so." Cosby takes parents on a tour of parenting from pregnancy through the teen years, with sound observations on developmental quirks at each stage of childhood. He's not one of those parents who forget as soon as they become parents, what it was like to be a youngster. Listen to Cosby's alarm at his daughter wanting to spend the day hanging around the mall: "He (the father) knows exactly what those boys at the mall have in their depraved little minds because he once owned such a depraved little mind himself. In fact, if he thinks enough about the plans that he used to have for young girls, he might even run over to the mall and have a few of those boys arrested."

Cosby inherited his parenting skills from his mom and dad, who raised their own children back in the day when parents were presumed to know more about their own kids than a whole army of child psychiatrists and psychologists. His parents stood for no nonsense (after Cosby broke a glass table playing parlor basketball, his mother entered with a stick and threatened to "bust him in half"; Dad, his nose buried in a book, asks Mom, "Why would you want twice as many?") but they taught their kids good manners, pride and self-respect, values Cosby takes seriously. He's not averse to a good swat on the rear end if the situation calls for it but in general he emphasizes reasonable discipline leavened with good will and humor. Cosby strongly believes parents are parents first and friends second, but he's no tyrant. As he says toward the end of the book, he and his wife and children "have the kind of mutual trust that I wish the United Nations had. And, with breaks for a little hollering, we smile a lot." There is probably no better definition of good parenting.