Hyperion Press "Cosbyology" is the new book by comedian
Bill Cosby.
By Howard Ho
Daily Bruin Reporter
What do retired television stars do? They write books. Drew
Carey, Paul Reiser, Tim Allen and the entire cast of any
“Star Trek” series have written a book.
Perhaps Bill Cosby, who played the Huxtable patriarch on
television, is in the somewhat distinguished position of writing
books that are eminently readable. Unlike other celebrities, who
write to squeeze even more money out of their own celebrity,
Cosby’s inspiration is purely literary.
“The short stories that follow are good for giving you a
respite from long Michener-type books. Everybody needs a respite
from an 800-page first chapter,” writes Cosby, in his newest
creation, “Cosbyology.”
After penning tens of books for children and adults, Cosby
delivers what reads like his stand-up routine only with more pathos
and space. The autobiographical short stories are short indeed, but
they deliver punch and truth.
Because each is so short, Cosby’s 19 stories deal with a
variety of issues, from childhood angst to adult doldrums.
In the longest story, “To Mr. Sapolsky With Love,”
Cosby writes with his uniquely child-like narrative style about
growing up in the projects. In public school, Cosby first showed
signs of promise on a standardized test, giving him the title
“brightest kid in the class.” Hating the distinction,
he continued getting Ds and Fs, because he refused to read his
assigned books. He dropped out of high school and joined the
Navy.
Getting out of the Navy, Cosby earned his doctorate in education
and started small stand-up comedy gigs in local bars. In the story,
“The Day I Decided to Quit Show Business or The Night I Met
the Enemy and It Was I,” Cosby talks about breaking into Mr.
Kelly’s, a club that featured Lenny Bruce and Jonathan
Winters among others. His first night was an unmitigated
failure.
Other stories deal with issues of getting older, featuring a
more mellow and meditative Cosby.
On raising kids today, Cosby writes, “You have to knock on
the door and ask if you can come into their room, giving them time
to get rid of the marijuana.”
On human excess and noise, Cosby writes, “God made
tranquility. God made man. Man made noise. Everything else sings or
hums. Unless they’re angry. Human beings are the only
creatures God created that make loud noises to ruin God’s
tranquility. And I hope all the noise people are making
doesn’t make God angry because He’s got the biggest
noise of all.”
Perhaps most funny about Cosby is his brand of contentment and
denial, sometimes sounding like Homer Simpson personified.
In his ode to fatty foods, “Praise the Lard,” Cosby
writes, “So my cholesterol is 741. So what? It doesn’t
bother me that it’s 741. Every once in a while my left arm
will go numb. Okay. But if you shake it, the feeling will come
back.”
The book reads quickly and compelingly. Some stories feel too
short, owing to Cosby’s unique sense of comic timing.
While the stories certainly stand on their own, they read much
better when imagining Cosby saying the words in his hesitating
style of speech. But he certainly delivers what he promises in his
introduction, “You just want good, funny short
stories.”
“Cosbyology: Essays and Observations from the Doctor of
Comedy” is available now from Hyperion Press for $17.95
hardcover.