Bill Cosby

This book, although I believe it is well-intentioned, is one giant, self-contradictory condemnation of the poorer segments of the black community in this country.

I say it is contradictory, because although the book is clearly intended to be empowering and educational, Cosby and Poussaint undermine this goal every step of the way. They claim that telling black youths that they are "worthless" or "as bad as your father" has the psychological effect of a self-fulfilling prophecy. However, this show more entire book is written as if it were addressing an audience of stupid people. They condemn a culture that paints itself into a certain stereotype, but the writing in this book demonstrates that the authors themselves buy into that very same prejudice.

This self-contradictory attitude likewise shows up in Cosby & Poussaint's treatment of women. On the one hand, they berate the rap and television industries for their denigration of women and promotion of an unhealthy stereotype. But then they turn around and on the other hand demonstrate their own sexism with comments such as, "a woman's virtue needs protection" and their claims that women today should be "ashamed" of their sexuality. This isn't empowering - it's shoving women back into the kitchen!

It was very important to me to read this book in its entirety, because I had heard some of the reactions to it, and I wanted to be sure that I gave it a fair chance. Ultimately, while I do believe that Cosby and Poussaint have some things of value to say - most of it what I'd call common-sensical - the way they chose to say it undermines any value there to be found. This book is extremely condescending to its audience, and at the end of the day, I don't think the strong negative reactions to it were unwarranted. Not recommended. show less

Light and humorous. This is how I would like to describe this book. When I bought this book, I knew nothing about the author. I thought this was a deep and kind of a self-help book. As I went along the chapters, I was hoping that the humorous mocking of the aging process would turn into some deep emotional thought. It didn’t. I was a little bit disappointed about that. But my disappointment was somehow compensated with the most satisfying last chapter. I most certainly love the the part show more where he declared his love for his wife. It was absolutely hilarious but I can feel the sincerity. This is a great book overall!

This is my most favorite takeaway from this book:

“The saving of the names in your telephone book, like the saving of the finger paintings and the booklets and the bear, is simply a refusal to let go of the past, an attempt to keep alive your sweet yesterdays. Most of us want to save yesterday because we think it was better than today, because memory has a sugarcoater and we never remember pain. (If women could remember pain, we would be a nation of single-child families).” show less

It's a short book. Most of it is material is from "Bill Cosby: Himself" which I've practically memorized. And reading it in narrative form tells you how good of a comic Bill Cosby was. But mostly that he was a performer, not really a narrative writer. If you already know his material, the book ends up being highly skimmable.

The mediocrity gets compounded by the fact that it's remarkably out of date. At the time, it had a lot of forward-thinking ideas about the presence of the father in a show more child's life. It's nice to know that the things he was fighting for in 1986 are common today. But it remains a book written in 1986. And there's no way around it. Stick to the albums. show less

The Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s went a long way toward assuring black equality under the law. So why does actual success elude many African Americans more than forty years later? Racism may still be a factor, but Bill Cosby and Alvin Poussaint argue that many of the problems holding back progress could be overcome from within.

In Come On People: On the Path From Victims to Victors, Cosby and Poussaint explain how many self-destructive aspects of modern black culture show more discourage success and restrict opportunities. Instead of brother helping brother overcoming adversity, black culture often devalues achievement. If getting good grades and working hard can be labeled "acting white," for example, then what demoralized message becomes associated with "acting black"?

The authors, both well-credentialed veterans of civil rights, urge the African American community to get over the victim mentality that erodes self-respect and motivation. Then they list ways blacks can help themselves, their families, and their communities. Number one on their list is mentoring African American males to take responsibility for the women and children in their lives. Why do so many black men abandon the unwed mothers of their children, and fall into a spiraling culture of bad language, debasement, failure, drugs, and crime?

"Come on People," the authors shout. "We can do better." The words on the front cover echo throughout the book. They urge readers to make a difference locally. Stop blaming everyone else for failure. Take responsibility. Racism might continue to stain American culture, but much can be done despite racism, history, and current conditions.

African Americans need to tone down the culture, cool the violence, stick with family, pursue an education, learn to speak properly, develop employable habits, and support their community. These, the authors say, are the tools blacks need to avoid the traps of poverty and victimhood. I would take their argument one step further (though I'm guessing they'd agree with me): these are the tools needed by anyone regardless of race. The African American community is, at the moment, simply mired in the traps more than others. I am white, but I was joining in the chorus every time the authors repeated their call: "Come on people. We can do better."

The book is dotted with "call outs" -- inspiring thoughts from successful black educators, business people, and community leaders. They pulled themselves up and want to show others the way. Possibly the most important lesson from the call outs is the overall concept: African American success IS possible. The civil rights leaders of yesterday did the hard part; they assured that opportunities existed. Cosby and Pouissant don't want those opportunities ignored or squandered. It's a powerful message in a well-written book.

Find more of my reviews at Mostly NF. show less