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Bill Cosby: Coming at You
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
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holy-grail-unicorn-tamerlane
August 19, 2018
judging by the cover of this book, written in 1978, it's about a couple of little girls who clocked cosby's bullshit early on and were prepared to take matters into their own hands: "you coming at ME, bill cosby?? nah, i don't think so. hold his head steady, jaime, imma mickey rourke his face some."
this is a priceless literary artifact and i think it's time for an updated, revised edition, because it's all there if you squint at it:
in my explorations, i also discovered this book:
My Big Lie
whose one-sentence synopsis takes on a darker significance now:
Little Bill gets in big trouble when he tells a fib to explain why he has come home late for dinner.
are you there god?? it's me, karen: i would like little bill, big trouble to be used as the tagline for any forthcoming cosby biopic.
bill cosby shaped my childhood with his picture pages and pudding pops, but if i could go back to those sweet, innocent days, i would absolutely get in line behind that redheaded babybrawler and give him a knuckle-meeting of my own.
and then rob him of all the banana pudding pops. or at least the recipe. nothing compares.
both of these books are going on my list of "hindsight regrets" titles, along with this year-2000 autobiography:
Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story
and this "spoke too soon" honor:
Miley Cyrus
let me know if y'all have any other books i can add. i've only just started, but i know there are some dusty old treasures out there...
come to my blog!
June 28, 2025
I'm not exactly sure what to make of this gem. Let's start with the cover.
I'm guessing God was involved in this. This was written in 1978, and nothing in this book relates to the image above. But now that we know what we know about Cosby being a serial rapist, this whole "you hold him still while I pummel him" picture with a little girl getting ready to give him the beat down... I mean, where to even start. Then if you couple that image with the title of Bill Cosby Coming at You... I believe something otherworldly niggled in someone's mind to make them put this picture on the cover so the Goodreads community could have an ironic laugh 40 years later. There really is no explanation for the image based on the text.
As for the book and the four stars I assign it, I'm looking strictly at the book itself and basing it on its literary merits with respects to its target audience which is younger elementary age kids. It's a simple biography of Bill Cosby when he was a kid and runs up into early adulthood when he was making Fat Albert, but it stops just before Picture Pages. I remember enjoying both shows during my childhood. Again, looking strictly at its literary quality, this is a good book for kids learning to read and wanting to learn a little something about a popular figure back then. He also mentions a few jokes from his old standup routines in this, and it was nice to be reminded of those.
As for my copy of the book, it looks like it actually came from an elementary school, H.B. Patch, to be exact, in the great metropolis of Omro, WI, home to some 3,600 souls. The due date card holder on the inside of the back cover indicates it was there during the analog age, I'm guessing since 1978. The barcode sticker on the front with "Omro Elementary Sch. Media Center" on it suggests it was still there in the digital age. It eventually ended up at Thriftbooks in Dallas which is the outfit that sold it to me via AbeBooks, and it now resides with me in Richmond, VA. It made its circuitous route from thither to hither all for the benefit of the two or three of you that will read this review. You're welcome.
But why was it removed from the elementary school library? You know, this could be an addendum to this year's banned books project. Please realize that this is all conjecture, but I'm going to surmise that it was pulled from the library sometime after 2014 when the rape allegations gained traction. Would I have pulled it? It's a hard call, but yes, I believe I would. Certain subjects need to be introduced at the appropriate time in a child's life, but the age range for this book is a little too young to go beyond the "inappropriate touching" stage unless that inappropriate touching has occurred, and then you need to go into it differently for that particular kid. Having the book in a kindergarten library would lead to awkward moments when the parents of the kid saw what they brought home and would likely upset a lot of them. Calls to the school would ensue, there'd be a hell of a kerfuffle, and really, it's just best to make the thing go away so as to avoid needless drama.
Would I read this to my nieces and nephews when they were young, knowing what I know about the Cos now? Yes. Everybody is going to be disappointed with people in their lives, both personal acquaintances and celebrities. It's just a fact of life, and it's best to learn how to deal with it whenever it happens for the first time which is usually in childhood or adolescence. I still like The Cosby Show and watch it almost every day on ONE since it's on when I get home from work. I'm able to separate the actor from the character he's playing. Not everyone can do this, and I don't hold it against anybody if they never want to see Cosby on anything ever again, or listen to his standup, or whatever. When the kids were living with me, they saw it too. One day one of them asked me "did you know" blah blah blah. I said I did, and we talked about it. She was probably 11ish or so and ready to hear some ugly truths sans graphic details. She looked a little disappointed, then went on with her life.
Some episodes are... well, I won't say "difficult" to watch, but I can't help but think about the rapist situation when they're on because some of the stuff Cliff tells his kids is so ironic, especially when he's trying to teach Theo to treat women with respect. Others ONE doesn't even show because they're too sensitive. A couple of them are good episodes, but I get it. The one where Vanessa gets drunk, and they have a drinking game to teach her a lesson where they force Rudy to take a shot (it turns out to be iced tea). Cosby forcing someone to drink something that ain't all that healthy for them... The one with Cliff's secret barbecue sauce which makes people all "huggy-buggy" (Cosby-speak for horny) after a while, but he doesn't tell anybody about that except Clair later in the episode... Then the one with Mrs. Minifield played by Lili Bernard who is one of the women Cosby dicked over (literally). Those cross a line for a lot of people, so they don't get played. (I assume this denies Ms. Bernard some royalties, so I guess she's still getting dicked over by the Cos.) I can still watch them, but I have the same reaction I have when I see the New York City skyline on anything made pre 9/11. My mind will always go there when I see the World Trade Center, but bittersweet reflection is not always a bad thing. Likewise my mind will always go to Bill's fall from grace with some episodes.
Still, kudos to ONE for showing The Cosby Show at all. It's still a great show regardless of how hypocritical some of it ended up being, and anybody who doesn't want to watch it or want their kids to see it can always change the channel. I tried to find a list of the episodes they don't play, but the internet doesn't seem to have one.[1] I wish they'd show Cosby, the show from the late 90s, but that's impossible to find even on DVD. It wasn't as good as The Cosby Show, but I enjoyed it and remember a few episodes. Madeline Kahn was great on it. Since it was more obscure and hasn't been out anyway, I reckon this series will never again see the light of day which is a shame.
In case you haven't caught on, I'm a Cosby fan, and I still think his stand up is hilarious. I practically have Bill Cosby - Himself memorized, and still catch it once every couple/few years, and I used to listen to my mother's Best of Bill Cosby record album all the time as a kid. Noah, Fat Albert, Driving in San Francisco... He also has a ton of other stuff out there that I enjoy. He was able to be funny without being dirty (ironically), and that takes real talent.
Side notes: R. Kelly did some pretty bad stuff too, and I don't listen to any of his songs. However, I've never liked R. Kelly, so I was ahead of the trend this one time in my life. Every time "Bump N' Grind" (no, I won't link it; go find it yourself) comes on, and he fires off with "My mind's telling me no," I respond with "so is mine," and snap the radio to another station. Fortunately, I haven't had to do this for a few years now since 90's on 9 won't play his songs. I'm not exactly complaining, but I think it's terrible that Downtown Julie Brown has to skip his songs by mentioning it as fast as she can and going to the next one during her weekly top 30 countdowns. This is funny when they get to December of 1998 and January of 1999 when "I'm Your Angel" is number one. She plays the number two song (which is always Deborah Cox's "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here," another meh song), then says "And the number one song this week was R. Kelly and Celine Dion's 'I'm Your Angel,' and that's it, countdown's over, see you next week. Peace, love, and wubba, wubba, wubba." Whatever R. Kelly did doesn't change history, and the work should still be played. Same for Puff Daddy/P. Diddy who is also now banned from 90s on 9 and most other radio stations. But they still play Michael Jackson's songs. I think they know the backlash they'd face if they tried to remove his catalog, and they want no part of it.
I guess Bill Cosby gets to be in a middle ground of sorts.
Disclaimer: Please understand I'm neither defending nor condoning Cosby's actions which I consider to be heinous. If you do the crime, you gotta do the time.
[1]: 9/20/26 update: I've identified all the episodes ONE doesn't show anymore, and I'll take a stab at why they don't make the cut, just for shits and giggles and to provide the internet a list. They say the internet is supposed to have everything on it. It didn't, but now it does.
"Rudy's Sick" (Season 1, episode 12): There's a scene where Cliff crushes up Rudy's aspirin in a spoon, puts some orange juice in it, and flies it into her mouth with plane sounds. I suppose this technically counts as Bill Cosby drugging someone, but really?
"Autumn Gifts" (4, 7): An older neighbor of the Huxtables refuses to take her medicine every day and they convince her to. I think it was Cliff's idea. I haven't seen this episode in a while, so unless I'm missing something... Give me a break. I also seriously doubt Bill Cosby put the moves on Eileen Heckart. (I have no idea what she was like in real life, but if she was anything like the characters she usually played, she'd kick his ass even if she was 20 years older than him.)
"I'm 'In' with the 'In' Crowd" (6, 3): The one where Vanessa gets drunk and Cliff, Claire, and Rudy play a trick on her with a mock drinking game. This one is self-explanatory.
"The Day the Spores Landed" (6, 8): Cliff has a dream where he, Elvin, Theo, and Martin are pregnant and they give birth to various objects. Theo a small sports car, Martin a ship or boat, and Cliff a hoagie and 2 liter soda. I don't remember what Elvin delivered. This is easily the weirdest episode in the whole series with the Muppet nightmare one being a very close second (or possibly even tying it). I don't recall any drugging or medication scenes in it (though I'm not as familiar with this one as most of the others). I have it on DVD, so perhaps I should watch it again to see if something sticks out... But it's just so damn weird... I don't know if any of Cosby's accusers were in it, so I'm not sure what the issue is. (Additional Update: I woke up in the middle of the night after I wrote this and remembered the scene with Elvin hitting himself in the head with something when he's about to deliver, screaming "KNOCK ME OUT! KNOCK ME OUT!" That might be it, but if it is, I'm sure that could be cut without great difficulty. They cut stuff all the time.)
"The Last Barbecue" (7, 3): Cliff's barbecue sauce seems to have an aphrodisiac in it. Again, self-explanatory.
"Bring Me the Lip Gloss of Deidre Arpelle" (8, 15): The one with Lili Bernard who plays Mrs. Minifield. Lili Barnard was one of the rape/assault victims.
I'm guessing God was involved in this. This was written in 1978, and nothing in this book relates to the image above. But now that we know what we know about Cosby being a serial rapist, this whole "you hold him still while I pummel him" picture with a little girl getting ready to give him the beat down... I mean, where to even start. Then if you couple that image with the title of Bill Cosby Coming at You... I believe something otherworldly niggled in someone's mind to make them put this picture on the cover so the Goodreads community could have an ironic laugh 40 years later. There really is no explanation for the image based on the text.
As for the book and the four stars I assign it, I'm looking strictly at the book itself and basing it on its literary merits with respects to its target audience which is younger elementary age kids. It's a simple biography of Bill Cosby when he was a kid and runs up into early adulthood when he was making Fat Albert, but it stops just before Picture Pages. I remember enjoying both shows during my childhood. Again, looking strictly at its literary quality, this is a good book for kids learning to read and wanting to learn a little something about a popular figure back then. He also mentions a few jokes from his old standup routines in this, and it was nice to be reminded of those.
As for my copy of the book, it looks like it actually came from an elementary school, H.B. Patch, to be exact, in the great metropolis of Omro, WI, home to some 3,600 souls. The due date card holder on the inside of the back cover indicates it was there during the analog age, I'm guessing since 1978. The barcode sticker on the front with "Omro Elementary Sch. Media Center" on it suggests it was still there in the digital age. It eventually ended up at Thriftbooks in Dallas which is the outfit that sold it to me via AbeBooks, and it now resides with me in Richmond, VA. It made its circuitous route from thither to hither all for the benefit of the two or three of you that will read this review. You're welcome.
But why was it removed from the elementary school library? You know, this could be an addendum to this year's banned books project. Please realize that this is all conjecture, but I'm going to surmise that it was pulled from the library sometime after 2014 when the rape allegations gained traction. Would I have pulled it? It's a hard call, but yes, I believe I would. Certain subjects need to be introduced at the appropriate time in a child's life, but the age range for this book is a little too young to go beyond the "inappropriate touching" stage unless that inappropriate touching has occurred, and then you need to go into it differently for that particular kid. Having the book in a kindergarten library would lead to awkward moments when the parents of the kid saw what they brought home and would likely upset a lot of them. Calls to the school would ensue, there'd be a hell of a kerfuffle, and really, it's just best to make the thing go away so as to avoid needless drama.
Would I read this to my nieces and nephews when they were young, knowing what I know about the Cos now? Yes. Everybody is going to be disappointed with people in their lives, both personal acquaintances and celebrities. It's just a fact of life, and it's best to learn how to deal with it whenever it happens for the first time which is usually in childhood or adolescence. I still like The Cosby Show and watch it almost every day on ONE since it's on when I get home from work. I'm able to separate the actor from the character he's playing. Not everyone can do this, and I don't hold it against anybody if they never want to see Cosby on anything ever again, or listen to his standup, or whatever. When the kids were living with me, they saw it too. One day one of them asked me "did you know" blah blah blah. I said I did, and we talked about it. She was probably 11ish or so and ready to hear some ugly truths sans graphic details. She looked a little disappointed, then went on with her life.
Some episodes are... well, I won't say "difficult" to watch, but I can't help but think about the rapist situation when they're on because some of the stuff Cliff tells his kids is so ironic, especially when he's trying to teach Theo to treat women with respect. Others ONE doesn't even show because they're too sensitive. A couple of them are good episodes, but I get it. The one where Vanessa gets drunk, and they have a drinking game to teach her a lesson where they force Rudy to take a shot (it turns out to be iced tea). Cosby forcing someone to drink something that ain't all that healthy for them... The one with Cliff's secret barbecue sauce which makes people all "huggy-buggy" (Cosby-speak for horny) after a while, but he doesn't tell anybody about that except Clair later in the episode... Then the one with Mrs. Minifield played by Lili Bernard who is one of the women Cosby dicked over (literally). Those cross a line for a lot of people, so they don't get played. (I assume this denies Ms. Bernard some royalties, so I guess she's still getting dicked over by the Cos.) I can still watch them, but I have the same reaction I have when I see the New York City skyline on anything made pre 9/11. My mind will always go there when I see the World Trade Center, but bittersweet reflection is not always a bad thing. Likewise my mind will always go to Bill's fall from grace with some episodes.
Still, kudos to ONE for showing The Cosby Show at all. It's still a great show regardless of how hypocritical some of it ended up being, and anybody who doesn't want to watch it or want their kids to see it can always change the channel. I tried to find a list of the episodes they don't play, but the internet doesn't seem to have one.[1] I wish they'd show Cosby, the show from the late 90s, but that's impossible to find even on DVD. It wasn't as good as The Cosby Show, but I enjoyed it and remember a few episodes. Madeline Kahn was great on it. Since it was more obscure and hasn't been out anyway, I reckon this series will never again see the light of day which is a shame.
In case you haven't caught on, I'm a Cosby fan, and I still think his stand up is hilarious. I practically have Bill Cosby - Himself memorized, and still catch it once every couple/few years, and I used to listen to my mother's Best of Bill Cosby record album all the time as a kid. Noah, Fat Albert, Driving in San Francisco... He also has a ton of other stuff out there that I enjoy. He was able to be funny without being dirty (ironically), and that takes real talent.
Side notes: R. Kelly did some pretty bad stuff too, and I don't listen to any of his songs. However, I've never liked R. Kelly, so I was ahead of the trend this one time in my life. Every time "Bump N' Grind" (no, I won't link it; go find it yourself) comes on, and he fires off with "My mind's telling me no," I respond with "so is mine," and snap the radio to another station. Fortunately, I haven't had to do this for a few years now since 90's on 9 won't play his songs. I'm not exactly complaining, but I think it's terrible that Downtown Julie Brown has to skip his songs by mentioning it as fast as she can and going to the next one during her weekly top 30 countdowns. This is funny when they get to December of 1998 and January of 1999 when "I'm Your Angel" is number one. She plays the number two song (which is always Deborah Cox's "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here," another meh song), then says "And the number one song this week was R. Kelly and Celine Dion's 'I'm Your Angel,' and that's it, countdown's over, see you next week. Peace, love, and wubba, wubba, wubba." Whatever R. Kelly did doesn't change history, and the work should still be played. Same for Puff Daddy/P. Diddy who is also now banned from 90s on 9 and most other radio stations. But they still play Michael Jackson's songs. I think they know the backlash they'd face if they tried to remove his catalog, and they want no part of it.
I guess Bill Cosby gets to be in a middle ground of sorts.
Disclaimer: Please understand I'm neither defending nor condoning Cosby's actions which I consider to be heinous. If you do the crime, you gotta do the time.
[1]: 9/20/26 update: I've identified all the episodes ONE doesn't show anymore, and I'll take a stab at why they don't make the cut, just for shits and giggles and to provide the internet a list. They say the internet is supposed to have everything on it. It didn't, but now it does.
"Rudy's Sick" (Season 1, episode 12): There's a scene where Cliff crushes up Rudy's aspirin in a spoon, puts some orange juice in it, and flies it into her mouth with plane sounds. I suppose this technically counts as Bill Cosby drugging someone, but really?
"Autumn Gifts" (4, 7): An older neighbor of the Huxtables refuses to take her medicine every day and they convince her to. I think it was Cliff's idea. I haven't seen this episode in a while, so unless I'm missing something... Give me a break. I also seriously doubt Bill Cosby put the moves on Eileen Heckart. (I have no idea what she was like in real life, but if she was anything like the characters she usually played, she'd kick his ass even if she was 20 years older than him.)
"I'm 'In' with the 'In' Crowd" (6, 3): The one where Vanessa gets drunk and Cliff, Claire, and Rudy play a trick on her with a mock drinking game. This one is self-explanatory.
"The Day the Spores Landed" (6, 8): Cliff has a dream where he, Elvin, Theo, and Martin are pregnant and they give birth to various objects. Theo a small sports car, Martin a ship or boat, and Cliff a hoagie and 2 liter soda. I don't remember what Elvin delivered. This is easily the weirdest episode in the whole series with the Muppet nightmare one being a very close second (or possibly even tying it). I don't recall any drugging or medication scenes in it (though I'm not as familiar with this one as most of the others). I have it on DVD, so perhaps I should watch it again to see if something sticks out... But it's just so damn weird... I don't know if any of Cosby's accusers were in it, so I'm not sure what the issue is. (Additional Update: I woke up in the middle of the night after I wrote this and remembered the scene with Elvin hitting himself in the head with something when he's about to deliver, screaming "KNOCK ME OUT! KNOCK ME OUT!" That might be it, but if it is, I'm sure that could be cut without great difficulty. They cut stuff all the time.)
"The Last Barbecue" (7, 3): Cliff's barbecue sauce seems to have an aphrodisiac in it. Again, self-explanatory.
"Bring Me the Lip Gloss of Deidre Arpelle" (8, 15): The one with Lili Bernard who plays Mrs. Minifield. Lili Barnard was one of the rape/assault victims.
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