FATHERHOOD

For some listeners, Bill Cosby will forever be Dr. Cliff Huxtable, the reigning father of "The Cosby Show's" eight-year run, and likely an icon for generations. Malcolm-Jamal Warner may always be Huxtable's son, Theo. In reading Cosby's 1987 book, FATHERHOOD, Warner relays Cosby's warm, clever humor and observations on fathers. Each skit, and many conjure a very visual picture, is wrapped in the trademark Cosby setup and punch line, but the written/spoken messages offer enduring value and perception, along with the laughs. Manners, money, schoolwork, and devilish family dynamics mark this program. Cosby and the co-author of COME ON PEOPLE, Alvin Toussaint, have short introductory roles. Warner's comic timing isn't Cosby's, and it's hard to suspend belief for that full effect, but Cosby has valuable advice, and Warner delivers it with likable humor. R.F.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2008]