In the 1960s, Bill Cosby revolutionized the world of comedy with his hilarious stand-up routines and became the first black star of a prime-time drama in I Spy. In the 1970s, he launched a Saturday morning children's cartoon show that ran for thirteen years. In the 1980s and '90s, he starred in one of the most ground-breaking shows in TV history. The Cosby Showtopped the ratings for five straight years and revived the sitcom format.

Raised in a housing project by a smart and energetic mother who worked as a housemaid, with a largely absent father, Cosby pulled himself together in the Navy after an aimless adolescence. He went on to early success in Greenwich Village clubs, on The Tonight Show, and with a string of Grammy-winning comedy albums.

Whitaker deals candidly with Cosby's private life, including romantic and business disputes. Cosby and his wife, now celebrating fifty years of marriage, fled Hollywood, raised five children, suffered through the murder of their only son and a temporary rebellion of one daughter. Today, he is still performing and making headlines with provocative stands on racial and political issues.

Whitaker has written a powerful biography of a man whose life itself is a fascinating story.