At the tender age of twelve, Jaleel White auditioned for the role of Steve Urkel, the socially inept genius, who was in love with his next-door neighbor, Laura. Though Steve Urkel was intended to be in only one episode, Jaleel’s indelible performance catapulted Urkel into the pantheon of American pop culture. But success can cost as much as it pays. After nine years on the popular sitcom Family Matters, Jaleel is twenty-one, a UCLA undergrad, and adjusting to a world and industry that sees him as the nasally nerd in high water pants, suspenders, and coke bottle glasses.
In this wise and witty memoir, Growing Up Urkel takes you on a memorable journey through the peaks, valleys, and plateaus of fame and fortune.
Growing Up Urkel by Jaleel White will be published November 19, 2024. Simon and Schuster provided an early galley for review.
The cover of his autobiography is done in the style of so many popular R&B album covers of the 1970's and 1980's, with the white suit itself evoking a direct comparison to Michael Jackson's Thriller. Not surprising that both young men found fame at a very young age.
By the time Family Matters became a huge part of ABC's TGIF line-up, I was married and settled into our first home - plans of starting a family of our own still a few years down the road. Still, the show and White often provided a good laugh after a long week of work.
Right from the introduction, I found this memoir to be very smartly written. Having grown up in the industry, White is very savvy to all its twists and turns, and he walks the reader through it in a very understandable way.
He does bounce around a bit narratively, focusing chapters more thematically rather than strictly chronologically. It is more conversational and personal, and that does work here. He is also more than willing to spill a little tea and name names.
In the end, the book definitely comes across as someone who is working out issues from the past to reposition himself for his future. His outlook and approach lead me to believe he is definitely on that road to a better place.
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