Growing Up Urkel

De: Jaleel White

Narrado por: Jaleel White

An incisive and insightful memoir by one of the most beloved icons of nineties television Jaleel White, the actor who portrayed Steve Urkel on the hit sitcom Family Matters.

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.

©2024 Jaleel White (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

My childhood role model

Outstanding read. Love his story. I have a deeper respect for Mr. White now.now.C
now.

Growing Up Urkel

As a fan of Family Matters in the 90's, and a girl with a huge crush on Stefan Urquelle, it was a no-brainer to buy this book lol. Jaleel recounts many moments—both personal and professional about his life, and growing up as a child actor/star. The 90's were a time for him, evidenced by his many celebrity and Hollywood experiences described in his memoir. Jaleel was very detailed in his reflections, and I'm amazed by his vivid memories. You can tell he takes his craft very seriously, and has been fighting hard to be recognized for his talents in the industry. Yes, Family Matters is his claim to fame, but there is so much more about Jaleel White that he wants the world to know and appreciate. I hope he gets the recognition he deserves one day. The book was well written, and he did a great job narrating. I feel this memoir should have been written about a decade ago, as so much of the storytelling is in the past and or not so relevant or noteworthy today. In summary Jaleel is still chasing the level of fame and recognition he once had as a kid on TV, but as the chapters unfold, it's pretty evident that that ship has sailed. I think he will be much more successful if he explores other opportunities in his career apart from acting and TV.

Excellent Listen

Incredible the Life this MaN has lived on this earth. We need a Family Matters Reboot ASAP!

Good but had some eye roll moments

Good overall story

Would have definitely been a great "everyone hates Chris style" show. They dropped the ball passing up on that.

Great story telling.

Author seems to be a tad victim minded and doesn't seem to like his mom to much. I hearing many subtle digs at his mother. And in every story in the book, you can guess that he would be a victim somehow.

Overall, I'm glad he got to tell everything from his own perspective.

Great Storyteller

Loved it. Jaleel is a wonderful storyteller. It's great to hear his perspective and learn about his experiences.

Humor and authenticity

I loved the honesty and giggles. What a GREAT read. I highly recommend this book!

The man behind my childhood…

I have immense and fond memories of watching Family Matters growing up. I still have great memories of watching this show with my mother, whom I miss dearly. This was an immersive and nostalgic listen. God bless you, Jaleel White; you’re a good dude.

His honesty and wisdom!

I loved that he was candid, gave names, had receipts and I felt that I was on his journey through life. He wasn’t ashamed to broadcast his shortcomings which made him stand tall. He was authentic and his integrity shined through despite his exposure to Hollywood!

Great story

One thing I can say that I really liked about the book was he was being very transparent from what his perception was even if it was embarrassing. He gave a new outlook on childhood celebrities and help you understand like darn. I’ve seen that person as a child star. Where are they now in the struggles of getting jobs his love life things of that sort. The only thing that I had to step back from and really just listen and follow was the story wasn’t in chronological timing. He would talk about something that happened in 94 then go back to 92 but he grouped them in certain scenarios like his dating life was and then he’ll go back to things that happened on a set so I was kinda like confused and I was like oh it wasn’t in order, but then listening to it play out he put in an order of how he wanted to tell his story.

Just a fun listen

As a child of the 80s and 90s I really enjoyed listening to Jaleel’s journey. I always wondered where his career went and enjoyed his honesty and insight.