Chapters 5-6 Summary

Chapter 5. To Prevent Flare-ups. In 1985, The Cosby Show was a popular show on television. The Cosby Show was one of the first shows to revolve around a professional black family. In the show, the father was a doctor and the mother a lawyer, and they had five kids. Benji relates to this show because his father is a doctor, his mother a lawyer, just like the Cosbys. To Benji, The Cosby Show is his family, with several differences. One of these differences is the fact that his father is a mean alcoholic. Benji lies in bed one Saturday morning and listens to his father pore drink after drink for himself, mentally keeping track of how much he is drinking and hoping that nothing will set off his father's explosive temper. As Benji tries to stay out of the way, he thinks...