Book Review: “Growing Up Urkel”

At some point in the next few weeks, somebody’s going to bring up That Story. You know the one: That Story happened fifteen or twenty years ago, when you were a kid and did something dumb that became a hilarious tale for an elder to pull out every holiday. Har-dee-har-har. As in the new memoir, “Growing Up Urkel” by Jaleel White, being an adult doesn’t give you a pass. It was only meant to be a single appearance. Twelve-year-old Jaleel White was a veteran of television, having already appeared in a handful of TV shows and commercials, so he knew what he needed to do to land a bit role on a popular ABC sitcom. He dressed the part, showed up for the audition, and was cast in a one-time role of a neighbor of the Winslows on Family Matters. That episode was so well-received that White became a permanent member of the cast. As an only child, White says he was raised with a sort of humbleness: his parents encouraged him to reach for his dreams, but they never told him that he was “famous.” Like all Hollywood stars, he had an agent, a contract, and a salary but...