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A Very Punchable Face
by
If there’s one trait that makes someone well suited to comedy, it’s being able to take a punch—metaphorically and, occasionally, physically.
From growing up in a family of firefighters on Staten Island to commuting three hours a day to high school and “seeing the sights” (like watching a Russian woman throw a stroller off the back of a ferry), to attending Harvard while Fa ...more
From growing up in a family of firefighters on Staten Island to commuting three hours a day to high school and “seeing the sights” (like watching a Russian woman throw a stroller off the back of a ferry), to attending Harvard while Fa ...more
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Hardcover, 312 pages
Published
July 14th 2020
by Crown Publishing Group (NY)
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It’s 309 pages. (And 8 pages of photos.)
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Feb 06, 2020
Heather K (dentist in my spare time)
rated it
it was amazing
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I've read about a million comedian memoirs, and to be honest, they usually disappoint me. It is hard to be funny in book-form, and it's even harder to make a fairly drama-free upbringing sound remotely interesting. But Colin Jost made me laugh, like OUT LOUD, and I didn't even want to punch him in the face once! (Well, maybe a little, but that's just because I'm a very wimpy puncher and his face is just so punchable!)
I truly picked this book up with the most middling of expectations. Maybe one ...more
I truly picked this book up with the most middling of expectations. Maybe one ...more
So hilarious, ultra smart, laugh out loud guaranteed memoir!
OMG, I adored the name of it! Don’t get me wrong! Colin Jost has nice, smiley face and he’s not one of those douchebag characters at the thriller books I want to punch several times to punish severely. But something about his smile makes my fists itchy!
Anyways as a loyal and longtime fan of SNL at first when Colin Jost and Michael Che took over weekend update from Seth Meyers, I got a little frustrated. Mr. Meyers was doing such a gr ...more
OMG, I adored the name of it! Don’t get me wrong! Colin Jost has nice, smiley face and he’s not one of those douchebag characters at the thriller books I want to punch several times to punish severely. But something about his smile makes my fists itchy!
Anyways as a loyal and longtime fan of SNL at first when Colin Jost and Michael Che took over weekend update from Seth Meyers, I got a little frustrated. Mr. Meyers was doing such a gr ...more
Colin Jost has worked at SNL for fifteen years. head writer for nine, host of Weekend Update since Seth Myers left in 2014 and has co-hosted with his bestie Michael Che pretty much ever since...
He also attended Harvard, edited the Lampoon, majored in Russian Lit and wrote a thesis paper entitled "Double Cross: The Double as Delusion in Nabokov's Novels 'The Eye' and 'Despair," which likely had keen insights but being Colin Jost he also makes great fun of the titles of school papers. He spent tim ...more
He also attended Harvard, edited the Lampoon, majored in Russian Lit and wrote a thesis paper entitled "Double Cross: The Double as Delusion in Nabokov's Novels 'The Eye' and 'Despair," which likely had keen insights but being Colin Jost he also makes great fun of the titles of school papers. He spent tim ...more
Ever finish a book that’s quite fun and you’re curious to read what everyone else said?
Then spend your lunch break ( after your 2 hour hike)...
apples, berries, and yogurt: thank you, ....
....only to find the reviews almost as much fun as the book itself?
When I first received this book in the mail ( thank you, Mimi), about six weeks ago, give or take a few weeks....I didn’t even recognize the
“VERY PUNCHABLE FACE”....on the book cover..
SNL, comedian?? Ok?/!!!
I don’t stay up late enough to watc ...more
Then spend your lunch break ( after your 2 hour hike)...
apples, berries, and yogurt: thank you, ....
....only to find the reviews almost as much fun as the book itself?
When I first received this book in the mail ( thank you, Mimi), about six weeks ago, give or take a few weeks....I didn’t even recognize the
“VERY PUNCHABLE FACE”....on the book cover..
SNL, comedian?? Ok?/!!!
I don’t stay up late enough to watc ...more
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Per the placeholder below, I have a bit of a thing for Colin Jost. In all honesty, though, I kind of have a thing for SNL performers period. I have talked ad nauseam about my lifelong affinity for the Not Ready for Primetime Players and how some of my fondest childhood memories involve shoveling late-night Pizza House paper thin crust pizza and Italian beef sammiches into my mouth while watching Eddie Murphy rise to fame. By the time I ...more
Per the placeholder below, I have a bit of a thing for Colin Jost. In all honesty, though, I kind of have a thing for SNL performers period. I have talked ad nauseam about my lifelong affinity for the Not Ready for Primetime Players and how some of my fondest childhood memories involve shoveling late-night Pizza House paper thin crust pizza and Italian beef sammiches into my mouth while watching Eddie Murphy rise to fame. By the time I ...more
I started reading this on election day in the US and fittingly finished it on Saturday when they announced Biden was the projected winner. I badly needed a funny book during this uncertain time period, and this fit the bill. I laughed *so hard* during the chapters "Oops, I fell asleep in a graveyard" and "The chapter about alcohol and drugs". Now, I will give you fair warning, the chapter "Why I love my mom" is not a funny chapter - it's about 9/11.
I don't even watch SNL that much, but for some ...more
I don't even watch SNL that much, but for some ...more
I recently had a friend text me and say something about how people toss around the acronym LOL, but they are not really laughing out loud. But, every once in a while you see or hear something funny and you actually do laugh out loud. Colin Jost's book had many LOL moments for me where I was really laughing out loud.
If you don't watch SNL or are not familiar with Colin Jost, I don't think there is a point in reading this book. Sometimes a non-fiction book seems like it could be easily appreciate ...more
If you don't watch SNL or are not familiar with Colin Jost, I don't think there is a point in reading this book. Sometimes a non-fiction book seems like it could be easily appreciate ...more
A Very Punchable Face
, Colin Jost's memoir, is both funny and introspective.
I don’t read a lot of memoirs, particularly those written by celebrities, but when I was in the airport the other day looking for a backup book for a cross-country flight, I saw Colin Jost’s face staring at me and I decided to pick this one up. While I watch Saturday Night Live rarely, I do enjoy the "Weekend Update" segment that Jost does with Michael Che. I also think he and Scarlett Johansson make a great coup ...more
I don’t read a lot of memoirs, particularly those written by celebrities, but when I was in the airport the other day looking for a backup book for a cross-country flight, I saw Colin Jost’s face staring at me and I decided to pick this one up. While I watch Saturday Night Live rarely, I do enjoy the "Weekend Update" segment that Jost does with Michael Che. I also think he and Scarlett Johansson make a great coup ...more
Colin Jost is an icon. Harvard Alum. Head Writer at SNL, host of Weekend Update.
Brilliant, Funny, Self-Deprecating. Lover of his hometown: Staten Island.
In his Memoir, “A Very Punchable Face” he is affable, approachable, extremely funny and highly relatable. For a guy who is so famous, it’s impressive to discover how down to earth he really is.
Being from the East Coast, I laughed often as he told stories of growing up in Staten Island and absolutely adored that he defended it at all costs. The ...more
Brilliant, Funny, Self-Deprecating. Lover of his hometown: Staten Island.
In his Memoir, “A Very Punchable Face” he is affable, approachable, extremely funny and highly relatable. For a guy who is so famous, it’s impressive to discover how down to earth he really is.
Being from the East Coast, I laughed often as he told stories of growing up in Staten Island and absolutely adored that he defended it at all costs. The ...more
I started reading this when the publication date was still listed as April, but now it has been pushed to July. (I think this is going to happen a lot while so much is shut down.)
If you know Colin Jost from Saturday Night Live, then you are familiar with the tone of this book - in fact we've seen a few of the SNL from Home episodes and if you've watched that version of Weekend Update, the funny without the laughter, just kind of sent out into the universe - that's how this book feels to me.
The l ...more
If you know Colin Jost from Saturday Night Live, then you are familiar with the tone of this book - in fact we've seen a few of the SNL from Home episodes and if you've watched that version of Weekend Update, the funny without the laughter, just kind of sent out into the universe - that's how this book feels to me.
The l ...more
I had not known this guy. Interestingly and unbeknownst to me, though, I know a little of his work for SNL.
Yes, this is a memoir. I'm usually not good with those. Most annoy me because the market is flooded with those of show business people that are full of themselves. Also, most of them are far too young to have anything interesting to say anyway. Judging by this book's cover, Jost should have been in that latter category. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that he had indeed a great ...more
Yes, this is a memoir. I'm usually not good with those. Most annoy me because the market is flooded with those of show business people that are full of themselves. Also, most of them are far too young to have anything interesting to say anyway. Judging by this book's cover, Jost should have been in that latter category. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that he had indeed a great ...more
4 stars for the book, 4.5 for Colin Jost's narration.
I'm probably only one of very few people left in my age group still faithfully watching SNL. I still think it's funny, not like the good ole days with Eddie Murphy or Dana Carvey or Tina Fey, but I've gotten more discriminating. I DVR it and speed through the commercials and any of the skits that aren't making me laugh. However I always, always watch the cold open, and of course the Weekend Update with Colin Jost and Michael Che. Those two mak ...more
I'm probably only one of very few people left in my age group still faithfully watching SNL. I still think it's funny, not like the good ole days with Eddie Murphy or Dana Carvey or Tina Fey, but I've gotten more discriminating. I DVR it and speed through the commercials and any of the skits that aren't making me laugh. However I always, always watch the cold open, and of course the Weekend Update with Colin Jost and Michael Che. Those two mak ...more
Let me be clear: I only knew Colin Jost from a few of his Weekend Updates in SNL and I've only kept up with SNL at all in short spurts since the '90s, so it's kinda surprising that I'd go out of my way to pick up a memoir about THIS guy.
You could say I was strongarmed into it. You could also say that I was enamored by SUCH A GREAT TITLE.
That being said, I still enjoyed myself with the content. During some of his early life stuff, I was positively flabbergasted by how much we had in common. Not t ...more
You could say I was strongarmed into it. You could also say that I was enamored by SUCH A GREAT TITLE.
That being said, I still enjoyed myself with the content. During some of his early life stuff, I was positively flabbergasted by how much we had in common. Not t ...more
Saw him on Impractical Jokers Dinner Party, seemed like an interesting guy. Mom mentioned she saw him on the Today Show (I think) and mentioned he had a book so I looked him up on audible. Had an extra free credit so figured "why not?"
This was a fun read. I never really watched SNL aside from when someone I liked was on there so I only vaguely knew what he was mentioning but it was still fun to hear about him and his work/home life. He seems like someone I would get along with if we bumped into ...more
This was a fun read. I never really watched SNL aside from when someone I liked was on there so I only vaguely knew what he was mentioning but it was still fun to hear about him and his work/home life. He seems like someone I would get along with if we bumped into ...more
A Very Punchable Face is a memoir of sorts from comedian/writer Colin Jost, the current co-anchor on Weekend Update and co-lead writer for Saturday Night Live. Jost presents a series of essays that takes the reader through various points in his life from his early years through to his current position both behind and in front of the camera on Saturday nights.
Jost rarely lets his past self’s behavior slide in the opening chapters. Stories of his years growing up on Staten Island, recurring incide ...more
Jost rarely lets his past self’s behavior slide in the opening chapters. Stories of his years growing up on Staten Island, recurring incide ...more
I was a Colin Jost fan prior to reading this and this book just cements my opinion of him. He is humorous and does not take himself too serious and I like that in a person.
I’ve read other famous folks memoirs and enjoyed them for the most part but this one is absolutely my favorite so far and that is saying a lot since I am a HUGE Ellen DeGeneres fan.
I cannot tell you how many times I laughed out loud during this book. He seems like someone I could easily be friends with…...He’s relatable, sar ...more
I’ve read other famous folks memoirs and enjoyed them for the most part but this one is absolutely my favorite so far and that is saying a lot since I am a HUGE Ellen DeGeneres fan.
I cannot tell you how many times I laughed out loud during this book. He seems like someone I could easily be friends with…...He’s relatable, sar ...more
I think the mark of a good humor memoir is if someone who has absolutely never heard of the author before can walk away from the book saying they had a good time.
And let me assure you. I had a good time.
For those not in the know (like myself), Colin Jost has had an illustrious career in comedy. He began by writing for his college's newspaper and eventually made it to SNL's head writer.
He does between 50-100 standup comedy routines a year, became the weekend-update cohost and married Scarlett Joh ...more
And let me assure you. I had a good time.
For those not in the know (like myself), Colin Jost has had an illustrious career in comedy. He began by writing for his college's newspaper and eventually made it to SNL's head writer.
He does between 50-100 standup comedy routines a year, became the weekend-update cohost and married Scarlett Joh ...more
Childhood memories in Staten Island were absolutely hilarious. I mean laughing out loud til hubby and I were crying hilarious. The chapter about his mom (chief medical officer of the FDNY) during 9/11 made us tear up too, but in sadness and admiration for this real life hero. Wow. The young adult stuff from Harvard Lampoon to his early years writing at SNL were interesting, insightful and entertaining. Then, everything about his Weekend Update gig and peripheral anecdotes was dead boring, canned
...more
This is by far one of the best, if not, the best memoirs I've read. I laughed so hard I was crying multiple times. Fantastic.
...more
What a delightful, funny, refreshing book to read especially during a season where there is so much unrest in all of life and what is going on around us. I grew up at the beginning of SNL and was not really familiar with Colin, Michael Che, and many of the other cast members mentioned, as I became an infrequent watcher over the years. I thought to myself, “How can these new kids be better than Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and Jane Curtain?”
I ended up taking breaks durin ...more
I ended up taking breaks durin ...more
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost is a funny, irreverent, and self-deprecating memoir that is every bit as joyful and enlightening as you would hope it to be. I am always wary of reading a memoir penned by a celebrity whose work I admire for fear of being disillusioned by the person behind the celebrity, but my concerns were totally unfounded here.
I have always believed, in a non-creepy fangirl way, that Colin Jost is someone who is not only relatable, but approachable, and the total lack of ...more
I have always believed, in a non-creepy fangirl way, that Colin Jost is someone who is not only relatable, but approachable, and the total lack of ...more
You look at Colin Jost and think, "Oh yeah he's the guy engaged to Scarlett Johansson."
Then you think, "Geez, guess that's the most exciting thing to happen to him."
You'd be so, so, so incorrect.
This book is filled with hilarious antedotes, written with honesty, humour, and self awareness. I won't spoil any of the stories, but the deeper you get into this book the more you're wondering how one guy could ever get into so much misfortune, yet so much luck in getting the perfect job.
Jost also takes ...more
Then you think, "Geez, guess that's the most exciting thing to happen to him."
You'd be so, so, so incorrect.
This book is filled with hilarious antedotes, written with honesty, humour, and self awareness. I won't spoil any of the stories, but the deeper you get into this book the more you're wondering how one guy could ever get into so much misfortune, yet so much luck in getting the perfect job.
Jost also takes ...more
4.5 stars! OMGOSH this was HILARIOUS!!! I wish it was longer!!!!!!
This book was everything I thought it would be, so I got everything I wanted out of it.
Colin is one of the best things to happen to SNL at least in my lifetime. So, of course I had to get this book. I think he is extremely talented and he makes me smile each time I see him on screen (even when the jokes aren't that funny, I'm just happy to see him). With that being said, when I got to the end of this book I was definitely screaming "NOOOOO!" like a banshee. I am happy for Colin and understand t ...more
Colin is one of the best things to happen to SNL at least in my lifetime. So, of course I had to get this book. I think he is extremely talented and he makes me smile each time I see him on screen (even when the jokes aren't that funny, I'm just happy to see him). With that being said, when I got to the end of this book I was definitely screaming "NOOOOO!" like a banshee. I am happy for Colin and understand t ...more
4.5 stars
All I knew about Colin was that he was on Saturday Night Live on Weekend Update and he was dating Scarlett Johansen. Still, it turns out there is much more to Harvard educated Jost as he was a head writer on SNL for years, plus he's done the rounds in stand-up comedy so it was with anticipation I read this a sort-of-memoir written in the form of essays, and it did not disappoint. The stories range from hilarious to moving (his mother is amazing) to crude (one piece, in particular, is a ...more
All I knew about Colin was that he was on Saturday Night Live on Weekend Update and he was dating Scarlett Johansen. Still, it turns out there is much more to Harvard educated Jost as he was a head writer on SNL for years, plus he's done the rounds in stand-up comedy so it was with anticipation I read this a sort-of-memoir written in the form of essays, and it did not disappoint. The stories range from hilarious to moving (his mother is amazing) to crude (one piece, in particular, is a ...more
Overall, I’d say the existence of this book is totally unnecessary. Another Harvard-and-Regis-educated white man who’s lead a wildly successful and privileged life writes a memoir while in his mid-thirties. The world does not need this at this juncture in time. Nor does he really have enough interesting content to produce a full length memoir, so the books rather short.
But that being said, Colin Jost is funny. I laughed out loud quite a few times while reading this. And I mean, he’s a good writ ...more
But that being said, Colin Jost is funny. I laughed out loud quite a few times while reading this. And I mean, he’s a good writ ...more
This is the perfect audiobook to laugh to while running on a treadmill, if you want to fall off of said treadmill. 5 stars.
This is a must-read for any SNL lover! Or comedy lover! I am a lifelong SNL fan, and I have always been so interested in and intrigued by the world of comedy, so this was right up my alley!
It’s rare for a memoir to make me actually laugh out loud, but Colin Jost’s did exactly that. His writing is so smart and so fresh and so hilarious, and his personality leapt off the page. I loved learning about his childhood, his time at Harvard, and the ins and outs of his SNL career, and I laughed so ha ...more
It’s rare for a memoir to make me actually laugh out loud, but Colin Jost’s did exactly that. His writing is so smart and so fresh and so hilarious, and his personality leapt off the page. I loved learning about his childhood, his time at Harvard, and the ins and outs of his SNL career, and I laughed so ha ...more
Five stars.
A Very Punchable Face is one of the best comedian memoirs I've ever read. The structure and storytelling is great.
While listening to the audiobook in my house and someone would ask, "What's so funny?" Finally, I had to listen while going for a walk so strangers who wouldn't bother the weirdo laughing to herself.
This was also a nice book to read after N.K. Jemisin's We Became the City, because it continues the Staten Island vs. Manhatten theme.
I'm not a huge Colin Jost fan and I did ...more
A Very Punchable Face is one of the best comedian memoirs I've ever read. The structure and storytelling is great.
While listening to the audiobook in my house and someone would ask, "What's so funny?" Finally, I had to listen while going for a walk so strangers who wouldn't bother the weirdo laughing to herself.
This was also a nice book to read after N.K. Jemisin's We Became the City, because it continues the Staten Island vs. Manhatten theme.
I'm not a huge Colin Jost fan and I did ...more
A delightful, hilarious, and insightful memoir from Colin Jost. I'm a sucker for behind the scenes SNL info but Jost goes way past that. He tells stories from his life that are funny and touching. I'll admit to being very skeptical of him in his early days on Weekend Update but I am impressed at his progress and making it into his own thing. Jost does a great job of walking the reader through this whole process. For those looking for any ScarJo drama/info however, look elsewhere. She's barely me
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Colin Jost is a head writer at Saturday Night Live, a Weekend Update co-anchor, and a touring stand-up comedian. He has five Writers Guild Awards, two Peabody Awards, and a PETA Elly Award for the sketch “Diner Lobster.” He’s also been nominated for thirteen Emmy Awards and lost every time. He lives in New York and in the hearts of children everywhere.
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Anne Lamott, the beloved writer of memoirs including Bird by Bird and Traveling Mercies, once said, “You own everything that happened to you....
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“The religious kids were really religious, the kind who push religion on others in a way that always freaks me out. They are like people who keep telling me, 'You have to see Hamilton!' Honestly, no I don't and the more you keep telling me, the less likely I am to actually see it. Though I have subsequently seen, "Hamilton" and it's excellent.”
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