Price: $9.93
(as of Sep 19, 2024 14:03:01 UTC – Details)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In these hilarious essays, the Saturday Night Live head writer and Weekend Update co-anchor learns how to take a beating.
“I always wanted to punch his face before I read this book. Now I just want to kick him in the balls.”—Larry David
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Cosmopolitan • Vulture • Parade
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 Facebook was created, Jost shares how he has navigated the world like a slightly smarter Forrest Gump.
You’ll also discover things about Jost that will surprise and confuse you, like how Jimmy Buffett saved his life, how Czech teenagers attacked him with potato salad, how an insect laid eggs inside his legs, and how he competed in a twenty-five-man match at WrestleMania (and almost won). You’ll go behind the scenes at SNL and Weekend Update (where he’s written some of the most memorable sketches and jokes of the past fifteen years). And you’ll experience the life of a touring stand-up comedian—from performing in rural college cafeterias at noon to opening for Dave Chappelle at Radio City Music Hall.
For every accomplishment (hosting the Emmys), there is a setback (hosting the Emmys). And for every absurd moment (watching paramedics give CPR to a raccoon), there is an honest, emotional one (recounting his mother’s experience on the scene of the Twin Towers’ collapse on 9/11). Told with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, A Very Punchable Face reveals the brilliant mind behind some of the dumbest sketches on television, and lays bare the heart and humor of a hardworking guy—with a face you can’t help but want to punch.
From the Publisher
ASIN : B07YK2V73R
Publisher : Crown (July 14, 2020)
Publication date : July 14, 2020
Language : English
File size : 48010 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
Print length : 320 pages
4.5
Reviewer: Duane Schneider
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Often Laugh Out Loud Funny
Review: I was happy to end 2020 with “A Very Punchable Face,” the funniest book I can remember reading in quite a while. Lots of laughing out-loud. Sometimes I think legitimate substantive content was replaced with bits for jokes, but that’s okay. I honestly wasn’t expecting Tolstoy. (Which, mentioning Tolstoy, Jost was a Russian and British literature major at Harvard, and one funny anecdote involves a stay in Russia.) I would divide the book into three sections: Jost’s childhood, which is the funniest part of “A Very Punchable Face.” Then there is a very serious, and well-written, section about Jost’s mother’s experiences at Ground Zero on 9/11 as the head doctor for the NY firefighters. The final section seems like a mixture of Saturday Night Live anecdotes and brushes with celebrity. Jost is obviously very smart (Harvard!) and has been both a legit journalist and a writer for SNL for many years, so the writing here is uniformly solid. If you’re looking for a wild memoir full of drug-addled tales of SNL debauchery, this isn’t it. Jost is more like the nerdy overachieving valedictorian of your high school, and many of his stories are tame. In fact, he dedicates more space to talking about his concerns and bad experiences with drugs and alcohol. While he’s not a teetotaler, he does describe the SNL culture of alcohol, drug use, and weekly parties, and how that has led to some major burnout among former cast members. Jost is discreet about SNL gossip. He won’t say who the heaviest partiers are, and he won’t namedrop the worst hosts (except for Russell Crowe, who was the absolute worst; Trump, he claims, wasn’t so bad). He won’t reveal how much SNL writers and cast members make, nor does he go into great detail about the skits he has written. Despite his obvious drive to succeed, Jost is charmingly self-deprecating, and also complimentary of pretty much everyone he’s ever met. As I said, a number of the anecdotes are fairly tame. White, hardworking guy grows up, goes to good schools, studies a lot, and succeeds. When the stories in the final section turn more random (appearing in a WWE wrestling match, surfing with Jimmy Buffet, insects laying eggs in his leg, Hungarian kids throwing potato salad at him), the book loses some of its direction, and when the jokes seem more strained, this section becomes less funny. But overall I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys comedy, SNL, etc.
Reviewer: Sarah M
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An adorable and funny, yet punchable face. 4.5 stars
Review: ‘If thereâs one trait that makes someone well suited to comedy, itâs being able to take a punchâmetaphorically and, occasionally, physically.From growing up in a family of firefighters on Staten Island to commuting three hours a day to high school and âseeing the sightsâ (like watching a Russian woman throw a stroller off the back of a ferry), to attending Harvard while Facebook was created, Jost shares how he has navigated the world like a slightly smarter Forrest Gump.Youâll also discover things about Jost that will surprise and confuse you, like how Jimmy Buffett saved his life, how Czech teenagers attacked him with potato salad, how an insect laid eggs inside his legs, and how he competed in a twenty-five-man match at WrestleMania (and almost won). Youâll go behind the scenes at SNL and Weekend Update (where heâs written some of the most memorable sketches and jokes of the past fifteen years). And youâll experience the life of a touring stand-up comedianâfrom performing in rural college cafeterias at noon to opening for Dave Chappelle at Radio City Music Hall.For every accomplishment (hosting the Emmys), there is a setback (hosting the Emmys). And for every absurd moment (watching paramedics give CPR to a raccoon), there is an honest, emotional one (recounting his motherâs experience on the scene of the Twin Towersâ collapse on 9/11). Told with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, A Very Punchable Face reveals the brilliant mind behind some of the dumbest sketches on television, and lays bare the heart and humor of a hardworking guyâwith a face you canât help but want to punch.’______________________________4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars.A Very Punchable Face is comedian and actor, Colin Jost’s debut book and is a comedic autobiography.The only type of memiors/autobiographies I read are by comedians or comedic actors because (for the most part) I know that an entire book dedicated to the life and ponderings of just one individual will not be interesting enough to me to stick with unless it’s funny.I really enjoy Colin and Michael Che on Weekend Update on SNL, I think they’re so funny together and play off of each other very well. So when I saw that Colin had written his own book, I made sure to order a copy when it first came out…but then it took me several months before it climbed to the top of my TBR list. But I have finally read it!I wasn’t sure about the book going into it because not everyone can pull off being funny in print without falling flat. But he IS a comedy writer professionally, so looking back my worry was quite unnecessary. He is a really talented comdic writer and so A Very Punchable Face has been one of my favorite books from this genre that I have read, he has the perfect blend of confinence and self-deprication that I love and that I find really amusing.He shares some fairly embarassing stories with us, which I adored. I don’t need to read a bunch of punched up stories to make them sound perfect and unrelatable. But with a title like A Very Punchable Face it was guaranteed that he wouldn’t be afraid to take some shots at himself. Jost also included a very sweet and harrowing chapter about his mother and her experiences from 9/11 when, as chief medical examiner for the NYC Fire Department, she responded to the call to action when the first plane struck. And you guys, he majored in Russian Lit! As someone who majored in Classical Languages, I have a serious soft spot for dummies like me that made such a nerdy and reckless choice for their future.I didn’t really know anything about him to start, except for what I have seen on SNL. But I now know that he is just such a nerd with a tendency toward social awkwardness and the heart, it flutters. I don’t know if he is planning to write any further books, but if he does, I’ll be reading them.
Reviewer: W.T. Kosmos
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: very funny
Review: As expected, I laughed out loud many times. More importantly, now I understand why so many people punched Jost in the face.W.T. Kosmoshumorist author
Reviewer: Mrs. Rueden
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fantastic Book!
Review: I could not put this book down. Finished it in less than 48 hours of ordering it!It was funny, witty, and very enjoyable. I appreciate the authorâs openness, hard work, and relatability.I would definitely buy his next book should he write one.ðð
Reviewer: Michelle
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Funny and Heartwarming
Review: Honestly, I was just looking for a fun read and some celebrity stories. I figured the head writer at SNL would have a few jokes up his sleeve, and who doesn’t need a good laugh right now?This book delivers on the laughs (not always a good thing when reading next to a sleeping husband at 2 a.m.), but it’s more than just a series of funny anecdotes. It feels more like a heart-to-heart conversation with an ordinary guy who worked hard to get where he is and is still trying to figure out how he got so lucky. (Spoiler alert: It wasn’t luck. It was hard work and determination.)My favorite chapter was one he wrote about his mother. She was the NYC Fire Department’s doctor when 9/11 happened, and she is a hero. I’ll be reading this chapter with my 4 middle school aged kids as part of our 9/11 study this fall. I’ve got a hunch lots of school kids will read that passage in years to come. It’s a truly awe-inspiring tribute to a hero by her son.There’s a lot of gold in this book. It’s worth the price of admission, and I’m sure my husbsnd will forgive me for all the times my laugh woke him from a sound sleep once he gets a chance to read about Jost’s very punchable face.
Reviewer: CJL
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: She squealed with delight when she unwrapped it. Very pleased.
Reviewer: Victória Garcia
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: thank you Colin for writing this book, i cried so hard in the final lines.
Reviewer: K
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Das Buch kam mit eingeschlagenen Ecken und zerdrücktem Umschlag an. Es wurde als neu verkauft, sah aber aus als wäre es ewig falsch gelagert worden!
Reviewer: Rebeca Ochoa
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Lo compré como regalo por las reseñas y porque el extracto me pareció divertido e ingenioso. A la persona le gustó mucho, realmente es un buen escritor de comedia. Muy recomendable el libro.
Reviewer: Maria Bezerra
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Leia esse livro. Em todos os momentos você vai rir desesperadamente.Muitas histórias diferentes e engraçadas.Ele realmente é muito mais que um apresentador . Very Good!
