A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir
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A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Colin Jost (Author, Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 6,246 ratings
Editors' pick Best Biographies & Memoirs
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New York Times Best Seller

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, and 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 25-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 15 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.

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    7 hours and 41 minutes
  2. Author
    Colin Jost
  3. Narrator
    Colin Jost
  4. Audible release date
    July 14, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B081KBHPJ6
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 7 hours and 41 minutes
Author Colin Jost
Narrator Colin Jost
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date July 14, 2020
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B081KBHPJ6
Best Sellers Rank #3,123 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#13 in Celebrity & Popular Culture Humor (Books)
#16 in Humor Essays (Books)
#60 in Comedy & Humor

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
6,246 global ratings
He just might help me laugh until I'm 100
5 Stars
He just might help me laugh until I'm 100
Genius, authentic, no cheap shots at people that are hurtful, sensitive, loving ( I cried), you would want him as your safest best friend. I'm 73. Please keep writing Colin!
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Top reviews from the United States

Duane Schneider
5.0 out of 5 stars Often Laugh Out Loud Funny
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2020
Verified Purchase
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.
4 people found this helpful
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Sarah M
5.0 out of 5 stars An adorable and funny, yet punchable face. 4.5 stars
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
'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.'
______________________________

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.
8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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CJL
5.0 out of 5 stars My daughter loved it
Reviewed in Canada on January 2, 2024
Verified Purchase
She squealed with delight when she unwrapped it. Very pleased.
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Victória Garcia
5.0 out of 5 stars i loved
Reviewed in Brazil on December 7, 2022
Verified Purchase
thank you Colin for writing this book, i cried so hard in the final lines.
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Victória Garcia
5.0 out of 5 stars i loved
Reviewed in Brazil on December 7, 2022
thank you Colin for writing this book, i cried so hard in the final lines.
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K
1.0 out of 5 stars Kaputt und definitiv nicht neu
Reviewed in Germany on September 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
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!
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Rebeca Ochoa
5.0 out of 5 stars Realmente divertido e ingenioso
Reviewed in Mexico on January 16, 2021
Verified Purchase
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.
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Maria Bezerra
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilário
Reviewed in Brazil on March 12, 2021
Verified Purchase
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!
One person found this helpful
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