Review of "A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir" by Colin Jost

A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir by Colin Jost is an incredibly funny and entertaining insight into the author’s life growing up in Staten Island and working in an unconventional work environment like the sketch-show Saturday Night Live (SNL). Colin Jost currently is a regular player at SNL, where he not only hosts the popular mid-show segment “Weekend Update” but also is a head writer for the show. He describes his childhood going to his New York City school Regis and his gradual transition into doing comedy. For those who look up to Colin Jost or aspire to go into the comedy or entertainment world, this book lays out the process by which one of the most successful SNL writers and performers did just that. Jost's book perfectly contrasts the importance of being tough on a high-pressure show like SNL while also stressing the importance of being able to take a “punch”.

I loved reading this book because it was so funny and perfect for reading something that wasn’t too serious. While many chapters of the book Jost talks about funny incidents or moments in his life that describe where he is today, some chapters are serious; this balance helps create a memoir that is both funny, like you would expect from a comedian, but also authentic and human. Many chapters, especially towards the end of the book, are basically funny stories in which Jost ends up getting somehow injured while simultaneously embarrassing himself. However, I sort of like this, because isn’t that what a book called "A Very Punchable Face" should be about?

My only critique about this book would be that it feels incomplete. Colin Jost is still in his career, and I think he might have written this book too early. Although he alludes to writing a second memoir to continue this one, there is so much about him that we know now, like how he is now married and has a child, that we didn’t know when he published this book just two years ago. Of course, these big life events could be good ways to start a new memoir, but they could also be good ways to close a first one. He ends his book with the sentence “my best life is still to come”, and while I think this is true, it also speaks to my point. As a huge fan of SNL – I watch it live every Saturday that it is on – I would recommend this book to anyone who loves comedy and authentic reflections on growing up.