colin jost a very punchable face a memoir

“You get punched and it snaps you into focus,” he says.Īnother central thread in the memoir is gratitude. Jost puts this forward shamelessly and discusses how motivation came of it. It reads: “I rarely use the word ‘hate’ and I rarely put words in boldface and underline them and italicize them, but I hate Colin Jost.” At others, it’s straight-up dumped.Īn example of the latter is Jost’s inclusion of less-than-fantastic reviews he received when starting out on “Weekend Update.” One comment, per USA Today, is particularly glowing. All the way through is a thread of self-deprecation. The essays that follow range from more ordinary events (“I Apply To Every TV Show in America”) to quite ridiculous ones (“Okay, so Maybe I’ve Shit My Pants a Couple Times”). This recognition is valuable in connecting with readers who may be skeptical of his awareness. Jost writes of himself, but also knows his place.

As a person of privilege, he inherently stands apart from many disadvantaged groups, and lays this out point-blank. The truth of the matter is that Jost is white, male and of affluent upbringing. In the introduction, he speaks on his heritage and comically points out that “it’s never a good sign when your German side is the less repressed one.” The memoir is understandably about Jost, but he goes about his centrality very carefully. His memoir “A Very Punchable Face,” released July 14, is composed of essays on formative - and, of course, humorous - life experiences. Most recently, Jost has also become an author. Colin Jost has been a writer for “Saturday Night Live” since 2005 and co-anchor for the variety show’s “Weekend Update” since 2014.

Colin jost a very punchable face a memoir