Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost bares it all and is ready to be punched in the face with this memoir.

Colin Jost writes a love letter to the comedy industry. In this memoir, he shares about his childhood growing up in Staten Island to his stint in Harvard’s Lampoon, before being hired in “Saturday Night Live.” He takes us behind the scenes including the mysterious process of picking up the new host for “Weekend Update.” All while taking a dig at his detractors and at himself.

Geek Rate: Mortal Worthy (3 out of 5 stars). Where’s Scarlett Johansson in this book? SNL’s Colin Jost hesitated to delve deeper and that “held-back” feeling is apparent on every page. But “A Very Punchable Face” gives you the good stuff. Reading his anecdotes is a fun ride.

There’s a certain level of quick-wittedness in his writing. As a fan, I especially had fun reading his tales about his work with Saturday Night Live, the behind-the-scenes preview of him as a writer and host. But, where’s Scarlett Johansson in this book? I mean, I love to read more about them like a middle-aged woman scouring the pages of a magazine for gossip.

“I create entire monologues and have full, detailed conversations with friends—entirely in my head. And then I get frustrated because that whole carefully constructed dialogue will never see the light of day. It just exists fully built in my brain like a ship in a bottle, and then it floats away before anyone can see it. It’s like rapping, but in outer space.”

The real page-turner for me was when he enumerated his top SNL skits. Here are my favorite chapters:

And Your Host…Donald Trump! – Detailing the weirdness of having the failed businessman as host in SNL.

Wait, You’re from Staten Island? – It’s always fun to get a glimpse of a biographer’s childhood, especially if he’s a comedian it would definitely guarantee a laugh. I also like the preceding chapters about his experience commuting back and forth to the main island at age 14.

What is Harvard Like? – Of course, everyone, most of us dreams of getting into Harvard. So you can read it here from Jost’s perspective which is not what you’d expect.

Being a Staff Writer at SNL Was the Most Fun I’ll ever Have in My Life – This is really where the fun begins. As I mentioned, I also enjoyed the other SNL-related chapters, most of all “SNL Sketchbook.”

“I’ve been very lucky to have a job this great for this long. When I look back someday, I think my time at SNL will seem like the best years of my life. But I also think my best life is still to come.”

Reignell Francisco

I’m a content creator with passion for travel, history, football, and anything on TV. Visit my YouTube channel onelostgeek for my travel stories. Business inquiry: geekgodreview@yahoo.com