Grit, Spit, and Never Quit
A Marine's Guide to Comedy and Life
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Comedian Rob Riggle’s frank, funny, and inspirational memoir about how the lessons he learned while serving in the US Marines prepared him for life, especially when it came to pursuing his comedy dreams.
Before he graced movie screens in films like The Hangover and television in shows like The Daily Show, Rob Riggle served his country as a Marine for twenty-three years. He helped liberate an embassy in Liberia, served at a refugee camp in Albania before going into Kosovo, did search and rescue at Ground Zero, and was deployed to Afghanistan twice. He learned the hard way that you need to embrace the suck and never give up if you want to get anywhere in life. And those lessons came in handy, especially when he faced tough crowds as he tried to establish his comedy career. He’s been heckled (by idiots), shot at (by bigger idiots), rejected for roles, and flopped more often than a European soccer player in the World Cup. But no matter what he was doing, every time Riggle wanted to throw in the towel, he channeled his inner Marine and kicked his ass in gear.
Grit, Spit, and Never Quit has action, tear‑jerker scenes, side‑splitting laughs, and plenty of bumper sticker moments. He’s jumped out of planes, he’s become one of the most recognizable comedians in the country—but at his core, Rob is a regular guy from Kansas with grit, spit, and the will to never quit.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
“Funny” and “Marines” normally don’t go together, but in this endearing memoir, comedian Rob Riggle looks back at how being both shaped him. After an almost stereotypical Midwestern upbringing, he joined the Marines as a potential path to the FBI. A funny thing happened along the way: He fell in love with performing. Riggle shares the long days of trying to balance military service with kick-starting a comedy career. It’s fascinating to hear the actor discuss his experiences as a Marine searching the wreckage of the Twin Towers for survivors and, just a few years later, navigating nerve-racking Saturday Night Live auditions. The exposure to so many different experiences gives him a balanced perspective on the discipline required to make a dream real. Grit, Spit, and Never Quit allows Riggle the opportunity to paint a full picture of himself as a red, white, and blue Renaissance man.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Comedian, actor, and Marine Corps veteran Riggle debuts with a funny, fast-paced look at his military service and entertainment career. Growing up in Overland Park, Kans., in the 1970s and '80s, Riggle was regularly bullied for his sensitivity. In high school, his confidence blossomed, and he began experimenting with improv comedy on his school's radio station. He enlisted in the Marines after graduation, and by the end of the decade, he was doing sets at comedy clubs in New York City in between his deployments to Kosovo and Afghanistan. With his tongue planted firmly in his cheek (chapter titles include "Grave Hunting with Grammy" and "Terror, Sperm Banks, and Blessings"), Riggle touches on his family life, including his 20-year marriage and subsequent divorce; the establishment of his nonprofit, the Riggle Foundation, which offers support to veterans and first responders; and his stint as a correspondent on The Daily Show, a job Riggle landed in 2006 after what he was sure was a failed audition. Readers familiar with Riggle only through his acting work will be shocked by the breadth of his résumé, and those who've never heard of him will be charmed by this unconventional spin on the showbiz memoir. It's a winner. Agents: Albert Lee and Byrd Leavell, UTA.
Customer Reviews
Great book, great man
I’m a huge fan of Mr. Riggle and this book is filled with great color and detail of his story, but quite possibly more poignant is his hilarious and from the heart perspective.
Overcoming Obstacles isn’t Easy
Inspirational, hopeful and full of life. If you’ve ever felt like taking your eyes off the prize when mentally challenged by obstacles, this book will help shine the light on not giving up.