Before reading this book, Rob Riggle was like the friend of a good friend. I enjoyed my time with him on The Daily Show, Bear Grylls, Angie Tribeca, New Girl, etc. But Riggle wasn’t my friend yet. 
This book, to continue the metaphor, is the first time Riggle and I have ever hung out without the mutual friend. It’s like our mutual friend had to cancel dinner plans with Riggle and me at the last minute, but we both still showed. And we found out, we get along!
The thing that sparked my interest in this book was Riggle’s appearance on Bear Grylls’ Running Wild. This was the show where survival expert Bear Grylls would take a celebrity out on what seemed to be a 36-hour adventure somewhere in nature. They’d get dropped off somewhere, hike somewhere else, ford a river or two, camp and have a heart-to-heart, then wake up and finish the adventure. Riggle always plays a super-intense frat guy, so I was surprised to see his earnestness on the show, and to see him gift a Marine coin to Bear.
Based on that, I figured he would have something interesting to say in a memoir. And, he did.
Riggle starts with his childhood. Shockingly, he was small and often bullied. He got beaten up and made fun of everywhere – even in church! It wasn’t until he discovered his knack for funny putdowns that he could even up the playing field against would-be bullies. Unfortunately, Riggle recounts taking things too far, to the point that no one really liked Riggle. His tongue was too sharp, and his machine-gun comments hurt more than protected. He had to become more judicious with his words.
That desire to be creative and think on his feet would stay with him, although he had other plans for his life.
Riggle joined the Marines and worked for years as a liaison between the military and the press. At one point, he even considered becoming a helicopter pilot. However, comedy and acting were ultimately too important to him to go that route.
Instead, Riggle entered the reserves and spent time in New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade, where he learned under improv greats like Amy Poehler and Matt Walsh.
From then on, his time was spent between the Marines and UCB, with deployments including Ground Zero at the World Trade Center, Europe, and the Middle East. In between, he was auditioning and “playing” onstage with other soon-to-be comedic actors and creators like Jack McBrayer, Paul Scheer (two personal favorites).
The gimmick of the book is that Riggle used/uses his inner Marine drill sergeant to keep himself going and pushing past his limits when it comes to succeeding in life. As the son of a former drill sergeant, I definitely can see how that can be a motivator and catalyst for action! That inner voice can yell over any negative self-talk or wishy-washiness to keep you moving towards what you really want out of life.
The thing that surprised me the most in the book was the same thing that surprised me during Rob Riggle’s appearance on Running Wild – his earnestness. Riggle is a deeply patriotic guy, and a guy who sincerely loves his country, the Marines, and UCB. He does not seem to find any kind of inner conflict between what many would consider to be two opposing arenas. Rather, he seems to thrive on the teamwork required in both the Marines and improv/creative pursuits. He strikes me as an intense guy who knows what he wants.
If you enjoy learning a little more about the That Guys of your favorite shows, or if you need a swift kick in the pants to run towards what you want in life, you might enjoy this quick read.
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for providing this advance copy of Grit for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.