“The finest, most moving and powerful memoir I have ever read.”—MAYIM BIALIK
Rising young comedian Moshe Kasher is lucky to be alive. He started using drugs when he was just 12. At that point, he had already been in psychoanlysis for 8 years. By the time he was 15, he had been in and out of several mental institutions, drifting from therapy to rehab to arrest to...you get the picture. But Kasher in the Rye is not an "eye opener" to the horrors of addiction. It's a hilarious memoir about the absurdity of it all.
When he was a young boy, Kasher's mother took him on a vacation to the West Coast. Well it was more like an abduction. Only not officially. She stole them away from their father and they moved to Oakland , California. That's where the real fun begins, in the war zone of Oakland Public Schools. He was more than just out of control-his mother walked him around on a leash, which he chewed through and ran away.
Brutally honest and laugh-out-loud funny, Kasher's first literary endeavor finds humor in even the most horrifying situations.
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"i honestly prefer moshe's regular stories to his stand up and would love to read/hear more long-form narrative from him. i got onto this after hearing about it on his appearance on the 'you made it weird' podcast and it did not disappoint. i am very glad he was the one narrating it, because he has a very smooth and handsome voice. i liked the bit about the phone sex. very good"
— ben (5 out of 5 stars)
“Travelling the hard road from teenage addiction to recovery, from lost boy to human being, Moshe Kasher tells it straight. His book over-brims with bravado and heart-breaking awareness, and with an authenticity that rings so true it’s shattering. Frank and, above all, funny, this book is a marvel.”
— Globe and Mail (Toronto)“Fast-paced, humorous, and compelling…It is not easy for addicts to dig deep into their emotional truth about their experiences, but Kasher does a remarkable job.”
— Washington PostThe finest, most moving and powerful memoir I have ever read. A complicated and heartbreakingly beautiful analysis of a life of addiction and mental health with a perfect dose of humor.
— Mayim BialikKasher narrates his unlikely odyssey in surprisingly arresting, and successful, literary terms. . . riotously funny . . .searingly truthful.” —San Francisco Chronicle
Kasher’s stream-of-consciousness writing, coupled with vivid dialogue, make for an emotional story. . . . It is not easy for addicts to dig deep into their emotional truth about their experiences, but Kasher does a remarkable job and should be applauded.
— Washington PostA compelling memoir . . . .written in Kasher’s distinctly witty and often frantic narrative voice.
— L.A. WeeklyKasher spills about his dark childhood . . . .It’s all true (I’ve confirmed). And brutally funny (with the accent on brutally). I had it so easy. Wow.
— Library JournalOut of all the Hip Hop Jewish kids I know with deaf Orthodox parents, Kasher is the funniest. This book is thoughtful, touching, a bit harrowing and hilarious. Don't shy away because his name is Moshe, it's not too 'Jewy'. Emmis.
— -Marc Maron, comedian and host of the WTF podcastMoshe Kasher is a comic genius. In his memoir, KASHER IN THE RYE, he is able to perform an act of comedic magic which is reserved only for the true greats, such as Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, and Mitch Hedberg. Kasher's memoir will take you on a dark and hilarious journey of drugs, alcohol, and madness. But, by the time you reach the end of this book, you will be filled with hope and inspiration that even the most vulnerable can find redemption and recovery.
— -Artie Lange, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Too Fat to FishHysterical, heartbreaking, flat-out hilarious...after KASHER IN THE RYE, Moshe Kasher will no longer be known just as a brilliant, cutting edge young comic, but as a genuine monster writer of the highest order. Think Holden Caulfield on dope and bagels, with a side of crime and insane asylums. This is the kind of book that makes you want to wake up everyone you know at three in the morning and scream at them to read. Little Moshe Kasher lived a life no one should have to endure, and we're lucky he survived to write about it. He is living proof that whatever doesn't kill you makes you funnier. I fucking loved this book." --Jerry Stahl, New York Times bestselling author of Permanent Midnight
Travelling the hard road from teenage addiction to recovery, from lost boy to human being, Moshe Kasher tells it straight. His book over-brims with bravado and heart-breaking awareness, and with an authenticity that rings so true it's shattering. Frank and, above all, funny, this book is a marvel. I couldn't put it down.
— M.A.C. Farrant, author of My Turquoise Years & reviewer for Toronto Globe & Mail" Oh Moshe Kasher, you sweet beautiful baby. "
— anna, 2/16/2014" Funny and incisive, this is a great book for young adults, especially those who are in trouble and need a guide through the dark. It's the story of the son of deaf parents who was a problem child and a dangerous, self-destructive per-teen and teenager. The narrator-protagonist is wickedly funny and brutally honest, sparing no one, least of all, himself. "
— Diane, 2/5/2014" I really wanted to like this book because Moshe Kasher's story is so compelling, but I couldn't get past how much his style/voice annoy me. "
— Kai, 2/2/2014" Overall, it was pretty good....it wasn't slapstick funny but more observational humor, which was cool. I wish I could have learned more about how he became a comic but perhaps that'll be in the next book. "
— Erin, 1/27/2014" A compelling story, brilliantly written. Hit home for me, also being a child of Oakland public schools in the 80s. Truth and beauty and horrors and laughs. What more could you ask for? "
— Emilia, 1/27/2014" Felt very much like reading the short stories of everyone I've ever dated. In those cases the stories were very much fiction. This is not. Couldn't put this down--I find memoirs about people hitting rock bottom and climbing back up pretty compelling. But very disturbing as well. "
— Margaret, 1/20/2014" Fascinating, if somewhat overwritten, memoir of a teenage thug and drug addict who grew up to be a very cerebral stand-up comic. A spiritual cousin to Stephen Fry's "Moab Is My Washpot". "
— Joseph, 1/19/2014" Heart-breaking and hilarious. I've seen Moshe's stand-up before and was a fan but after reading about his life, I'm an uber fan. He's a brave, smart, fucked-up guy and a hardcore survivor. "
— Mikki, 1/18/2014" Normally when a book has the words "Heartfelt" on the book jacket, that's my signal to run, but this book was pretty hilarious. "
— Stephanie, 12/7/2013" Fabulous and funny. "
— Dawn, 11/24/2013" I didn't laugh out loud while reading this. More like smiled wryly throughout the entire thing. I related to most of it and it's one of my favorite memoirs. Very insightful, poignant and inspiring. "
— Allana, 11/19/2013" A funny look into the serious aspect of growing up in the wrong crowd. Cool insight into the Oakland area. "
— Evan, 8/11/2013" Not bad for an addiction memoir - certainly funny, and being raised by a deaf parent creates a lot of interesting circumstances - but at the end of the day there's still a lot of platitudes about sobriety in this book. "
— El_kiablo, 6/10/2013" OK I guess....it started off well, but this book needed about 40% less bragging about banging and an equal amount more time devoted to his sobering-up to make it really good. No doubt it works better as a stand-up routine, like Fisher's Wishful Drinking. Read Dry by Augusten Burroughs instead. "
— Moira, 5/21/2013" An enjoyable, fast paced, quick read that balances tragedy and comedy well. This would have been a 3 star book for me, but the epilogue takes it up a whole notch. "
— Rob, 3/6/2013" I don't know, maybe comedians' memoirs just aren't for me. Like the Birbiglia book there were some really good moments, but the whole thing just didn't hold together for me. "
— Levi, 11/16/2012" A well-written, self-aware memoir about fucking up and being out of control. There is something in Kasher's story for everyone who has made bad decisions, or had bad decisions thrust upon them, and found the grace to make a right turn. "
— Nancy, 10/5/2012" Loved this book. Kashers' stark humor and style of writing kept me on my toes. Eager to pick it up as soon as I put it down, I finished it quickly and look forward to finding some of his comedy acts. "
— Kim, 9/26/2012" Listened to the audio book while working - hilarious! Recommend. "
— Alisa, 9/14/2012" The book made drugs, alcohol, rehab, school, mental hospital etc... a horribly funny joke that makes you laugh all the way but still come out with a full understanding of how shitty life can get for those that can't seem to stop themselves from falling down the rabbit hole. "
— Nancy, 7/11/2012" Loved it. Great voice, economical storytelling, funky bildungsroman, plus I've seen his comedy and would've never guessed that he had such a colorful background. "
— Jane, 4/22/2012Moshe Kasher is a stand-up comedian. He lives alone in Los Angeles. In 2009 he was named Comic of the Year by iTunes and has been featured on Comedy Central’s John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and Chelsea Lately. He has also performed at many international comedy festivals, including the prestigious “Just for Laughs” festival in Montreal, “South By Southwest,” and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.