Kasher in the Rye, Moshe Kasher
Kasher in the Rye, Moshe Kasher
5 Rating(s)
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Kasher in the Rye
The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16

Author: Moshe Kasher

Narrator: Moshe Kasher

Unabridged: 8 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/28/2012

Synopsis

“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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Brandon on July 15, 2012

I only really know Moshe Kasher from the two times I've heard him as a guest on Stop Podcasting Yourself, an excellent podcast from Vancouver based comedians Graham Clark and Dave Schumka. His appearances were pretty funny, the guy has a quick wit and an interesting sense of humor. On his most recent......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on September 13, 2015

I wish I could give this 4.5 stars. The writing was great, the story compelling, but I felt cheated. 95% of the book was the author's descent into addiction, and then suddenly it's three years later and he's fine. After all of the suffering, and then it's just over? Don't get me wrong, I loved what......more

Goodreads review by Bryan on May 12, 2012

I had heard Moshe was a comedian, but I knew him from else elsewhere and had never looked into it. I used to live in Seattle and was back for a few nights for work. A mutual friend told me Moshe was passing through on his comedy/book tour and picked up a copy of the book there. I had told my mother a......more

Goodreads review by Clif on January 15, 2024

The subtitle of this book pretty well describes what it’s about, so there’s no need for me to repeat it here. The question I kept asking myself while listening to the audio of this book was, “Will this foster within me a sense of empathy for the young graffiti artists, vandals and wearers of low bag......more

Quotes

“The 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 Bialik

“Kasher 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 Post

 “A compelling memoir . . . .written in Kasher’s distinctly witty and often frantic narrative voice.”—L.A. Weekly

“Kasher 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 Journal

"Out 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 podcast

"Moshe 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 Fish

"Hysterical, 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

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