Book Review: Kasher in the Rye

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 psychoanalysis 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.

Those early years read like part Augusten Burroughs, part David Sedaris, with a touch of Jim Carrol...but a lot more Jewish. In fact, Kasher later spends time in a Brooklyn Hasidic community. Then came addiction...

Kasher in the Rye was published in January of 2012 by Grand Central Publishing.

After reading Moshe's 2024 follow-up Subculture Vulture, I wanted to jump back to his first book at the start of his life story. While there are a few overlapping points, this one focuses very much on a youthful life out of control. If you have not read either but plan to, I would recommend starting with this one first.

Moshe cuts many of the dark moments of his young life with his wit and humor. It is definitely more dark comedy though with plenty of language. So, those who are triggered by swears and slurs will find themselves very uncomfortable here. But making ourselves uncomfortable is important, because it allows us to see the lives of others that are so different from our own.

Moshe's writing is so strong, so vibrant and so descriptive. At times, you'd think you were reading fiction rather than a memoir. This is the sign of a good storyteller, something that he's used as part of his stand-up career. It is amazing how well he can remember these events given how he was getting drunk and high, but these are the events that are such an unforgettable part of the road he has travelled.