This book’s humor didn’t quite work for me, but I enjoyed the nuanced depiction of niche subcultures and addiction recovery.

If you enjoy Dax Shepard and listed to his podcast this is a must read for you! I honestly went into this blind and I am so glad I did. How are we starting the story in AA but end up going where most people are drunk or high off their minds and he’s completely sober? As someone who abstains from alcohol and drugs after using them for years I felt such a connection with this book and enjoying life without these things. Not to say you can not enjoy life with them but that is the choice I made. Wow was this funny while also speaking about all the different subcultures that make a whole life. I enjoyed all 6 of the subcultures. This memoir hit me hard and I enjoyed reading it so much. I do rarely read nonfiction but I am glad this is one of the handful of books in this category that I have read.

Thank you NetGalley, Moshe Kasher, and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read this book in return for my honest review.

3.5 stars: Moshe Kasher has lived a very interesting life and he's a fantastic storyteller. I like the premise, that he's telling his own story in sections based on the major cultural factors of his life. He's also incredibly funny and humble, despite all that he went through.

The one sticking point for me is that this book is super long and draaaaaags.

Thank you to NetGalley, Moshe Kasher, & Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Moshe's first memoir, Kasher in the Rye, and I was happily surprised to find that I enjoyed Subculture Vulture even more. I'm a big fan of Moshe's comedy (I've seen him at least three times live), and he is an incredible storyteller. I'm also someone with a very short attention span, so I found the way that Moshe split each aspect of his identity into a concise section focused on one of six subcultures to be very accessible. Personally, I was most interested in the sections on Alcoholics Anonymous, Judaism, the Deaf Community, and comedy to be the most interesting. While I wasn't particularly interested in the sections about the rave scene or Burning Man, I actually enjoyed them since I knew they would only make up a small portion of the book. Overall, I think this book has something for everyone, whether you are familiar with these subcultures, want to learn more, or simply want a laugh.

I previously hadn't heard of Moshe Kasher, but the cover of this book caught my eye. After reading the synopsis, I was in - I love nothing more than learning about a subculture or really any culture I am not familiar with. Kasher's memoir was unique in so many ways. There was a balance of learning more about Kasher himself and learning interesting information about the cultures he has been part of, some through choice and others through family. There was also a balance of very funny parts and acknowledgement of the serious topics being covered. This memoir is one of the best I have read and I enjoyed every page!

This was not quite as strong as their previous work, but I enjoyed it for the most part. I think I was in the wrong headspace when I approached this volume. The failing is mine.

Random House provided a galley for review.

I have been a fan of Moshe's comedy for several years. With every appearance, I've found him to be a fascinating individual whom I wanted to know about more. I'm glad he decided to continue to tell his own story here. His first book was Kasher In the Rye from 2012 where he covered his first fifteen years of his life (I need to read that one).

There were many moments reading this one that I found myself laughing out loud. When Moshe describes the history and tenants of AA, the evolution of house music, or the injustices against the deaf community, he does so in such an off-the-cuff yet totally hilarious manner that thoroughly entertains. In the end, not only did I know more about his life up to this point, but I also learned a few things too (sort of).

This was a trip down memory lane. Proceed with caution if you have complicated relationship with alcohol and drugs. The book is an odd assortment of facts about AA, judaism, Burning Man and comedy. The autobiography is told in 6 snapshots, but there didn't seem to be a satisfying thread for me to follow. Yes, all 6 stories were funny, entertaining and showed growth of the author - maybe not quite Moth level storytelling, but pretty good.
Maybe if I was a fan of his work or grew up in a similar snapshot of time and space, I would have appreciated this more.

This one wasn't really for me, but I'm still very thankful to Random House, Moshe Kasher, and Netgalley for granting me advanced digital access before publication day.

This memoir is beautifully written and incredibly entertaining. Full of humor and heartfelt messages this story is definitely one of a kind. Despite being full of humor there is plenty serious moments sprinkled throughout this story, making the narrative feel more human and relatable.

I thoroughly enjoyed Moshe Kasher’s memoir! I wasn’t familiar with his comedy, I just thought the premise was interesting and the cover was fantastic. I learned so much as we journeyed alongside him through AA at 15 and falling out of love with it in adulthood to rave culture to burning man and beyond. I almost wished the dead culture chapter was longer, that one was fascinating. Each chapter closes with lines that are surprisingly deep and beautiful—especially the Burning Man one!

I started to lose interest a little during the Judaism chapter (and it felt a bit uncomfy to be reading it with everything going on in Israel/Palestine), and it went on longer than it needed to. The comedy chapter wasn’t my favorite either—I was starting to wonder if Moshe was more annoying than I initially realized 😅

All in all, a very entertaining book that’s also educational with all these unique subcultures. Definitely worth your time!

I enjoyed reading this segmented memoir, though at a few points it dragged. I found the AA and the deafness topics most interesting and the Jewish roots topic least satisfying because it focused so much on history and so little on his own approach to the religion in particular. I thought the raving and Burning Man topics could have been combined into one, as there seemed to be too much overlap and repetition between the two. I was also surprised that the memoir wasn’t as funny as I expected from a comedian. I’m being fairly critical in this review, but I still rated the book 4 stars as it was engaging, relatable, and uniquely structured.

I wanted to love this one but it just dragged a bit much and I could not relate to the author at all.

This one didn't hit for me - while the explorations of "subcultures" are interesting, I found the non-fiction approach to create a bit of a disconnect between the personal aspects of the story. Kasher is clearly a comedian and his takes on some serious topics are refreshing, however an early passage talking about how nothing he's saying in the book has to be factual really put me off - the advantages of this drama are the vast platform of personal exploration, but I found it to be quite distant and vague when it came to actually getting to know the author.

Subculture Vulture was a really interesting look at all of the different communities Kasher has been a part of. I loved his witty and funny writing style.

What a fun, wild ride. At first, I thought the memoir was a bit long and could be condensed a little bit, but each chapter deep dive helped me really get to know Moshe and all his subcultures. By the end, I was really rooting for the guy. Even though I didn’t read his first book, I don’t think it took anything away from his second. He’s funny, empathetic, and widely observant and self-aware. I shutter to think of all the trigger warnings that come with a book with all the topics Moshe discusses, but if you like his stand-up, you will enioy the book.

Kasher has lived so many different lives. A funny take on the different communities/subcultures he's been a part of. He's got a confident, brash storytelling style. I agree that there is a lot of context, sometimes too much, but mostly I was drawn to read this as a former teenager raver. Thanks for the ARC!

Kasher takes an interesting approach to memoir - telling his life story through the communities he found himself in - sometimes for a moment, sometimes forever. Those communities include AA, the rave scene, Burning Man, the deaf community (he’s a CODA), Jewish and Hasidic communities and stand-up comedy.

Kasher delves into the history of each group as well as his own experiences within them. I learned a lot from reading this book. Perhaps that isn’t the point, but I love learning about people I’ll probably never encounter (sorry, this is as close as I get to camping in the desert). Of course, its also told with a wry humor and manages to make biblical history funny and entertaining.

I don’t rate memoirs (feels tacky), but I highly recommend this one.

I read Moshe Kasher’s first memoir on a whim severals ago and loved it. So maybe my hopes were too high when it came to Subculture Vulture. The amount of contextual information seemed to run on forever, and the structure of the book (six parts, all quite long) made it all too easy for my mind to wander. There is an audience for this book, though – they should just be aware that it’s centered around a general history of subcultures versus personal stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Boy, this was a struggle to get through. First off, the author is annoying as hell. I found his tone to be cringe-worthy and immature. His writing style wasn't much better. Very uninspired and lazy prose. I felt like he wrote this book for shock value. He clearly loves attention, and his backstory left me feeling cold. The only positive is the cover art.