'Gather Me' and 'Subculture Vulture' are memoirs told through books and subcultures

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 27 December 2024

⏱️ 17 minutes

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Summary

Memoirs from authors Glory Edim and Moshe Kasher narrate their lives through cultural objects: books and subcultures. First, Edim, the founder of the Well-Read Black Girl book club, grew up as the child of Nigerian immigrant parents searching for their way into American identity. As part of that journey, Edim found herself through reading. Her memoir, Gather Me, is a coming-of-age story told through her encounters with books. In today's episode, Edim speaks with NPR's Michel Martin about the early influence of stories such as Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, reading as an act of defiance, and a trove of letters that helped the author reconnect with her father. We then hear from comedian Moshe Kasher, whose memoir Subculture Vulture is organized around six scenes he's inhabited throughout his life. After deciding to get sober, Kasher accessed community and recovery in expected and unexpected places, from Alcoholics Anonymous to the rave scene. In today's episode, he joins NPR's Rachel Martin to discuss healing core wounds, the relationship between Burning Man and the Jewish Days of Awe, and the responsibility of being a comedian today.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. We talk about a lot of memoirs on
0:06.9	this show, and I think what I'm finding is that the framing device a writer chooses for their
0:12.2	memoir, how they go about organizing their life story in order to tell it, says just as much
0:18.2	about the person as the memoir itself. In a bit, we'll hear from comedian
0:22.1	Moshe Koshar, whose memoir is divvied up into subcultures he found himself a part of. But first,
0:28.3	Glory Edom is the founder of the literary community, well-read black girl. So it's no surprise
0:33.8	that her memoir, Gather Me, is told through the books that shape her life. She spoke
0:38.4	with NPR's Michelle Martin about how the very act of reading helped her reconnect with her own
0:43.7	dad. That's coming up. In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
0:51.2	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show
0:56.5	Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people, helping you
1:01.9	understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or
1:07.8	wherever you get your podcasts. I'm guessing most of us have a favorite book,
1:13.1	and some of us might even say there's a book that changed our lives.
1:16.5	Our next guest has many, enough of them to shape her memoir, Gather Me.
1:21.3	Glory Edom is the founder of the well-read Black Girl Book Club and Literary Festival.
1:25.1	Her third book tells her poignant roller coaster ride of a childhood,
1:29.5	growing up as the daughter of Nigerian immigrants in search of their American dream. And she is with us.
1:34.5	Now, Glory, welcome. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me. It's honor to be here.
1:39.1	Well, thank you for that. But, you know, you have to admit, a book about books is very meta.
1:44.4	How did you realize that your relationship with books was its own story?
1:49.2	Well, you know, I wanted to share all the books I encountered throughout my life.
	...

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