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Flirting With Extinction: Collected Essays & Stories
★★★★★ “Pushes mortality to the very edge with broncos, sharks, and drugs, coming together to create a disturbing picture of American life.” JoeAnn Hart, author of Arroyo Circle
As a girl growing up with nine brothers and a much younger sister, Joanna Kadish was determined to prove that females were just as tough—if not tougher. From training wild horses and swimming icy rivers to trekking through remote wilderness, she pushed herself to the limit, even risking her life to tame an untamable rodeo bronc.
After converting to Judaism and adopting her new husband's name, she moved to Washington state and together with her husband, Joanna helped create a utopia on their island home, far from family feuds. As a family they explored the Pacific Northwest wilderness and played sports. Their children thrived in an environment filled with art, music, and freedom. But the idyllic life they built took a dark turn when their teenage son Micah, along with his friends, defaced a yeshiva, with one drawing swastikas and the chilling message, “this way to the gas chambers”—a reckless joke that would lead to devastating consequences.
As the law came down hard on Micah, the family faced the unbearable loss of their other son, Seth. In Flirting with Extinction, Joanna Kadish explores the deep-rooted trauma inherited from Holocaust survivors. Micah's great-grandfather was killed in a German labor camp, and Micah's grandfather, with his mother and sister, fled Germany shortly before Kristallnacht. Decades later, that trauma continues to haunt the family, proving that the wounds of history are not so easily healed.
These are Joanna's stories of survival, loss, and the enduring impact of generational trauma.
As a girl growing up with nine brothers and a much younger sister, Joanna Kadish was determined to prove that females were just as tough—if not tougher. From training wild horses and swimming icy rivers to trekking through remote wilderness, she pushed herself to the limit, even risking her life to tame an untamable rodeo bronc.
After converting to Judaism and adopting her new husband's name, she moved to Washington state and together with her husband, Joanna helped create a utopia on their island home, far from family feuds. As a family they explored the Pacific Northwest wilderness and played sports. Their children thrived in an environment filled with art, music, and freedom. But the idyllic life they built took a dark turn when their teenage son Micah, along with his friends, defaced a yeshiva, with one drawing swastikas and the chilling message, “this way to the gas chambers”—a reckless joke that would lead to devastating consequences.
As the law came down hard on Micah, the family faced the unbearable loss of their other son, Seth. In Flirting with Extinction, Joanna Kadish explores the deep-rooted trauma inherited from Holocaust survivors. Micah's great-grandfather was killed in a German labor camp, and Micah's grandfather, with his mother and sister, fled Germany shortly before Kristallnacht. Decades later, that trauma continues to haunt the family, proving that the wounds of history are not so easily healed.
These are Joanna's stories of survival, loss, and the enduring impact of generational trauma.
300 pages, Paperback
Published January 14, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 30, 2025
Wow. Powerful, raucous, chilling, reflective, painful, unvarnished and somehow, uplifting.
Curious by the overview and the description about the essay style formatting, this reader wasn't sure just how strong this one would turn out to be. A memoir by someone not well known, a new author?, and interesting laying out of their moments? .. let's dive in, and see what comes of it..
Whether disposition of the reader going in or the first batch of pages/chapters, it took a bit for things to start sinking in.
Not seeing people or events very clearly, things were a struggle to align at first. Not for lack of anything!.. .. because.. pages sure turned, events transpired, and people became to bounce back in and out in an increasingly-gelling fashion. This reader was head-down and immersed.
Connections started to naturally form and personalities coalesced smoothly. Even the format and chapter titles began to help pace things well.
Cannot say it was 'enjoyable' to be reading alongside these struggling characters.
Especially, knowing they were real and profoundly impacting for so many.
Their trauma being others' trauma. Becoming, more and more heavily... my/our second-hand trauma. Causing our pauses and reflections more sighs.. rubbing the bridges of our noses, closing our eyes to sit with things a bit along the way. Closing the book to Take a Moment.
Masterful might be more fitting here. Admirable? Self-effacing and open fully for the world to see. to hear. feel. judge. to reflect and often, flinch... making personal connections and understandings as we go along with them. Wanting to 'talk to the screen' and shout out some cautionary exclamations.. and, sometimes, seeing the wreck coming down the road.
Not a light read for sure, but a heady one. Chock full of .. life. Real, raw, meaningful and right there. In front of us, like we are sitting nearby, itching to correct someone, support someone, pick someone up.. or leave out, wishing we didn't get pulled along the way with them in this, or that, moment. and, throughout it all, we keep stepping with them. Her. Seeking The Good and the Light. Or, at least, the reprieve.
Joanna Kadish delivers. Delivers big.
Unassuming and touching in ways not thought possible while stealthily-- and seemingly so naturally-- pulling readers into her/their/our realities... and ever so subtly turning the swirling amalgamation into a story of inspiration. Of strength and encouragement. Amazing.
Curious by the overview and the description about the essay style formatting, this reader wasn't sure just how strong this one would turn out to be. A memoir by someone not well known, a new author?, and interesting laying out of their moments? .. let's dive in, and see what comes of it..
Whether disposition of the reader going in or the first batch of pages/chapters, it took a bit for things to start sinking in.
Not seeing people or events very clearly, things were a struggle to align at first. Not for lack of anything!.. .. because.. pages sure turned, events transpired, and people became to bounce back in and out in an increasingly-gelling fashion. This reader was head-down and immersed.
Connections started to naturally form and personalities coalesced smoothly. Even the format and chapter titles began to help pace things well.
Cannot say it was 'enjoyable' to be reading alongside these struggling characters.
Especially, knowing they were real and profoundly impacting for so many.
Their trauma being others' trauma. Becoming, more and more heavily... my/our second-hand trauma. Causing our pauses and reflections more sighs.. rubbing the bridges of our noses, closing our eyes to sit with things a bit along the way. Closing the book to Take a Moment.
Masterful might be more fitting here. Admirable? Self-effacing and open fully for the world to see. to hear. feel. judge. to reflect and often, flinch... making personal connections and understandings as we go along with them. Wanting to 'talk to the screen' and shout out some cautionary exclamations.. and, sometimes, seeing the wreck coming down the road.
Not a light read for sure, but a heady one. Chock full of .. life. Real, raw, meaningful and right there. In front of us, like we are sitting nearby, itching to correct someone, support someone, pick someone up.. or leave out, wishing we didn't get pulled along the way with them in this, or that, moment. and, throughout it all, we keep stepping with them. Her. Seeking The Good and the Light. Or, at least, the reprieve.
Joanna Kadish delivers. Delivers big.
Unassuming and touching in ways not thought possible while stealthily-- and seemingly so naturally-- pulling readers into her/their/our realities... and ever so subtly turning the swirling amalgamation into a story of inspiration. Of strength and encouragement. Amazing.
April 24, 2025
Joanna Kadish’s Flirting With Extinction is a raw and unapologetic mosaic of personal essays and stories that chart a life punctuated by grief, recklessness, resilience, and searching. The book dives headfirst into heavy themes: addiction, motherhood, loss, and the fragile line between survival and surrender. With prose that veers between unfiltered vulnerability and sharp humor, Kadish offers an intimate chronicle of a woman navigating trauma through love, memory, danger, and—sometimes—wild horses.
What struck me most was Kadish’s unflinching voice. She doesn’t tidy up her pain, doesn’t soften her edges. In the preface, she talks about clawing her way back from a state of “perpetual sadness” after losing her sons to the opioid crisis—a tragedy that ripples through many of the essays with a haunting steadiness. In “Anatomy of a Firefighter,” she captures childhood pyromania and sibling chaos in the heat-scorched deserts east of Los Angeles. It’s darkly funny, but the undercurrent of danger—both literal and emotional—never lets you forget the stakes.
Kadish’s writing is pure guts and gravel in “Calamity Jane,” where she recounts a horrifying attempt to break a rodeo bronc as a young girl. The imagery is searing: the smashed teeth, the blood, the betrayal of the body. But what lingers most is her twisted pride in lasting the “full eight seconds” before being flung like a ragdoll. There’s something electric in the way she writes pain. It’s not masochism; it’s a yearning to feel, to prove, to matter. This isn’t just about animals—it’s about people, about relationships, about the wild things in ourselves that won’t be tamed no matter how gently we try.
What I liked most about the chapter Zero Evidence was how it peeled back the layers of human fragility in the face of relentless judgment. Kadish walks the tightrope between raw confession and sharp critique, especially when she recounts the moments after her son’s overdose and the unbearable silence that followed. The way she describes the hospital room, the indifferent fluorescent lights, and the cold detachment of the medical staff—it all made my chest tighten. But it’s the emotional isolation that hit hardest. She’s grieving, furious, helpless, and still somehow worried about how others might view her as a mother. Her honesty cuts deep.
This is not a gentle collection. It won’t hold your hand or let you off the hook. But Flirting With Extinction will speak to anyone who’s lived through pain and come out the other side with scars and stories. It’s for people who can’t stop looking backward even while forging ahead. I’d especially recommend it to those who’ve wrestled with addiction in their families, lovers of memoir that bleeds fiction, and women who’ve ever been called “too much” for wanting to ride the bronc instead of just watching.
What struck me most was Kadish’s unflinching voice. She doesn’t tidy up her pain, doesn’t soften her edges. In the preface, she talks about clawing her way back from a state of “perpetual sadness” after losing her sons to the opioid crisis—a tragedy that ripples through many of the essays with a haunting steadiness. In “Anatomy of a Firefighter,” she captures childhood pyromania and sibling chaos in the heat-scorched deserts east of Los Angeles. It’s darkly funny, but the undercurrent of danger—both literal and emotional—never lets you forget the stakes.
Kadish’s writing is pure guts and gravel in “Calamity Jane,” where she recounts a horrifying attempt to break a rodeo bronc as a young girl. The imagery is searing: the smashed teeth, the blood, the betrayal of the body. But what lingers most is her twisted pride in lasting the “full eight seconds” before being flung like a ragdoll. There’s something electric in the way she writes pain. It’s not masochism; it’s a yearning to feel, to prove, to matter. This isn’t just about animals—it’s about people, about relationships, about the wild things in ourselves that won’t be tamed no matter how gently we try.
What I liked most about the chapter Zero Evidence was how it peeled back the layers of human fragility in the face of relentless judgment. Kadish walks the tightrope between raw confession and sharp critique, especially when she recounts the moments after her son’s overdose and the unbearable silence that followed. The way she describes the hospital room, the indifferent fluorescent lights, and the cold detachment of the medical staff—it all made my chest tighten. But it’s the emotional isolation that hit hardest. She’s grieving, furious, helpless, and still somehow worried about how others might view her as a mother. Her honesty cuts deep.
This is not a gentle collection. It won’t hold your hand or let you off the hook. But Flirting With Extinction will speak to anyone who’s lived through pain and come out the other side with scars and stories. It’s for people who can’t stop looking backward even while forging ahead. I’d especially recommend it to those who’ve wrestled with addiction in their families, lovers of memoir that bleeds fiction, and women who’ve ever been called “too much” for wanting to ride the bronc instead of just watching.
December 29, 2025
Flirting with Extinction - 3.5 stars
Flirting with Extinction is a harrowing collection of prose that portrays familial trauma and the ways it can be passed down through generations. Joanne writes this book chronicling her life around the time of her sons’ lives, with narratives written from the perspective of her, her ex-husband, and son, Micah. She writes about her childhood, wanting to be a Bronc rider, shifting to meeting her husband, having children, watching her children suffer through drug abuse, overdose, and jail, troubles through her marriage that ultimately lead to divorce, ending with the death of her son, first Seth, then Micah.
A central theme of this book is perseverance through difficulties, even if those difficulties are placed upon you by chance. There’s a line that a character, Stretch, says later in the story “Zero Evidence” that encapsulated this concept, “I have to keep telling myself that I’m not entitled to win the money just because I was dealt Aces.” Just because life deals you a good hand doesn’t mean it will be a smooth ride. Even though so many characters are surrounded by wealth, safety, and love, they ultimately suffer, and must learn to either pick themselves up or die trying. This book leaves the reader with a powerful sense of hope in the wake of grief.
Some places where the book fell short were in its dialogue and overall writing style. There were parts of the book where the dialogue felt contrived or stilted. Whole portions of the book were repeated, sometimes back to back, that made it seem redundant. Some sentences could have benefited from copyeditors to help make the writing more concise and avoid spelling errors. While these don’t affect the overall understanding of the book, they can take the reader out of the narrative and make them feel disconnected from the characters’ emotions.
Overall, this is a book that deals with grief in an open, honest way that allows readers to appreciate the resilience of a mother who has lost her family.
Flirting with Extinction is a harrowing collection of prose that portrays familial trauma and the ways it can be passed down through generations. Joanne writes this book chronicling her life around the time of her sons’ lives, with narratives written from the perspective of her, her ex-husband, and son, Micah. She writes about her childhood, wanting to be a Bronc rider, shifting to meeting her husband, having children, watching her children suffer through drug abuse, overdose, and jail, troubles through her marriage that ultimately lead to divorce, ending with the death of her son, first Seth, then Micah.
A central theme of this book is perseverance through difficulties, even if those difficulties are placed upon you by chance. There’s a line that a character, Stretch, says later in the story “Zero Evidence” that encapsulated this concept, “I have to keep telling myself that I’m not entitled to win the money just because I was dealt Aces.” Just because life deals you a good hand doesn’t mean it will be a smooth ride. Even though so many characters are surrounded by wealth, safety, and love, they ultimately suffer, and must learn to either pick themselves up or die trying. This book leaves the reader with a powerful sense of hope in the wake of grief.
Some places where the book fell short were in its dialogue and overall writing style. There were parts of the book where the dialogue felt contrived or stilted. Whole portions of the book were repeated, sometimes back to back, that made it seem redundant. Some sentences could have benefited from copyeditors to help make the writing more concise and avoid spelling errors. While these don’t affect the overall understanding of the book, they can take the reader out of the narrative and make them feel disconnected from the characters’ emotions.
Overall, this is a book that deals with grief in an open, honest way that allows readers to appreciate the resilience of a mother who has lost her family.
November 16, 2024
Flirting With Extinction: Collected Essays and Stories by Joanne Kadish is a triumph of heart-stopping storytelling and the search for serenity. Kadish does more than flirt with life-threatening dangers; she jumps into full-blown romances. Growing up in a houseful of brothers honed her competitiveness and defiance. “The realization came to me that the most important thing is facing one’s fears,” she says, and an addiction to the thrill of survival keeps her coming back for more. Not all her adventures end well. Kadish brings remarkable honesty to the emotions that accompany life’s disappointments and tragedies: the dissolution of her marriage, the death of her parents, and above all the loss of her twin sons to overdoses. Kadish doesn’t hold back venting her anger, regrets, bewilderment, and inconsolable grief. A journalist, she deftly interweaves her personal journey with facts about corruption and alienation in our throw-away society. Learning alongside her becomes a privilege. The book moves at a brisk pace. Some pieces are brief vignettes; others linger on the page. The variability keeps readers on their toes, never knowing when they’ll take off or touch down. The collection also alternates points of view, moving seamlessly from first person to the perspective of Kadish’s husband or son. She enters the heads of those she loves in an extraordinary display of authorial empathy. The startling twist in this collection is that when Kadish asks, “Why me?” she is not lamenting why she was she made to suffer but why she was chosen to survive. As she reaches for an answer, Kadish invites readers to marvel at the fortune, foibles, and faith that allow her, and us, to sidestep extinction too. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 19, 2025
"Flirting with Extinction" by Joanna Kadish is a deeply moving and unforgettable book. It's not just a story; it's a journey into inherited pain, showing how trauma changes and reappears across generations, like a shadow in a family's history.
The author shares the heartbreaking story of losing both of her twin sons to drug overdoses, a tragedy she reveals early on. Her book, a mix of short stories and essays, is her way of dealing with this immense loss and trying to understand it. She bravely explores the powerful yearning for love and belonging that her sons felt, and how this made drugs so dangerous for them, especially in the insightful parts written from her son Micah's view.
Kadish also shares her own experiences of seeking intense moments, whether through dangerous activities or through destructive outlets like drugs. This "flirting with extinction" reveals a deep search for something more, and the book thoughtfully examines how we cope with life's disappointments and tragedies.
What makes this book so touching is its honesty and empathy. Kadish doesn't shy away from her anger, regrets, and inconsolable grief. She invites us into her world, helping us understand the silent battles others face, whether it's drugs, depression, or loss. The book is a powerful reminder of resilience, the strength to face each new day, and the importance of supporting one another.
This is a reflective and intimate book that will stay with you long after you've finished reading. It's a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the human spirit's ability to endure and find wisdom even in the face of immense pain. I highly recommend it; it truly expands our understanding and compassion for others.
The author shares the heartbreaking story of losing both of her twin sons to drug overdoses, a tragedy she reveals early on. Her book, a mix of short stories and essays, is her way of dealing with this immense loss and trying to understand it. She bravely explores the powerful yearning for love and belonging that her sons felt, and how this made drugs so dangerous for them, especially in the insightful parts written from her son Micah's view.
Kadish also shares her own experiences of seeking intense moments, whether through dangerous activities or through destructive outlets like drugs. This "flirting with extinction" reveals a deep search for something more, and the book thoughtfully examines how we cope with life's disappointments and tragedies.
What makes this book so touching is its honesty and empathy. Kadish doesn't shy away from her anger, regrets, and inconsolable grief. She invites us into her world, helping us understand the silent battles others face, whether it's drugs, depression, or loss. The book is a powerful reminder of resilience, the strength to face each new day, and the importance of supporting one another.
This is a reflective and intimate book that will stay with you long after you've finished reading. It's a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the human spirit's ability to endure and find wisdom even in the face of immense pain. I highly recommend it; it truly expands our understanding and compassion for others.
December 20, 2025
Purposeful Narrative
Flirting With Extinction: Collected Essays & Stories is a 300-page, January 2025 book by Joanna Kadish. Its “short creative non-fiction and fiction examines…throw-away culture and personal experience…detritus of marriage,” motherhood, and personal tragedies.
The first-person narrative has 25 subtitled chapters, ranging from Anatomy of a Firefighter through Family Dinner to Horning’s Hideout. Core childhood memories in Los Angeles, including fire-related disasters, set the pace for the family and personal growth book’s trip down memory lane.
Eventful stints as a rodeo athlete—and insights into bronc riding—cherished outdoor memories, survival lessons, near-miss incidents, and marital problems are some of the book’s earliest highlights. “High Winds,” “Breastfeeding Blues,” “Terminal,” “Grandpa,” and “Top of the Hill” chapters are among the most touching chapters.
By and by, the interesting book takes a somber twist, including sacrilege, hereafter, bittersweet memories, personal struggles, addiction, human vices, historical injustices, generational trauma, dark humor, and grieving a son whose passing felt “like sharp knives assaulting.”
The well-written book’s universal themes and compelling life lessons, especially navigating life’s challenges, will strike a chord with every reader. Timeless and universal, Flirting With Extinction is a purposeful narrative whose bittersweet memories dares you to introspect and retrospect.
Flirting With Extinction: Collected Essays & Stories is a 300-page, January 2025 book by Joanna Kadish. Its “short creative non-fiction and fiction examines…throw-away culture and personal experience…detritus of marriage,” motherhood, and personal tragedies.
The first-person narrative has 25 subtitled chapters, ranging from Anatomy of a Firefighter through Family Dinner to Horning’s Hideout. Core childhood memories in Los Angeles, including fire-related disasters, set the pace for the family and personal growth book’s trip down memory lane.
Eventful stints as a rodeo athlete—and insights into bronc riding—cherished outdoor memories, survival lessons, near-miss incidents, and marital problems are some of the book’s earliest highlights. “High Winds,” “Breastfeeding Blues,” “Terminal,” “Grandpa,” and “Top of the Hill” chapters are among the most touching chapters.
By and by, the interesting book takes a somber twist, including sacrilege, hereafter, bittersweet memories, personal struggles, addiction, human vices, historical injustices, generational trauma, dark humor, and grieving a son whose passing felt “like sharp knives assaulting.”
The well-written book’s universal themes and compelling life lessons, especially navigating life’s challenges, will strike a chord with every reader. Timeless and universal, Flirting With Extinction is a purposeful narrative whose bittersweet memories dares you to introspect and retrospect.
June 7, 2025
A powerful meditation on memory and survival
Kadish’s book is not just a collection of essays and stories, it’s a deeply introspective excavation of inherited pain. With an understated grace, Kadish explores how trauma doesn't disappear with time, instead, it transforms, settles, and resurfaces across generations like a shadow woven into the fabric of family identity.
The strength of this collection lies in its emotional layering. Rather than simply recounting history, Kadish places readers inside the psychological echoes that events like the Holocaust leave behind. There's a deliberate fragility to her narrative style, like how Micah’s family story is rendered with care, not dramatics, which makes the impact feel all the more authentic and lasting.
The book navigates memory, displacement, and the quiet forms of resilience that bloom in the aftermath of atrocity. Kadish’s prose resists romanticizing survival, instead, she examines how it molds people’s sense of self, and how grief and strength often coexist in silence.
This isn’t a loud or preachy book. It’s reflective, intimate, and thoughtfully written for readers who appreciate when literature holds space for generational reckoning. For lovers of personal essays that ask big questions without offering neat answers, it offers resonance, and that’s what makes it unforgettable.
Kadish’s book is not just a collection of essays and stories, it’s a deeply introspective excavation of inherited pain. With an understated grace, Kadish explores how trauma doesn't disappear with time, instead, it transforms, settles, and resurfaces across generations like a shadow woven into the fabric of family identity.
The strength of this collection lies in its emotional layering. Rather than simply recounting history, Kadish places readers inside the psychological echoes that events like the Holocaust leave behind. There's a deliberate fragility to her narrative style, like how Micah’s family story is rendered with care, not dramatics, which makes the impact feel all the more authentic and lasting.
The book navigates memory, displacement, and the quiet forms of resilience that bloom in the aftermath of atrocity. Kadish’s prose resists romanticizing survival, instead, she examines how it molds people’s sense of self, and how grief and strength often coexist in silence.
This isn’t a loud or preachy book. It’s reflective, intimate, and thoughtfully written for readers who appreciate when literature holds space for generational reckoning. For lovers of personal essays that ask big questions without offering neat answers, it offers resonance, and that’s what makes it unforgettable.
June 4, 2025
An Awakening and Touching Memoir
Flirting with Extinction by Joanna Kadish is an incredibly touching and eye-opening memoir. The author writes with sincerity and depth, reflecting profoundly on her life experiences.
This memoir is a powerful tool for the author's acceptance and healing journey. Joanna's stories resonated with me deeply, prompting serious reflection on my own life—celebrating my triumphs and acknowledging my losses. Her exploration and courageous spirit are vital reminders of the importance of resilience and the determination to face each new day.
The book unequivocally inspires readers to confront their fears and appreciate the positive aspects of life, regardless of the circumstances we face. It teaches us critical lessons about being accommodating and supportive of one another, as we never know the silent battles others may be fighting—it could be drugs, depression, job loss, or illness.
I commend the author for her passionate and diligent storytelling. Flirting with Extinction is expertly written, professionally edited, and free of grammatical errors. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this compelling memoir, and I strongly recommend it to everyone.
Flirting with Extinction by Joanna Kadish is an incredibly touching and eye-opening memoir. The author writes with sincerity and depth, reflecting profoundly on her life experiences.
This memoir is a powerful tool for the author's acceptance and healing journey. Joanna's stories resonated with me deeply, prompting serious reflection on my own life—celebrating my triumphs and acknowledging my losses. Her exploration and courageous spirit are vital reminders of the importance of resilience and the determination to face each new day.
The book unequivocally inspires readers to confront their fears and appreciate the positive aspects of life, regardless of the circumstances we face. It teaches us critical lessons about being accommodating and supportive of one another, as we never know the silent battles others may be fighting—it could be drugs, depression, job loss, or illness.
I commend the author for her passionate and diligent storytelling. Flirting with Extinction is expertly written, professionally edited, and free of grammatical errors. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this compelling memoir, and I strongly recommend it to everyone.
December 3, 2024
Joanna Kadish writes beautifully about the brutal truths of living a thousand lives in a single lifetime. An intrepid adventurer who feels the added pressure of proving herself again and again as the only girl among nine brothers, she pushes the limit in every regard: swimming with sharks, bronco riding, hiking in the wilderness, traveling the world.
But the biggest, most heartbreaking journey begins when she converts to Judaism, marries a Jewish man and starts a family. Sometimes written as first-person essays, and sometimes as fictional pieces, the author hides nothing about the generational trauma that seeps down from her dysfunctional family and through her husband’s Holocaust-marred family past; underlying anguish that leads to tragedy for her two sons.
Memoirs are for opening emotional worlds we wouldn’t otherwise know about, and the author more than accomplishes that goal through these poignant, sometimes raw, stories of living on the edge of an imperfect life and society.
But the biggest, most heartbreaking journey begins when she converts to Judaism, marries a Jewish man and starts a family. Sometimes written as first-person essays, and sometimes as fictional pieces, the author hides nothing about the generational trauma that seeps down from her dysfunctional family and through her husband’s Holocaust-marred family past; underlying anguish that leads to tragedy for her two sons.
Memoirs are for opening emotional worlds we wouldn’t otherwise know about, and the author more than accomplishes that goal through these poignant, sometimes raw, stories of living on the edge of an imperfect life and society.
January 5, 2025
Evocative and insightful. I couldn’t put this book down.
Flirting with Extinction by Joanna Kadish is a gripping read with compelling story after story.
The author takes us on an adventure, swimming in ice cold water coming face to face with a shark. Just a few chapters in, the author sets a mood and tone with sensory details so complex, I find myself holding my breath as she takes me into the world of couples who swing.
Alternating stories of how a mother endures her twin sons struggles with their addictions to drugs and ultimately how she survives the emotions of losing both of her sons, again baring her soul while struggling through the waves of grief.
Joanne Kadish it’s not only a survivor, but a beacon of resilience!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Flirting with Extinction by Joanna Kadish is a gripping read with compelling story after story.
The author takes us on an adventure, swimming in ice cold water coming face to face with a shark. Just a few chapters in, the author sets a mood and tone with sensory details so complex, I find myself holding my breath as she takes me into the world of couples who swing.
Alternating stories of how a mother endures her twin sons struggles with their addictions to drugs and ultimately how she survives the emotions of losing both of her sons, again baring her soul while struggling through the waves of grief.
Joanne Kadish it’s not only a survivor, but a beacon of resilience!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 26, 2024
In frequently mesmerizing prose, Joanna Kaddish, writes a series of essays beginning with her daredevil accident on a bucking bronco as a girl, the only girl in a family of nine boys, and her surgeon father’s loving rescue, ending with stories of her twin sons overdoses on fentanyl. In between, a bizarre encounter with another couple and her husband for a sexual hook-up. But it’s the fentanyl crisis that makes this book important—she has no answers, why two boys raised in privilege would succumb—but she traces the effects of the drugs, the failed attempts to kick the habit, the suffering of loss, and makes us ask our own questions about the pernicious killer, so often, of the promising and young.
November 14, 2024
✨ Thanks to Booksirens and Vine Leaves Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
"Flirting with Extinction" is a collection of essays chronicling the author's life, which is marked by death, loss, and trauma. The book explores touching themes: a beloved grandmother's gradual mental decline, a father's sudden death, and children dying way before their time. It's a good thing that the prologue prepares us for the emotional journey ahead, as the content is intense. The author's beautiful writing shines through as she reflects on her experiences without nostalgia, often portraying herself candidly and imperfectly. The result is a raw, honest, and heartbreaking narrative.
"Flirting with Extinction" is a collection of essays chronicling the author's life, which is marked by death, loss, and trauma. The book explores touching themes: a beloved grandmother's gradual mental decline, a father's sudden death, and children dying way before their time. It's a good thing that the prologue prepares us for the emotional journey ahead, as the content is intense. The author's beautiful writing shines through as she reflects on her experiences without nostalgia, often portraying herself candidly and imperfectly. The result is a raw, honest, and heartbreaking narrative.
December 26, 2025
FLIRTING WITH EXTINCTION is an interesting and poignant collection of essays and stories written by Joanna Kadish, who lost both of her sons to the opioid crisis.
Written in first person the author tells a rich, devastating story about generational trauma and the role it has played not only throughout her own life but that of her family. The book is broken down into 25 chapters allowing readers to devour it in bitesized chunks.
While this book is written about the tragedies that plagued the author’s life, it is not overly dour. It is truly about resilience and living, something that every reader can understand and empathise with.
Written in first person the author tells a rich, devastating story about generational trauma and the role it has played not only throughout her own life but that of her family. The book is broken down into 25 chapters allowing readers to devour it in bitesized chunks.
While this book is written about the tragedies that plagued the author’s life, it is not overly dour. It is truly about resilience and living, something that every reader can understand and empathise with.
January 8, 2026
This is a memoir about Joanna, who was the only sister among boys, and this made her thrilled to compete with the boys. The title really matches the story because she was always engaging in activities.She loved breaking horses, swimming, and looking for sharks. I don't think there's anything humanly possible she did not try. By that I mean the most dangerous things. From when she was pretty young to when she got to be an adult, it was pretty interesting. I found it really thrilling; the number of things she did, especially during that period as a young girl, was crazy.Not many girls can say they dislocated their jaws at such a young age.
December 23, 2025
Oh my goodness. This book was so much more than I expected it to be. It has a lot of meaning and is very well written and it’s highly interesting to read the author’s thoughts and life-story.
However, there are problems when fiction gets mixed with non-fiction. Readers constantly have to ask, “which part is real?” and it’s frustrating. There is so much power in a true story. So when non-fiction and fiction are next to each other, not only is it confusing, but when fiction is determined, it becomes meaningless.
However, there are problems when fiction gets mixed with non-fiction. Readers constantly have to ask, “which part is real?” and it’s frustrating. There is so much power in a true story. So when non-fiction and fiction are next to each other, not only is it confusing, but when fiction is determined, it becomes meaningless.
January 11, 2026
Good, but tough, read. Her husband was a hurtful man and very controlling. Such a shame about her kids.
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