“This is an amazing book, harrowing, deeply human and charming. I absolutely could not put it down.”

“After getting hit by a car and spending a painful year to recover, Joanne Greene went to Mexico for a well-deserved vacation and arrived into the eye of a hurricane that almost killed her and her husband. Then things really got tough. This is a story of resilience and perseverance, of will and pluck, and of positivity and gratitude for lessons learned, even as the personal hits just kept on coming.

Joanne, a seasoned broadcast journalist, is a stunning writer. She invites us into her head through her most critical moments, peppering her story with wit and humor, with insightful details and with unsparing memories of family, from the most distant to the most loving. Fortunately, the latter far outnumber the former.”

-Ben Fong-Torres, writer/senior editor of Rolling Stone magazine and author of several books including his memoir, The Rice Room, is the subject of the documentary film “Like a Rolling Stone: The Life and Times of Ben Fong-Torres.

“By Accident is laudable, compelling, gripping, and instructive. In this wonderfully uplifting memoir, Joanne Greene successfully overcomes life’s challenges with a combination of determination, devotion, skill, wit, hope and courage. You will be cheering her on and feeling inspired all the way.”

-Sylvia Boorstein, author of Happiness Is an Inside Job: Practicing for a Joyful Life, It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness and That's Funny, You Don't Look Buddhist: On Being a Faithful Jew and a Passionate Buddhist

“By Accident, by Joanne Greene is a very well written, exceptionally compelling personal memoir.  Greene not only leads us though the extraordinarily difficult years that a devastating accident sets in motion but shows how such an ordeal affected her life in positive ways and helped her to manage the trials that continue to befall her.  And just when you don't see how a human being can manage any more trauma, she shows us how life can surprise us in unexpected positive ways as well.”

-Dr. Lonnie Barbach, Ph.D., author of 12 books including For Yourself and For Each Other

“Joanne Greene’s, By Accident: A Memoir of Letting Go, is a compelling journal of what therapists. and counsellors have long understood: The only way to endure otherwise senseless pain and tragedy is to learn something from it; and then to teach what you have learned to anyone who will listen.

Alas, most people who have such great life-lessons to teach are rarely also blessed with the ability to communicate them in words on pages. But Greene goes even farther. She integrates her insights into a personal theology to what must surely be the ultimate spiritual discovery: There are no accidents. This book is a gem.”

-Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, the Emanu-El Scholar at Congregation Emanu-El of San Francisco and the author of 18 books on Jewish spirituality.

“Joanne Greene's By Accident is a raw, honest, compulsively readable memoir about love, loss and letting go. Greene’s personal and professional life had long been shaped by her drive for perfection and control, until a terrifying car accident made her rethink everything, including herself.”

-Lacey Rose, Writer/ Editor, The Hollywood Reporter

“By Accident feels like listening to a close friend tell a riveting, deeply touching story over a cozy cup of tea. As she considers her life thus far, Joanne zooms effortlessly in and out of moments, recalling them in vivid detail and reflecting on their meaning. Lucky readers of this book will find themselves tickled by Joanne's sense of humor, moved by her bravery, and imbued with her passion for life.”

-Gabi Moskowitz, author of Hot Mess Kitchen and producer of Freeform's Young & Hungry

“Greene, a former radio host and producer, has had her share of life-upending experiences. Her memoir opens with “ear-splitting cacophony...wild, uncontrolled movement.” In 2012, she was hit by a car while at a crosswalk, resulting in several pelvic fractures and a long road to recovery. Around the same time, she navigated a colon cancer diagnosis and, later, another cancer scare, and even weathered a major hurricane while on a trip to Mexico. Yet, beyond recounting the details of these destabilizing events, she’s concerned with charting a subtler, internal change in this book. For Greene, the car accident was “a sudden graphic stop to my constantly in-motion existence, my need to produce and achieve to feel worthy of love, my need to control everything because I’ve believed that it would make me safer.” The long stretches of time suddenly opened up by injury recovery brought her memories of lost family members, and she brought the knowledge she gained from moving through grief to the newfound challenges of daily life with debilitating injury. As with so many memoirs, affirmations and clearly articulated lessons pepper the text, and one may wonder if there’s a risk that the writing’s therapeutic function will overtake the task of literary creation. Still, Greene’s unadorned, straightforward prose keeps readers rooted in her lively narrative of hardship and recovery, and her mantras may prove useful for those going through similar experiences. Most refreshingly, she manages to paint a naturalistic portrait of the rhythms of life between tests and diagnoses, as well as the anxieties and insecurities that come with recognizing a fundamental dependence on others.


A clearsighted reflection on the need to let go in the face of uncertainty.”

“What impressed me most about BY ACCIDENT was Joanne’s ability to write about the suffering she has endured and maintain her refreshing sense of hope, love, joy, and optimism. Family and Jewish values help her through the blindsides– including the accident which fractured her pelvis in four places but could not break her spirit. Joanne Greene is an accomplished and impressive woman, yet she writes with modesty, candor, and verve. Her story touched me, and it will you.”

-Michael Krasny, host of the Grey Matters podcast, former host of the award-winning KQED Forum, and author of Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life

“In vivid prose, Joanne Greene shows us that reflection is often the gift of painful experience. Greene's flowing memoir illuminates the power of life-changing events and the insight they can offer. Greene is a warm, thoughtful, trustworthy guide into facing the unexpected challenges that alter the course of our relationships and expectations, most fundamentally of ourselves.”

-Shana Penn, Executive Director, Taube Philanthropies and author of Solidarity’s Secret: The Women Who Defeated Communism in Poland

“A riveting story written with such feeling, depth, and animation that you will live vicariously as you read. By Accident captures near-death moments that Greene, with her grit, courage, and determination, translates into near-life moments. A must read for every one of us who face challenges and need a guide to keep us moving forward.”

-Dr. Marc Dollinger, author of Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance of the 1960’s and Quest for Inclusion: Jews and Liberalism in Modern America., holds the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Chair in Jewish Studies and Social Responsibility at S.F. State.

Excerpts of 3 critiques of the audiobook:

• "“By Accident” is one of the most beautiful “from tragedy to triumph” stories out there. Hearing Joanne Greene narrate her own memoir, with her expertise as a radio and television host, was absolutely captivating."

• "This is a beautiful piece of work. The narrator elegantly portrayed a sense of warmth, sincerity, and humor, perfectly conveying the author's warm and inspiring written tone to the listener."

• "The performance is full of emotion and the author portrays the anxieties, fear, and triumph of her journey throughout the audio book."

"An intimate, candid, fascinating memoir of dealing with PTSD, self-help, and striving towards having a life worth living, "By Accident: A Memoir of Letting"; is inspirational and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections."

Read the full review here.

As of July 1, 2024:

91 reviews on Amazon with global ratings of 4.8 out of 5, including:

• 5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful memoir about life and hope!

• 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Memoir Through and Through

• 5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous memoir, beautifully-written

Read more Amazon reader reviews here.