Excerpt: A Reason to Fish

The Way of the River is a collection of memoirs and autobiographical stories that reflect Randy Kadish's long journey of fishing and spiritual recovery. The journey, often difficult, often gratifying, began when he finally admitted to himself that he couldn't communicate, and that his life had become unmanageable. Then, after he asked for help, he looked back into his life and relived the deep pain and loss that began during his very troubling and violent childhood. To soothe himself with the beauty of the outdoors, he turned to fishing. As he struggled to come to terms with his past, and then with the loss of his parents, he wrote about his journey of recovery, especially of how he was changed by many of the people he met along the way. (Soon his memoirs appeared in many publications including, The FlyFisher, FlyFishing & Tying Journal, and Yale Anglers' Journal.)

Finally, after an unexpected crisis, he found a surprising way to forgive and to connect to the good in the world.

The fishing in this collection takes place in and near New York City, including the streams of Westchester, the East and Hudson Rivers, and the lakes of Central and Prospect Parks.