NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A searing, deeply moving memoir of illness and recovery that traces one young woman’s journey from diagnosis to remission to re-entry into “normal” life—from the author of the Life, Interrupted column in The New York Times“I was immersed for the whole ride and would follow Jaouad anywhere. . . . Her writing restores the moon, lights the way as we learn to endure the … the way as we learn to endure the unknown.”—Chanel Miller, The New York Times Book Review
“Beautifully crafted . . . affecting . . . a transformative read . . . Jaouad’s insights about the self, connectedness, uncertainty and time speak to all of us.”—The Washington Post
In the summer after graduating from college, Suleika Jaouad was preparing, as they say in commencement speeches, to enter “the real world.” She had fallen in love and moved to Paris to pursue her dream of becoming a war correspondent. The real world she found, however, would take her into a very different kind of conflict zone.
It started with an itch—first on her feet, then up her legs, like a thousand invisible mosquito bites. Next came the exhaustion, and the six-hour naps that only deepened her fatigue. Then a trip to the doctor and, a few weeks shy of her twenty-third birthday, a diagnosis: leukemia, with a 35 percent chance of survival. Just like that, the life she had imagined for herself had gone up in flames. By the time Jaouad flew home to New York, she had lost her job, her apartment, and her independence. She would spend much of the next four years in a hospital bed, fighting for her life and chronicling the saga in a column for The New York Times.
When Jaouad finally walked out of the cancer ward—after countless rounds of chemo, a clinical trial, and a bone marrow transplant—she was, according to the doctors, cured. But as she would soon learn, a cure is not where the work of healing ends; it’s where it begins. She had spent the past 1,500 days in desperate pursuit of one goal—to survive. And now that she’d done so, she realized that she had no idea how to live.
How would she reenter the world and live again? How could she reclaim what had been lost? Jaouad embarked—with her new best friend, Oscar, a scruffy terrier mutt—on a 100-day, 15,000-mile road trip across the country. She set out to meet some of the strangers who had written to her during her years in the hospital: a teenage girl in Florida also recovering from cancer; a teacher in California grieving the death of her son; a death-row inmate in Texas who’d spent his own years confined to a room. What she learned on this trip is that the divide between sick and well is porous, that the vast majority of us will travel back and forth between these realms throughout our lives. Between Two Kingdoms is a profound chronicle of survivorship and a fierce, tender, and inspiring exploration of what it means to begin again.
more
This is a deeply moving and passionate work of art, quite unlike anything I’ve ever read. I will remember these stories for years to come, because Suleika Jaouad has imprinted them on my heart.
When the life we had is snatched away, how do we find the conviction to live another? Between Two Kingdoms will resonate with anyone who is living a different life than they planned to live. This is a propulsive, soulful story of mourning and gratitude—and an intimate portrait of one woman’s sojourn in the wilderness between life and death.
A beautiful, elegant, and heartbreaking book that provides a glimpse into the kingdom of illness… Suleika Jaouad avoids sentimentality but manages to convey the depth of the emotional turmoil that illness can bring into our lives.
I picked up this memoir on the recommendation of several people and sent it to my daughter who was on her own cross-country odyssey in a van with her dog. I just finished it myself as I travelled the Pacific Northwest with her. Couldn’t have picked a better road trip read!! Jaouad’s book is primarily about the relentless assault of leukemia on her body, but the takeaways strike a chord with any soul who feels their life has been interrupted. The bridge connecting her life with cancer and her life after cancer is a 100 day road trip across the United States where she visits many people who reached out to her during her illness due to her writing a blog and column for the NYT about being a young person fighting cancer. The author decides to drive across the country, but the funny thing is that she does not know how to drive. She plans to camp at night, but she has not yet figured out how to set up her tent. Her journey to be well, toward a new identity, is just so beautiful. It is an inspiring story for sure. But I wasn’t glued to the book just for the story, it was for the quality of the writing and the voice for sure. It was because the author dared to explore all the conflicting feelings, actions, and words spoken when tragedy strikes. It was because she acknowledged the leukemia did not just have ramifications for her, but for everyone in her orbit.
This was really two books. First, the discovery, immense suffering, and treatments of her cancer, interwoven with her most intimate relationships. Secondly, her actual heroine’s physical odyssey to understand what she and others have been through. Beautifully well-written, and a book that I will long remember.
incredibly heartfelt, honest difficult to read but very well written book…
In a book bubbling with ambition and impeccable skill, it is what Suleika Jaouad does with courage and secondary characters that is simply once in a generation. Between Two Kingdoms mended parts I thought were forever disintegrated.
This is an amazing book. I love that the author reveals her vulnerabilities, mistakes and lets us in into her life. I felt like she was taking directly to me and she is so honest about how she felt.
I did read her column in the NYTIMES and it was so helpful at the time when my husband was going through major chemo. The book brings everything into focus, perspective and a look back instead of writing in the present which was eye opening.
Highly recommend.
I was hooked from page one by Jaouad’s description of the itching. And then, her story got its claws into me. The idea of a young woman’s life so brutally interrupted. And, despite having so many people on her team, in her corner, friends, family, doctors, lovers, still … ultimately – this is a journey one embarks on alone. I think that was the powerful message in the second half of the book. Suleika needed to reclaim not just her physical strength, but her self-confidence. And to do that, she embarked on a solo cross-country road trip that many women in the best of health would never dare to attempt.
Beautifully written; I couldn’t put it down & read it in one day. The afterglow is still lingering.
Like nothing I have ever read. Thought provoking and powerful, honest and real. I will be think about this book and its author for a very long time.
Read 2.12.2021
I read this as an ARC and in the end, was unable to review it. I had so many issues with this book and the author, but to give a truly “real” review would make me look like a total a-hole [isn’t it amazing how that happens? Even if the person in question is problematic, CANCER [or whatever life threatening illness it might be] makes it IMPOSSIBLE to be honest in your review of a book written by the problematic author. Sigh.], so I chose not to review it. Or rate it. In the end, I could not recommend this to anyone.
Well-written and riveting. A story well-told. But probably not for people who are in the depths of searching for answers to their illnesses. Perhaps too much about her medical journey. Would have enjoyed more about her cross-country trip and how her life played out after the trip ended.
Suleika Jaouad takes us on a journey down several paths . The survival of leukemia entails torturous treatments , dependence on caregivers and tremendous anxiety after recovery back into a normal existence.The author writes Recovery isn’t a gentle self-care spree that restores you to a pre-illness state.It is an act of terrifying discovery It is post traumatic growth .The writer tells us she survived her grueling treatments by imagining her survival as a creative act .My imagination would become the vessel that allowed me to travel beyond the confines of my room I knew I was starting to find my power. I learned that sometimes the only way to endure suffering is to transform it into art.Illness can bring you down to your most savage self.The author quotes Jeanette Winterson who writes illness isn’t a hiding place .It is a finding place. The author has done a brilliant job in finding healing and self-discovery and serves as an inspiration to us all !
Suleika story broke me many many times, as a Cancer thriver the questions she kept asking herself, the situations she was going through were so similar and hit so close to home I related so much with her story but what I really love the most about it is her strength, her attitude, and her immense will to fight and recover from such a terrible illness..
I really wasn’t expecting this journey, I knew it was going to be a hard one but I did enjoy this book so much. I Cried with Suleika many times especially when Will happened, I kept asking myself the same questions she was asking herself, and also it made me remember my own journey while I was going through this episode in my life.
When I read what she felt while she was going through the worst episode in her life, made me think of the many stories I heard in the hospital while I was taking radiation about the many husbands who left their wives because they couldn’t handle going through Cancer with them.
This book is great it will give you hope, it will give you faith and it will show you how strong you can fight to survive even if the entire world keeps trying to say otherwise. everything is inside of you, and if you are a warrior and fight for what you want and believe things will start falling into place.
One of my favorite things about her story was traveling with her all those miles meeting new people, learning stories, and even getting to know all those amazing places. it kind of inspired me to do a road trip to feel free and see all the wonders that constantly surround us but we usually take for granted.
My favorite fur character in the book was Oscar he definitely was the one who stole the whole book, and here is when we see how dogs are true companions and the best friends of all.
Between two kingdoms left me with so much will to live, with so much hope, and with the immense need to take a long trip around the mountains and the ocean.
Overall this is an amazing book, if you’re looking for inspiration Suleika is the inspiration itself.
This is a beautifully written and disturbingly honest story of one young woman’s battle with leukemia and efforts to reconcile herself to the resulting changes to her life and relationships.
Part One is an interesting story, but it can be difficult to read at times. Watch out if you’re triggered by medical trauma or squeamish about body horror. The author includes some graphic descriptions of how the cancer treatments affected her. Also, as Ms. Jaouad admits, “Suffering can make you selfish.” During the first part of the book, she was quite self-absorbed and didn’t show much compassion for how her illness was affecting her loved ones, who went to great lengths to support her. She does thankfully become more aware later in the story.
I found Part Two a more satisfying experience, although it was shorter than I would have preferred. I love road trip stories, and I appreciated observing how the author came to terms with her post-cancer life. I have not had cancer, but I have had to adjust to living with several chronic illnesses. I could relate when Ms. Jaouad describes recovery as being “about accepting that you must forsake a familiar self forever, in favor of one that is being newly born. It is an act of brute, terrifying discovery.” I don’t see enough stories about this aspect of illness.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading memoirs and is curious about what it is like to survive a brutal cancer diagnosis or any trauma that forces one to envision a new life.
I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.
This is a well-written story that kept my attention from start to finish. The range of emotions that I experienced was extreme. And at times I wanted to scream out, “No! Open your eyes. Don’t do that!” But those were times when I knew for sure that Suleika was sharing her truth in a very honest way.
Suleika’s debut memoir tells of caring parents and a young girl growing up. The young woman even gets accepted into a prestigious college. But it isn’t long before the bottom drops out of this thrill ride. And let me warn you, this emotional rollercoaster is certainly not for the faint of heart.
When her symptoms of itching and tiredness take her from Paris she is met with a grim diagnosis. At the young age of 22, she learns she has acute myeloid leukemia.
Suleika had me feeling like I was peering through a peephole into her personal life. She spoke honestly about relationships, her deepest fears and emotions, and the treatment she endured. Even though I felt like a voyeur, I couldn’t get enough of her story.
Eventually, when I began to think her health concerns might be taking a backseat, Jaouard surprises me with a new journey. One where I’m acting as a cheerleader, yet at the same time shaking my head and wondering what in the world she’s doing.
As I mentioned in the first paragraph, there were several places where I wanting to scream, “No! Open your eyes. Don’t do that!” Why? That’s a good question. One you will have to ask yourself when you read this book.
My Concerns
Nothing comes to mind.
What I Liked Best
Though I realize this story is through the author’s eyes, it felt completely honest. There were many instances where it might have made her look better to conveniently distort her memories. But it seemed obvious that this memoir recorded both the good and the not-so-good.
I applaud Jaouad for sharing a story that will touch so many. Not only did she share her personal journey but that of those who loved her. I couldn’t imagine the emotions her parents, boyfriend, and friends were experiencing. But this writing somehow managed to bring it all together.
My appreciation to #NetGalley and the author for a copy of this story and the ability to post a review of my opinion.
This was a really interesting and well written book. It is the story of the authors life, just before becoming ill to a time afterwards.
She takes us through times she didn’t know why she didn’t feel well, to being in the midst of fighting her sickness, to her outcome and life afterwards.
Having just gone to Paris to start a new job, just out of college, and with a new boyfriend that followed her over there, all was looking good, when all of a sudden the symptoms she had been feeling in the past came crashing down and she needed to go back to the USA to find out what was going on. Back at her parents home, and being shuffled three hours back and forth to NYC where she finally got a diagnosis for her problems. Diagnosed with an aggressive form of Leukemia, Suleika had no choice but to put her life on hold to fight for her life. Her boyfriend at that time flew back from Paris and helped her parents care take.
This story is one of a strong will to live and what that entails. Harsh bouts of chemo, being sick all of the time. The horrible cost of procedures and the toll it took on her and her caregivers. She was very lucky to have such a dedicated group of people supporting her.
We meet such interesting people who become close friends, also battling life threatening illnesses, and how they get each other through very hard times.
Besides the tragedies of the sickness, we get to see Suleika’s inner strengths and wishes for her future and how she plowed forward using the knowledge of her disease to help others.
In the last part of her book, we get to journey with her as she drives across the USA visiting people who had somehow left a mark on her getting her to where she is today.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a copy of this book.