Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted
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- Create Date：2022-02-25 09:53:05
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Suleika Jaouad
- ISBN：0399588604
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Summary
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
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review， The Washington Post， Bloomberg， The Rumpus， She Reads， Library Journal， Booklist - "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 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。
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review， The Washington Post， Bloomberg， The Rumpus， She Reads， Library Journal， Booklist - "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 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。
Reviews
Amber
，
There are A LOT of cancer memoirs。 Too many， really。 Had I known this was a cancer memoir when I picked it up， I might not have read it。 HOWEVER， this book is different in the way it divides the book into two parts: the first part， documenting the usual cancer narrative （pre-diagnosis， diagnosis， treatment， recovery）， and the second part documenting what happens after cancer--how difficult it can be to resume living again after spending so many years in survival mode， existing only as a Sick Per There are A LOT of cancer memoirs。 Too many， really。 Had I known this was a cancer memoir when I picked it up， I might not have read it。 HOWEVER， this book is different in the way it divides the book into two parts: the first part， documenting the usual cancer narrative （pre-diagnosis， diagnosis， treatment， recovery）， and the second part documenting what happens after cancer--how difficult it can be to resume living again after spending so many years in survival mode， existing only as a Sick Person。 It's the second part of the book that shines， in my view。 That's the story that rarely gets told--the way getting back to some sense of "normalcy" after cancer is a lot like being a veteran of war （PTSD included）。 Jaoad's road trip across the country， visiting fellow survivors and friends， served as an apt （if occasionally heavy-handed） metaphor for the journey back to living， rather than surviving。 。。。more
Megan Sorrick
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I really enjoyed Suleika’s story and her openness to discuss so much about her journey。 4 stars because Part 2 was a bit slow and repetitive for me， but I really enjoyed this book！ Definitely gave me a lot of perspective。
Sue Anne
，
A little too long， I started skimming。
Snejana
，
Very well written。 At the same time sad but also written in a fun/comic way。 The writer has good sense of humor。
Gabby Davis
，
WOW！ What a special book。 Especially if you like non-fiction or memoirs， I can’t recommend this enough！
rita marissa
，
this book was so much more than just about her journey with cancer。 i was so moved， it opened my eyes to the way i think about life。 i absolutely loved this memoir。
Amy
，
Important read which gives some insight into life with illness from one young person’s perspective。
Linda
，
“After that， sending letters of gratitude to strangers had come to be known in their family as “doing a Brooke。” The idea was that if you wanted to connect with someone out in the world， someone far removed from your own life， someone who maybe even seemed unknowable， you didn’t let the distance stop you—you said what the hell， and you wrote。 Katherine had reached out to me in that spirit， thanking me for my column: The power of story is to heal and to sustain， she wrote。 And if we are brave eno “After that， sending letters of gratitude to strangers had come to be known in their family as “doing a Brooke。” The idea was that if you wanted to connect with someone out in the world， someone far removed from your own life， someone who maybe even seemed unknowable， you didn’t let the distance stop you—you said what the hell， and you wrote。 Katherine had reached out to me in that spirit， thanking me for my column: The power of story is to heal and to sustain， she wrote。 And if we are brave enough to tell our own story， we realize we’re not alone， again and again。”― Suleika Jaouad， Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted 。。。more
Sophy H
，
This is a fantastically written account of the utter devastation and anguish of a leukaemia diagnosis。 Suleika does an amazing job of describing her path through the absolute ruination of her body through chemotherapy and the cleaving apart of her soul and psyche from the uncertainty over her mortality。 She is able to take something that people often find difficult to talk about， and completely take it apart and break it down; the impact of diagnosis on her life， her family， her relationship， he This is a fantastically written account of the utter devastation and anguish of a leukaemia diagnosis。 Suleika does an amazing job of describing her path through the absolute ruination of her body through chemotherapy and the cleaving apart of her soul and psyche from the uncertainty over her mortality。 She is able to take something that people often find difficult to talk about， and completely take it apart and break it down; the impact of diagnosis on her life， her family， her relationship， her friends， her ability to earn a living and indeed to just be a human， living。 Her writing is candid， sincere and uncontrived。 Thank you Suleika for this amazing piece。 。。。more
Marth
，
Beautifully written。 Couldn’t put this one down。
Rob Kinsella
，
Brilliant writing， very good read。
Katie F
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Gripped me from the start。 One of those memoirs that has you reflecting your own journey by the end。 I couldn’t get enough of her descriptions。 I’m so inspired by her will to keep going and bravery to admit her faults， petty as they often were。
Renee Brodeur
，
Loved this book。
Megan Katayama
，
At only 22， Suleika finds out she has a destructive cancer。 This is her journey through the process and how she came up with ways to cope with the feelings and changes she was going through。 One example is that Each person in her family did a 100 day project- do something every day for 100 days。 Hers was to write something。“Grief is a ghost that visits without warning。 It comes in the night and rips you from your sleep。 It fills your chest with shards of glass。 It interrupts you mid-laugh when y At only 22， Suleika finds out she has a destructive cancer。 This is her journey through the process and how she came up with ways to cope with the feelings and changes she was going through。 One example is that Each person in her family did a 100 day project- do something every day for 100 days。 Hers was to write something。“Grief is a ghost that visits without warning。 It comes in the night and rips you from your sleep。 It fills your chest with shards of glass。 It interrupts you mid-laugh when you are at a party， chastising you that， just for a moment， you’ve forgotten。 It haunts you until it becomes a part of you shadowing you breath for breath。”“My diagnosis produced a similar effect， and made me wonder how it was I’d ever failed to notice the beauty of my surroundings before or beloved that life could be unremarkable…I thought this new appreciation would stay with me forever， that once I knew， how everything could change in an instant， I would never again take such things for granted。” 。。。more
Erin
，
More than a story about surviving cancer， this is a story about learning to truly live。 Jaloud writes with such eloquence about something so tragic， about how her journey through diagnosis， treatment and recovery connects her to people who add so much meaning to her life in so many unexpected ways。 I was so inspired by her vulnerability， her openness and her resolve despite all she endured。 Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming， I highly recommend this read…just have a box of tissues close More than a story about surviving cancer， this is a story about learning to truly live。 Jaloud writes with such eloquence about something so tragic， about how her journey through diagnosis， treatment and recovery connects her to people who add so much meaning to her life in so many unexpected ways。 I was so inspired by her vulnerability， her openness and her resolve despite all she endured。 Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming， I highly recommend this read…just have a box of tissues close by。 。。。more
Amy Sherwin
，
Beautifully written memoir
Chrissy Cadorin
，
Amazing Memoir- if you haven't read this you need to！ Amazing Memoir- if you haven't read this you need to！ 。。。more
Jessica_loves_books
，
A coworker at the library recommended this book to me， telling me that she couldn’t put it down。 I found， for the first two-thirds of this book that she was correct。The audiobook is read by the author， and we sit alongside Jaouad as she battles leukemia for over 1500 days。 This part of the book is powerful and absolutely gut wrenching。 Her despair， pain and suffering are palpable and brilliantly described。 The book isn’t nearly engaging though once she decides to take a road trip after her recov A coworker at the library recommended this book to me， telling me that she couldn’t put it down。 I found， for the first two-thirds of this book that she was correct。The audiobook is read by the author， and we sit alongside Jaouad as she battles leukemia for over 1500 days。 This part of the book is powerful and absolutely gut wrenching。 Her despair， pain and suffering are palpable and brilliantly described。 The book isn’t nearly engaging though once she decides to take a road trip after her recovery。 It is here where the book stalls-just a little for me。 This book is， at best， thought provoking and moving。 It lead me to think about how lucky I am and how scary and life altering cancer is。 This is a book that will stay with me for a long time。 As painful as it was to read， I’m glad I did。 。。。more
Harold
，
An intriguing look into the beginnings of Zappos and their corporate philosophy。 It’s a story that follows many from Silicon Valley and the world of E-Commerce but at the time was still a novel idea that worked out。 But it’s obvious that some parts seem to overlook or understate the effect of policies that didn’t work and failures within the company。 Would have been interesting to learn from them
Dalia El-Athamna
，
I loved this book so much。 Very often we read about having cancer and the difficulty and interruption it causes to one's life。 But seldom do we read about the 'aftermath' of cancer。 Once it's gone you are left with a different type of grieve。 We spend our time during cancer with one focus and one focus only and that is to survive。 But once we survive we realize that life will never look or feel the same pre cancer， a grieve only a cancer survivor can understand。 It's a vicious cycle of longing t I loved this book so much。 Very often we read about having cancer and the difficulty and interruption it causes to one's life。 But seldom do we read about the 'aftermath' of cancer。 Once it's gone you are left with a different type of grieve。 We spend our time during cancer with one focus and one focus only and that is to survive。 But once we survive we realize that life will never look or feel the same pre cancer， a grieve only a cancer survivor can understand。 It's a vicious cycle of longing to go back to ur old self that was lost with treatments and surgeries and a sense of guilt for feeling that way because u know deep down u r lucky for surviving when so many others didn't。 。。。more
Donna
，
I found so many messages of hope and strength in Suleika's story。 She is an inspiration to so many。 I found so many messages of hope and strength in Suleika's story。 She is an inspiration to so many。 。。。more
Bette Diehl
，
Just wow。 That’s all I can say！
Stephanie Brooks
，
This book is amazing。Her writing is amazing。Her honesty amazes me。Every human on the planet should read this book。
Kim
，
interesting story。
Cindy H。
，
Suleika writes with such beauty， honesty and intensity。 This book was so sad。 I was praying for some hopefulness but for me， that never arrived。 I have so much respect for Suleika and all that she & her family have endured and continues to live with。 I enjoyed meeting the individuals who reached out to the author throughout her journey。 I will be keeping Suleika in my thoughts。
Sarah DeLong
，
This book was such an honest account of very real pain， growth， love， and so much more。 Suleika’s writing gave voice to so many people suffering from illnesses that threaten to take their voice away。 A beautiful memoir， with important reminders about our own mortality， and to cherish the moments we have and the lessons we are lucky enough to learn。
Rachel Wilson
，
This is an incredible book。 As someone living between the two kingdoms myself， it was amazing to feel like someone else understands and relates to how I live。 This book is for everyone though and there are so many insights and so much life knowledge which anyone can learn from。 Suleika is a beautiful writer and does an amazing job articulating her experience as well as an amazing job sharing what she learned from all the people on her road trip。 I highly recommend this book to everyone。
Nicole D。 Lybrand
，
A spectacular memoir， that is somehow relatable for those who have （been luck enough to） never suffered a chronic illness。 Ms。 Jaouad takes a real inventory that is painfully relatable。 I highly recommend this book！ Thank you for giving such a deeply personal account of your story that is some how simultaneously relatable to most people。
Whitney
，
A powerful memoir written by a young woman diagnosed with cancer just as she was starting to make her mark on the world。 This book details her diagnosis， treatment， and subsequent assimilation back into the world of the living， as well as her attempts at normalcy through it all。 She struggles to find true love and the balance between asking for help， and making her significant other a caretaker， and all that entails。 Very well written， and it brought up thoughts of others I know who have struggl A powerful memoir written by a young woman diagnosed with cancer just as she was starting to make her mark on the world。 This book details her diagnosis， treatment， and subsequent assimilation back into the world of the living， as well as her attempts at normalcy through it all。 She struggles to find true love and the balance between asking for help， and making her significant other a caretaker， and all that entails。 Very well written， and it brought up thoughts of others I know who have struggled with this terrible illness。 。。。more
Elizabeth
，