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. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. A 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 founder of The Isolation Journals and a subject of the Netflix documentary American Symphony.

This is a memoir about Jaouad's experience as a young person with cancer. (Leukemia with a 35% survival rate) and how it impacted her relationships and sense of self. It also covers a road trip she took after her treatment was completed, with her little dog Oscar.
I listened to this on audio, it was hard, but very compelling. She is a good writer and the book was thought provoking.

“To be well now is to learn to accept whatever body and mind I currently have.” ( )

Although slightly uneven, this book describes my life better than any post-cancer book I’ve read. I’m not sick, anymore. But I’m not well, either. 28 pills per day is my new normal. But I hold a job. And I wake up at home, and not in a hospital. I’m “between the kingdoms of the well and the sick”. ( )

Suleika Jaouad's memoir is broken into 2 parts with the first covering her diagnosis of and treatment for leukemia with background on her earlier life and family. The second part follows her on a journey to visit some of the people whom she met in person or online in connection with her blog and NYT articles on dealing with cancer and the treatment's side effects. She is very honest about what she has to deal with. She openly discusses the people around her through the process: her parents, her boyfriend, friends, the doctors, and other patients. She does not always come across well in dealing with some people and in some of the choices she made. But I give her credit for presenting it all. The 100 Days of her journey (length determined by the date she needed to return for more testing) were particularly interesting in getting a wide variety of perspectives on people dealing with sick loved ones, being sick themselves, adjusting to recovery after lengthy treatments and some people who just connected with her because they saw her situation relating to something in their lives. It offers her a chance for introspection and to recognize some of the things she could have done differently and how she might move forward. Well worth the read. ( )

O readers, be wise, be instructed!
In the tale of Suleika, whose body was struck with affliction,
Leukemia sought to claim her, but she did not yield.
Though her youth was stolen by sickness, her spirit remained steadfast,
Her heart did not faint, nor her hope wither away.

Behold, she rose like a warrior clothed in strength and resilience,
She embraced the battle with grit and grace.
Through long nights of trial, her soul learned wisdom,
For she knew that this illness would not name her, nor mark her with shame.

She lived not as one conquered, but as one who overcomes,
Her days filled with purpose, her feet set upon the path of life.
Yea, her sickness did not bind her, but gave her wings to fly,
To pursue dreams, to seize the day with all its fleeting moments.

O my soul, take heed and learn this truth:
Life is not to be squandered, for tomorrow is uncertain.
Missions are set before us, like ships upon the sea,
And each goal fulfilled is a testimony of faith and perseverance.

In her journey, I see my own,
For I too shall live with purpose,
Not waiting for the end, but pressing onward,
Embracing each day as a gift, a treasure from the hand of the Almighty.

So now, let me live with zeal,
With faith guiding my steps, and hope lighting my way,
For the life we have is precious,
And every breath is a testament of grace. ( )

The first half was very well-written and very interesting: how her illness first began (when she was in college, with tormenting itching), her treatment years later, including a stem cell transplant, her eventual recovery, and through all this her tempestuous relationship with her boyfriend Will and then her much better one with Jon Baptiste, her now-husband.

The second half, in which she decided to take control of her own life again and travel across the country to visit the many people who had contacted her as a result of her New York Times column, while admirable, was less interesting and I found myself skimming. (But four stars anyway, for the courage to observe and document all the medical details of her ordeal.)

I was halfway through American Symphony on Netflix, produced by Michelle and Barack Obama, before I realized that Baptiste's wife in the documentary was the author of the book I was reading! ( )

What a great book. She writes very well and tells an engrossing story. Did not know she was married to someone famous. Like that it wasn’t an important issue in the story. Would love to read a follow up ( )

An intimate look at the grueling world of oncology for the young, the toll it takes on the body and psyche, and the difficult process of rebuilding your life and relationships if you are lucky enough to make it to remission. As a fellow survivor, I appreciate the author's accounts of the capriciousness with which cancer strikes and often claims youthful lives. Painful yet hopeful and refreshingly honest. ( )

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy. I absolutely loved this book. It is truly a deep dive into one's self and questions about one's life, it's meaning and where one ie headed. The author provides an honest and insight which translates into a thought-proving and evocative read. A book that will stay with you long after you turn the final page. Highly recommended. ( )

"Life is not controlled experiment. You can’t time-stamp when one thing turns into another, can’t quantify who impacts you in what way, can’t isolate which combination of factors alchemize into healing. There is no atlas charting that lonely, moonless stretch of highway between where you start and who you become."

A truly beautiful and moving account of one woman's battle with illness as well as her reevaluation of what "a life worth living" really means. ( )

In her early 20's Suleika Jaouad had everything going for her. A college grad, with a dream career on the horizon, a new love and a move to Paris: perfect except for some weird health issues that wouldn’t go away. Soon she was in and out of hospitals, her life in Paris with her boyfriend dissolving as her body crashed. She moved back home to the U.S. after being diagnosed with Leukemia. For years she battled this disease undergoing every treatment available. When she regained her health, another battle raged as she tried to figure out who she was and reclaim her altered life. An emotionally genuine graphic memoir about what cancer does to the patient, their family and other loved ones. ( )

Writes very well ( )

I listened to the audiobook read by the author. It's definitely one of the best books I have read this year - not only is it a heartbreaking story of a cancer survivor who does not shy away from the bad and the ugly and reveals us, the ignorant healthy, that surviving is not living and the remission period may be harder than the treatment itself; but it is also brilliantly written. The book feels like two books in one - the first part is about Suleika's journey in the Kingdom of the Ill; the second part is about her attempts to reenter the Kingdom of the Healthy. The second part is also about her road trip around the United States after just having passed the driver's license. She visits a lot of people who wrote to her while she was in the hospital, but also encounters complete strangers on the way. Her and Will's love story is heartbreaking; maybe the most heartbreaking part of the book. A book that makes you think a lot about life, death and everything in between. ( )

This extremely well written memoir is divided into two sections. The first section is so so well done. The author, an adventurous and bright young woman, discovers she has a terrible cancer, and this first half talks about her experiences as a young patient and as well as her deep love for a young man during this time and the toll her illness took on their relationship. I found myself feeling deeply grateful I have not yet had to face what she faced. She's so honest about her feelings that you can't help but feel her pain.

The second half of the book focuses on her life after she recovers and how she goes about reclaiming it. It was just interesting to hear how lost a person might feel after going through a grave illness where death could happen at any moment and you are faced with your mortality. But I never really thought about the aftermath.

For me, the first half was better and more interesting, but I thought the second half had some very valuable life lessons, delivered in an understated way.

This book didn't make me cry like a lot of memoirs, but it truly was riveting reading. Kudos to the gifted author for making her life come alive on the page. ( )

I had followed the author’s NYT articles and knew this book would be well written.
Some of the issues she raises about how to resume life after her illness, translate well into how we resume life post COVID. Perhaps I’m too picky, but the author was extremely lucky to have so much support and access to the best medical care. Many of us would be happy to take a 100 day road trip or other time alone to find ourselves.
If you enjoy medical journeys with some navel gazing, this is for you. ( )

beautiful beautiful beautiful.. is there a stronger word than beautiful? heavenly? that seems a little dramatic.. wonderful? that doesn't seem to do this book justice.. i'll just stick with beautiful. it's one of those stories that i'm glad i got to hear the author share. Suleika's voice is lovely. and what an amazing story! every word was carefully crafted, and Suleika is a great storyteller. i am so moved and inspired by her. she has so much perseverance and hope. i cried.. oh boy did i cry during this book. her relationships with Will and her parents and her friends were/are so touching and raw. i could not put this down. i promise this isn't the only thing i got from this book, but DOGS! dogs are magical! they are healing! they are a great source of comfort!! dogs are the best. huge fan of Suleika and her story and what she brings to the world ( )

Suleika, author of “Life, Interrupted” the blog for The NY Times, lived much of her twenties in the Kingdom of the Sick, not the Kingdom of the well. In this book she details her journey through a rare leukemia, her “cure,” and her post-illness life. Her prose flows beautifully and somehow hopefully. I will read this again. “Healing is figuring out how to coexist with the pain that will always live inside you, without pretending it isn’t there or allowing it to hijack your day.” ( )

Absolutely incredible. Reading it as someone who has been sick most of her life, it felt at times like I was reading my own story, despite ours being wildly different. I needed this. ( )

I knew this was going to be a tough read for me, which is why I’ve continuously put it off for quite some time. I was fine until the moment that her parents and partner went to leave her for her first night in the hospital when she begins her treatment.

It instantly took me back to the many moments when my family would leave me at the hospital, me urging them to go and get some rest while secretly wishing someone could stay. Then hearing the click as the door shut, the whispered goodbyes fading away, the silence overwhelming me, my only companions for the night are the humming machines and whatever mindless show I had on the TV at the time. It is incredible how reading those few sentences took me back to those moments so vividly, the feelings still so powerful that I to put the book down and wait for my eyes to clear as tears threatened to flow, silently telling myself that this was just the beginning of her journey. If she was brave enough to write about it then I would be brave enough to read it.

There are parts that were seeing my worst nightmares realized on the pages, and I felt my heart break for this young woman and this horrible ordeal that she had to endure. There are moments of adult themes and language, but it’s not overboard and stays true to life, never taking away from the main narrative.

This was a passion project at the deepest and most primal level that takes you through the authors cancer battle. It is raw, real, and given even more depth when you listen to the audiobook version. Though it was a tough read for me I have no regrets. I applaud the author for being so transparent and sharing her harrowing journey.

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the Random House Publishing through NetGalley. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own. ( )

The author was only 22/23-years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia. She had just finished university and was looking forward to her future. She had just started a new relationship (a few months previous) and the two of them had just moved to Paris. They came back to the US and moved in with her parents so she could get the treatment she needed. The treatment went on for 3-4 years, and it took a toll on her relationship.

She did recover, but wasn’t sure what to do next. She decided to take a road trip around the perimeter of the US and she planned to visit people she had met or just corresponded with while she was being treated for her cancer. She had been writing newspaper columns during her treatment, so she was known throughout the US.

I found the first half, with all the medicine and treatments and trying to hold her relationship together much more interesting than her road trip. I almost lowered my rating due to the road trip, but decided to leave it where it is. The most interesting person (for me) she met on the road trip was the man on death row in Texas. He wrote to her early on in her cancer journey, and the parallels were really surprising to me. Something that scared me about the book was how much support and help she needed throughout. I live alone and likely always will. My mom has had breast cancer twice. How will I take care of myself and my cats if I was to become so ill that I need those kinds of treatments? It’s a scary thought. ( )

I love a memoir read by the author. Jaouad balances her privilege with the trauma of her illness pretty well. I do wonder why she changed Will's name, when a really quick internet search reveals his name. ( )

Between Two Kingdoms is a book I did not finished reading. By the time I reached page 100, I was tired of all the details and lurid descriptions of cancer. The book reads far more like a diary than a regular book of non-fiction. The promised telling about how her life was transformed after she survived cancer seemed nowhere in sight.
The only thing I was still interested in after reading so much detail about her hospitalizations was whatever happened to her boyfriend, Bill, who was a saint throughout her ordeal.
The book is not a difficult read, but no better than a newspaper article would be. Its mountain of detail, however, kept it from being anything more than a diary. ( )

(16) This is a memoir by a young woman who was diagnosed with leukemia in her early 20's and ultimately underwent a bone marrow transplant. She was living in Paris with a new boyfriend; trying to find herself post-college. It is the story of the discovery of the diagnosis, the treatment, and the emotional journey post treatment where she tried to navigate between 'the kingdom of the well and the kingdom of the sick.' The fear of dying, the anger of what has been taken from you, the lost time, the anguish her illness causes her family - these things are rendered really well. Though I was never as sick as Suleika, I was a young cancer patient and I know, know, know how some of that feels and can empathize. Her account is honest and unvarnished and not wrapped up in a bow. Her journey to life after cancer was courageous and I applaud her, I really enjoyed reading about her experiences.

Stylistically sometimes she got too bogged down in anguish. I think the book would have benefited from the author taking a step back and putting her disease in perspective. Maybe with a larger message about young adults with cancer diagnosis, or more about post-traumatic growth. There were other 30,0000 foot views that could have been explored more fully to take things from the individual to the universal which would have leant the book more gravitas and interest, even if those avenues were not as cathartic for her. I wonder how the work resonates for people who are not young cancer survivors or young tragedy survivors.

Anyway, she is a promising writer and I so wish her well. Oftentimes 'memoirs' written in the 20's and 30's sound jejune, but she has a mature yet believable voice for her age. I recommend for anyone going through something hard. There is a before and after - you are not the same, but you are forged into something different that is hard-earned and not easily tossed aside. A different version of yourself that you have no way of knowing is better or worse than who you would have become. . . ( )

What a powerful, impactful read! I'm not usually one for reading memoirs, but the summary really got me. I can understand how having something traumatic happening to you and for such a long time can definitely change your perspective! ( )

just finished this book yesterday... and I realize that a memoir is told from the authors recollection. This memoir follows the author through a difficult journey, one that she didn't want...but then would not have traded it in if she could..... I am still unresolved by the one character of Will..... although she has many pages to that relationship....there is a part of me that feels empty there..... He also was between two kingdoms.... I would look forward to anyone who reads this to share ( )