Between Two Kingdoms
A Memoir of a Life Interrupted
by Suleika Jaouad
This memoir is not for the faint of heart. A leukemia diagnosis in a young lady barely out of college, of the particular virulent form she had, was a pretty near death sentence. I believe her chances of surviving treatment were rated at one in four, or possibly lower.
She takes you through it, every painful and hopeless minute, and somehow she stays sane throughout. But after five years of single-minded dedication to an end--living!--she comes out not remembering how to live. All the young adult years when people usually go out on their own, take jobs and houses, get married and start a family, or at least get a dog--all those years were swallowed up by hospital stays, bed-rest or worse--feeling too ill to even get out of bed, and hopeless dependency. She couldn't even drive a car.
Somehow she ends up getting moving and taking the road trip to end all road trips--traveling across the U.S. to visit the people she corresponded with during her illness. (and others, too) To search out the words of wisdom, hugs and hopefulness that it would take to finally return to making a real life for herself.
The narration is excellent; the writing superb, and at times a beauty of poetry seems to flow through the lines. On the road she meets unexpected kindness, forever friendship, and love. She meets a few jerks, too, but that's a challenge to overcome and she seemed to show the strength you applaud and end up thinking, yeah. Suleika is gonna be all right.
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