Between Two Kingdoms

A Memoir of a Life Interrupted

“I’d always imagined myself as the kind of writer who would help other people tell their stories, but increasingly, I found myself gravitating toward the first person. Illness had turned my gaze inward.” -Suleika Jaouad, Between Two Kingdoms

I first came across Suleika Jaouad’s work almost a decade ago. I was immediately drawn to her story. We shared some commonalities, among them our bi-cultural identities as Arab-American women. 

But there was more. We both had dreams of reporting from abroad that were interrupted. 

In Suleika’s case, her aspirations of becoming a foreign correspondent came crashing down in 2011 when she was diagnosed, at the age of 22, with acute myeloid leukemia.

The timing was eerily coincidental to me. It was the same year I had received a diagnosis for FMF, a rare genetic disease that had baffled doctors for years, shortly after beginning my journalism career with CNN.

Suleika’s voice struck a chord with me. 

Having already been familiar with her honest yet gentle writing style, I was anticipating the arrival of her first book Between Two Kingdoms.

About the book

Between Two Kingdoms tells the story of Suleika’s experience and takes readers through her treatment as she writes with searing honesty about the hard place between illness and recovery.

It explores with profound thought how illness and the loss of health permanently alters our identities. Suleika leads us hand-in-hand through what she calls - “the kingdoms of health and illness.” 

“As a patient, you are constantly asked to investigate the body, to report on yourself, and to narrate your findings: How are you feeling? What is your pain on a scale of one to ten? Any new symptoms? Do you feel ready to go home? I understood now why so many writers and artists, while in the thick of illness, became memoirists. It provided a sense of control, a way to reshape your circumstances on your own terms, in your own words. “That is what literature offers - a language powerful enough to say how it is,” Jeanette Winterson wrote. “It isn’t a hiding place. It is a finding place.” 

Reading it was reminiscent of Brain on Fire, a harrowing story by another young journalist named Susan Cahalan, who had a nearly fatal experience with a rare neurological disease.

I know, I have a thing for rare diseases.

I also discovered while reading Between Two Kingdoms that both Suleika’s mother and mine share the irritating idiosyncrasy of using a Swiss cowbell to summon their children to meals at the table. 

Photo evidence of said Swiss cow bell

So we really aren’t the only family out there with weird things, huh?

In the book, we also get a glimpse into Suleika’s budding relationship with her now husband, Jon Batiste, who just so happens to be a revered musician from New Orleans.

Okay, I might be a little biased here. But hey, the writing speaks for itself.

Summery and Takeaway

Between Two Kingdoms is a powerful story of navigating illness, heartbreak, grief, and recovery that shows us that traversing the inevitable transitions of human experience are essential to our survival.

Also, for some of my readers who asked, I was so saddened to learn that Suleika had a relapse in 2021 and had to undergo a second bone marrow transplant. Thankfully it was successful, and she has had a robust recovery. I hope she continues to reagin her strength and reach the best of health with her beloved family, friends, and community.

Next up, I’ll be featuring a spectacular story that is part private investigation, part memoir. It has been described to me by many people as the best book they have read all year! Stay tuned.

P.S. If you have read any memoirs that you love or would like to recommend, please let me know in the comments and I’ll add it to my long list!