Between Two Kingdoms

Between Two Kingdoms

What almost dying taught me about living

Summary

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

'A propulsive, soulful story of mourning and gratitude - and an intimate portrait of one woman's sojourn in the wilderness between life and death.'
TARA WESTOVER, author of Educated
__________

We all face moments that bring us to our knees: heartbreak, trauma, illness. When things don't go to plan this is the book to reach for - an inspirational memoir about what we can learn about life from a brush with death.


At just twenty-two, on the cusp of adult life, Suleika Jaouad was diagnosed with leukemia and given a 35 per cent chance of survival. For the next five years, her world comprised four white walls, a hospital bed, fluorescent lights, tubes and wires. She became patient 5624. At twenty-seven, and celebrating her first year of remission, Suleika realized that, having survived, she now had no idea how to live. And so she set out to meet some of the many strangers who had written to her about their experiences of life, death, healing and recovery in response to her Emmy-Award winning New York Times column, 'Life Interrupted'. Between Two Kingdoms is the result. Drawing on Suleika's TED Talk, now with 4 million views, it illuminates universal questions about how we live, mourn, heal and grow up, and what it means to begin again.
__________

Praise for Between Two Kingdoms:

'A work of breathtaking creativity and heart-stopping humanity.' ELIZABETH GILBERT, author of Eat Pray Love

'A beautiful, elegant and heart-breaking book that provides a glimpse into the kingdom of illness.' SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies

'No more doomscrolling. Read this book instead... Full of wisdom and resilience.' ADAM GRANT, author of Originals

'A deeply touching account of learning to live in the now, because nothing else is promised. I loved it.' KATHRYN MANNIX, author of With the End in Mind

Reviews

  • Will resonate with anyone who is living a different life than the one they had planned.
    TARA WESTOVER, author of EDUCATED

About the author

Suleika Jaouad

Suleika Jaouad is an Emmy Award-winning writer, speaker, and the New York Times 'Life Interrupted' columnist. Her essays and reported features have appeared in The New York Times Magazine and Vogue. She is also the creator of The Isolation Journals, a global movement cultivating creativity during challenging times. Between Two Kingdoms is her first book.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more