Between Two Kingdoms: A Life on Hold
Salika Jawad
A deeply moving and poignant memoir, Salika writes about her experience with leukemia and the challenges she faced during treatment. She also explores how the disease changed her relationships, her identity, and her sense of self. She reflects on the lessons she learned about coping and hope. Salika was declared cured by her doctors. But she soon learned that treatment doesn't end with recovery; it begins there.
Now she must learn how to live.
How will she return to life and live again? How will she reclaim what she has lost?
Salika embarked on a 100-day road trip, covering thousands of kilometers.
She met some of the strangers who had contacted her during her years in the hospital:
A young woman in Florida also recovering from cancer; a teacher in California who was devastated by the death of her son; a death row inmate in Texas who had spent years of his life confined to a cell.
What I learned on this journey is that the barrier between health and illness is porous, and most people move back and forth between these two realms.
Between Two Realms is a meticulous record of life reborn, an inspiring discovery that confronts adversity and stirs the emotions of what it means to begin anew.
A New York Times bestseller, this deeply moving memoir of illness and recovery chronicles a young woman's journey from diagnosis to recovery and the return to a "normal" life. From the author of the "Life, Paused" column in The New York Times.
A top book of the year according to The Washington Post, Bloomberg, Rambus Magazine, SheReads, Library Journal, The New York Times Book Review, and Booklist.
"I lived through Sleeka's entire journey and will follow her everywhere she goes... Her writing breathes new life into the world and illuminates the path to learning to endure the unknown." Chanel Miller, New York Times Book Review
"Beautiful writing... It leaves a lasting impression... A reading that changes something within us... Salika Jawad's vision of self, interconnectedness, doubt, and time speaks to us all." - Washington Post
