• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2020 December #2
  *Starred Review* In her searing memoir, Emmy Award–winning speaker, writer, and activist Jaouad describes how, diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at age 22, she found herself, as Susan Sontag described coping with cancer, as living in a world divided into two kingdoms: the healthy and the sick. Having to be a resident of the latter initially comes as a shock to this ambitious, energetic, and talented recent college graduate, who never expected her life to turn out the way it did, and who once looked at a future filled with infinite possibilities, only to see it "shrouded in doom." But Jaouad dug deep over the ensuing four years to write a column for the New York Times, "Life, Interrupted," about her cancer experiences, and here she painstakingly chronicles her treatment. Certain words stand out, including one she coined, "incanceration," which captures her feelings about her lengthy and difficult hospital stays. Readers will feel her anxiety, fear, and despair, but also moments of hope as she pursues life through chemotherapy and a bone-marrow transplant. Jaouad addresses the psychological toll of the illness, from depression to grief to PTSD, and, in the end, confides that she is haunted and humbled by the thought that "it can all be lost in a moment." Boldly candid and truly memorable. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

Suleika Jaouad is an Emmy Award&;winning writer, speaker, cancer survivor, and activist. She served on Barack Obama&;s President&;s Cancer Panel, and her advocacy work, reporting, and speaking has been featured at the United Nations, on Capitol Hill, and on the TED Talk main stage. When she&;s not on the road with her 1972 Volkswagen camper van and her rescue dog Oscar, she lives in Brooklyn.