by Suleika Jaouad
Read October 2021
Recommended by a friend
This is the true story of the author’s journey from a cancer diagnosis, through treatment and out the other side into recovery. As you would expect from such a book, it is an interesting and emotional read. I didn’t expect it to continue beyond the end of her treatment but a significant part of the book details the difficulty in returning to normal life after cancer. I think many people who have suffered significant trauma or loss might identify with the concept of life before and after an event being separated by a line that isn’t easy to cross. Readers who can’t identify with the struggle of moving on might gain insight into the emotional toll paid by those who can.
Even without the cancer diagnosis, Suleika Jaouad has not lived an ordinary life. Her parents are both extraordinary people and she had what is, to me, a fantasy existence in Paris and New York. She fills her life with fascinating people and makes huge life decisions on a whim and with no safety net. Either Jaouad’s cancer story or life story on its own would be a worthwhile read. Both stories in one book made it hard to put down.