Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad

Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks so much to Tara Smith, MaryAlice BD, and Pat Graham for your high recommendations that pushed me to read it immediately! Flawlessly narrated by the author, Suleika Jaouad's story had me captivated from page 1! As a 22 year old she contracts a form of leukemia 60 year olds deal with. Over a four year period, Suleika will share her treatments, her relationships, her friendships and her blog that the NYT picks up as a way of helping others, helping herself and coming to terms with what her life will be after cancer. This is a must read, I will think of Suleika and what she has accomplished whenever I want to feel sorry for myself---this book is a testament to the beauty of life even during cancer. She gave me meaning, hope, and beauty with her emotional truth and her triumphs as she learns how to drive and visits some of the people who wrote to her after reading her column, Life Interrupted.

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Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca

Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read and loved this book as part of my 2nd #BitAboutBooks Winter Reading Challenge a book published in 2021 worth 15 points. Just as I loved her debut, Midsummer's Mayhem, I could not put down this affecting, touching novel in verse (which I totally loved) about Reha, a young Indian American girl who was born and raised in America but by Indian parents who migrated to the United States and married. Reha loves her life with her mother and father but feels so constrained by their expectations which are opposite what her daily American life is in school. This book deftly portrays the double world Reha lives in; I enjoyed learning about the Indian mythology especially Savitri, Amma's letter writing known as Aerogramme, and the Indian foods and culture. Especially noteworthy is Reha's friendship with her Indian friends on the weekends, and the support from the kids at school like Pete, Penelope, and Rachel when Amma is sick. This is a book that all must read--there is much to be learned about Reha's life that AA readers can and will identify with, learn from, and understand about family struggles such as illness, expectations, and differences. Highly recommended!

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Tell Me Something Real by Calla Devlin

Tell Me Something Real by Calla Devlin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this wrenching book for The Hub Reading Challenge (William Morris Award) about 3 sisters and their father who are losing their mother to leukemia. They live in San Diego and commute to Mexico for Laetrile (banned in US) treatments. While there they meet people who come to feel special to them. One boy, Caleb and his mom, Barb, end up moving in and helping Adrienne, Vanessa, Marie cope with their hellish life that has been torn apart by this devastating illness. Vanessa, the middle child tells the story and it is her love of piano that helps her daily to deal with the leukemia and what it is doing to their mother. It is Caleb who is in remission from lymphoma who becomes her lifeline, support, and reality when another insidious truth becomes reality. I could not put this book down, I rooted for the sisters to survive their journey and be "safe and free" LOVED LOVED this book; a must read. Teens will love these sisters.

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