Suleika Jaouad Celebrates Health Milestone and New Book Release
April 23, 2025 | New York City —
Celebrated writer and cancer survivor Suleika Jaouad is marking a season of renewal with two major life updates: her leukemia is in remission, and her new book The Book of Alchemy has officially launched.
Jaouad, best known for her best-selling memoir Between Two Kingdoms, has been a powerful voice for those living through illness, transformation, and healing. After a difficult battle with a recurrence of leukemia in 2022, she has now entered remission, according to her husband, Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste.
"She's doing great," Batiste shared in a recent interview, expressing optimism about her health. "We’re hopeful and grateful for every single day."
Amid her personal recovery, Jaouad has also been busy creatively. On April 22, 2025, she released The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life. The book is a deeply personal and practical guide that encourages readers to harness journaling and creativity as tools for healing and growth. It features contributions from a wide range of prominent figures including author Elizabeth Gilbert, novelist George Saunders, and Batiste himself.
Speaking on CBS Mornings during her book tour, Jaouad explained, "Alchemy is about transformation. It’s about turning pain, uncertainty, and grief into something meaningful. This book is an invitation for people to create through whatever circumstances they are living."
The Book of Alchemy builds on Jaouad’s philosophy that healing is not a linear process, but rather one that blends beauty, pain, creativity, and hope. In a world grappling with uncertainty, her message feels especially urgent.
Jaouad also hosted a sold-out virtual event, "The Alchemy Workshop," over the weekend, where she guided participants through exercises designed to unlock creativity during times of hardship. “Art-making, no matter the medium, is a way of making meaning when the world feels meaningless," she told attendees.
Since first sharing her cancer diagnosis publicly through her Emmy Award-winning column "Life, Interrupted" in The New York Times, Jaouad has been widely admired for her honesty, wisdom, and the sense of community she builds with her readers.
In The Book of Alchemy, she reminds audiences that even amid life's greatest trials, creativity and love can lead to profound transformation.
Jaouad plans to continue speaking engagements and workshops throughout 2025, while maintaining a quieter personal life to focus on her health and new projects.
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