Suleika Jaouad received great attention and interest quite young. A year out of college, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. Receiving treatment in New York City, she wrote a blog describing her experiences for The New York Times, called Life, Interrupted. Following its popular reception, upon her recovery, she embarked on a cross country drive in a minivan, to visit the many people who corresponded with her in response to her blog. Her memoir, describing her trip and her treatment experiences, Between Two Kingdoms was published in 2021, reviewed here (https://www.margueritereads.com/home/between-two-kingdoms-a-memoir-of-a-life-interrupted-by-suleika-jaouad?rq=jaouad) . Since then, Jaouad got married, suffered a reoccurrence and treatment of her cancer, and continued artistic pursuits through watercolor painting and a weekly newsletter. The Book of Alchemy is her next published work, released in 2025.

In this book, Jaouad explores the creative possibilities of journaling for basically everyone, not just writers. Journals have traditionally been used by writers as a kind of warmup for their day’s work, but here Jaouad is lobbying for the practice as a means to living a fuller, richer life for all. She is back on familiar ground, for journaling was how she captured attention initially, and clearly is promoting it as a means to enlarge your perspective and live more creatively, generally. There is truth to Joan Didion’s quote, “I don’t know what I think until I write it down.” That was my motive in writing this blog, trying to gain a deeper understanding of what I thought about my reading, and to share those ideas. Jaouad structures this book with themes of how journaling can address various life experiences: memory, seeing, fear, love, rebuilding, ego, purpose, etc. She introduces each section, and wrote an introduction and afterward for the book. The book mainly consists of brief essays on these themes, each with a writing prompt for the reader. The essays are written by a hodge-podge of memoirists, writers, and artists.

It seems that Jaouad is now making a cottage industry of journaling, teaching classes in the practice, and now offering this compilation of other writers’ best ideas for this activity. She gives credit to Julia Cameron’s classic, The Artist’s Way (who, after this successful and helpful tome, has made a living from books and classes teaching journaling). Jaouad is retreading this familiar ground through 100 other experienced voices. Cameron developed her suggestions and techniques herself, based on a lifetime of personal practice, and helping countless others. Jaouad is mining everyone else for their best ideas and practices, but I fail to see what she brings herself, apart from a testimonial that yes, these practices help me write everyday, too. It feels like an infomercial for journaling.

Jaouad also gained attention for having a famous husband, Jon Batiste, a successful musician. The documentary American Symphony (produced by the Obamas for Netflix) covers the year of her cancer relapse and Batiste’s big success, winning a Grammy. I should note, her boyfriend at the time of her initial cancer, Will, put his life and career on hold for five years to help Jaouad and her family cope with the complexities and trauma of treatment, only to be unceremoniously dumped at the end. Jaouad must have felt pretty lucky to hook up with a wildly successful musician. Life, Interrupted was lightning in a bottle. I read it all, followed it faithfully, and it really helped express what so many of us have lived. It is time, however, for her next original creative move. Maybe her watercolors are that move. We have yet to see that creativity in writing, however.

Instead of this book, get any of Julia Cameron’s 20+ books on creativity, and you are bound to learn countless methods that are all of her mind. The Book of Alchemy felt like an unoriginal retread. Not recommended.