Customer Reviews

Leap Of Faith: Memoirs Of An Unexpected Life

5 star:		(82)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(35)

 

 

I am also from Jordan, and know very well the political history of the region, and so regardless of whether i agree with the point of view taken in this book or not I will give it five stars because she is, after all, my homelands beloved Queen. I am however very saddened by the fact that Queen Noor, as one of the only representatives for the women of the country, does not take a more active role in creating awareness of the injustices, and atrocities committed in the kingdom to the women of the kingdom. Queen Noor, as much of the royal family, lives in a world so vastly different to that of every day life in the kingdom, for the majority of people in the kingdom. She is well aware of this fact, and also very well aware of the inequality of women in Jordanian society, and the Human Rights abuses being condoned by our government in regards to women's rights...as in the cases of Honor Killings! And so, while i applaud her efforts, I am very saddened to see that our Queen is not taking full advantage of her noteriety and position to be more actively involved in defending women's rights in the country she claims to love so dearly. As a Jordanian woman...who had lost someone i loved dearly to the barbaric practice of Honor Killings...I appeal to our Queen to help us in abolishing articles 340, 98, and 97 which are used to sanction these types of murders and protect the perpetrators of these crimes...Please remember Queen Noor, that with fame, notoriety, and freedom, comes great responsibility....the women of Jordan need your active and constant support in abolishing these articles, and granting them true equality....as outlined in the countries constitution. Jordan is in direct breach of many of the conventions and Human Rights agreements it has ratified with the UN over the years by allowing these articles to continue to exist......How many more innocent Jordanian women must die in the name of honor? How much more innocent blood must be spilled in our streets before the government (mainly the lower house of parliament) realizes that Jordan as a country has lost its honor...by allowing and condoning the barbaric murder of it's women! And so, regardless of how wonderful and honorable a picture of Jordan my eloquent Queen Noor attempts to portray....I for one do not see it that way...and I am certain if you speak to many Jordanian women still sitting in Jordanian prisons for their own protection (victims of rape, and rumors that can get them killed by members of their own families, in "in so called "honor killings" which are sanctioned by Jordanian laws) they also will not see it that way...speak to the many sisters or friends of the thousands of victims over the years...they also will not see it that way. Speak to the average Jordanian woman...struggling with the daily inequalities...who is speaking out on their behalf??? While you are so eloquently trying to show the world how wonderful and honorable Jordan has been??? Again, I say...I am saddened, by the lack of acknowledgment of the struggles the Jordanian women are facing, and the lack of active involvement by Queen Noor, and Queen Rania. It is not enough to just say that you do not condone it...you must do more....your female citizens lives...and quality of life depends on it! So much more emphasis I believe should have been placed on a woman's perspective (from a leadership position) on the position of women in Jordanian society...after all you are a woman....you are our representative...but instead you spent the majority of the book explaining King Husseins position and political battles...what about your own voice, and your own battles as a woman...watching the women in your country struggle for basic human rights???

I wasn't sure, at first, that I was going to enjoy this book. But I became very interested in the story's progress because the author made me care for her family and her point of view. There was just enough history, personal perspective, and likeability of the characters that I wanted to see how they weathered the treacherous affairs of world politics. It was an eye-opening experience for me, and I support her efforts to improve the west's perception of Arabs and its understanding of Middle East affairs. I found it to be worth reading.

If you're 14 years old and believe in Cinderella than maybe you'll believe that Lisa Halaby meets King Hussein, starts hanging out with him, goes to his house for dinner every night, has him picking her up at her apartment and spending time with his children and then had no idea of why the King "wanted to speak to her father." According to the then Lisa, the King never held her hand, kissed her or made any indication that there was a romantic involvement until he "popped the question" through her dad. Nor was she apparently concerned about other woman and one of the worlds most eligible batchleors.

And no one in Jordan suspected anything. The other odd part of the story is that according to Lisa, she never had a boyfriend of any kind. Now, she does not come out and say that, but she never mentions one male friend: not a date to the highschool prom, a classmate or co workers, not even a casual date. Now that's a little hard to believe. According to her, she had no male friends and no female friends either.

The reader also has to realize that Lisa's story was not a rags to riches. Her father made lots of money in the airline industry and was the FAA director for JFK although her mother was always complaining. That's why I was a little surprised when then Lisa's mother had reservations about her daughter marrying one of the riches men in the world.

For a perspective of the Arab/Israeli question for the Arab and Jordianian point of view, Queen Noor's story is interesting and gives a good perspective. However, I would have though that she would have had better ghost writers.

The Queen, who does a good bit of name dropping, is suddently best friends with all of the worlds royalty. However, she starts the book saying that she can't make friends and has no friends to discuss the forthcoming marriage to Hussein. She never deals with her lose of American citizenship, or her change in religion which would seem to be a crises in most peoples lives. She just did it. According to her, everything thing in her life with Hussein was pretty great. She mentions a few problems with step children and rumors of the King and other women, but everything according to her was blissful. She marries the king, everything is happy and she has babies. The only problems she discusses are political.

As a resident of the City of Cleveland, I was pretty surprised when the Queen mentions in passing that her husband went to a "clinic in Cleveland" when he was ill. In the next paragraph she does mention the Cleveland Clinic, but as I recall the city and the clinic did a lot for the King when he was here.

Only in a letter that the King wrote to her on their 10th anniversary to you get in feel for Hussein's feelings for the Queen and the final part of the book regarding the king's illness, which I thought was too short, was touching.

All in all the book is a defense of Hussein's position in the Middle East and in history. It touches only lightly on the real Lisa Halaby/Queen Noor.

Americans are fascinated with Grace Kelly and I guess that Queen Noor falls in the same category. However, all in all, she comes across in the book as extremely shallow. It would be interesting to read a bio of the wife of an Israeli prime minister and compare the two but for telling her story, Queen Noor didn't do a very good job in convincing me. You don't see Lisa Halaby change to Queen Noor. She see Queen Noor telling you what she wants you to hear and believe.

I was also disappointed that she gave no information about her current life post-Hussein. That would have been interesting and could have made a good conclusion. She ends her story with the death of her husband. Maybe that's the way she sees life.

One of the best memoirs I have ever read. Not a lot of political stuff in this one. Lots of what should be in a memoir. Thoughts, feelings, history, personal perspective, reflection, and love. This is a powerful lady with a lot of knowledge about both the US and the Middle East. The Queen really had to be diplomatic and tactful in a country where women are not seen in leadership terms. She is compassionate and understands both sides of a very awful conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians. She provides wisdom and her feelings from the Jordanian side. Really impressed with her memory of events and her stories about her family and the families of others around her. Great information into how the domestic life goes on in the Jordan. You may or may not agree with her observations but this is a good read and a book to enjoy not try to destroy politically.

Queen Noor manages to convey her love for Jordan and its king in very guarded, very carefully worded terms. My overwhelming impression is that though she might have much to say, her caution in expressing herself (after all, she continues to live there) made me think that she chose every word and thought with the idea of not making any Jordanian or Middle Eastern waves. It struck me that it would be a far more interesting read if she could have been more free in expressing herself - surely this is not free thought, freely expressed.

I thoroughly enjoyed Queen Noor's book. In the United States, our news organizations have such a bias towards Isreal that we often do not know much about the rest of the Middle East region. This book gave me a new perspective about the Camp David Accords. I have always been and will continue to be a Jimmy Carter fan, but this book brought a different view of the difficulties that must have prsented themselves in dealing with this volatile region. The section dealing with Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War was interesting. I have often wondered about our (United States) zeal to jump into a region that has been refered to as an island floating on a sea of oil. Sure, Queen Noor has a bias, don't we all? However, I feel that her book is very balanced in it's narrative of her life as queen.

Not only did Ms. Halaby get a new name (Queen Noor) when she married the king of Jordan she also got a new religious faith, an overnight fan following for her alluring grace and beauty, a slew of stepchildren, close scrutiny and a pretty moot role in a region that is/was growing more politically knotty by the hour.

This book explores her role as the ceremonial mother of a country and culture that she has clearly lovingly embraced. Some of the best moments of the book emerge from her accounts of a "political wife" representing her husband and country while remaining civil and smiling even in sullen times like Iraq's 1991 invasion of Kuwait.

By turns putatively formal and deliciously candid, LOF is overall a fascinating account of the eternal royal balancing act between what must certainly be a bafflingly public life versus carving out a personal one. Her journey from a Princeton graduate to a Middle Eastern urban planner to a Queen is probably what makes her profile so interesting to international folk.

On the political side, this is a biography from the eyes of one person, which is a reason not to read this as a political factbook but as a perspective. On the personal side, her vivid reminiscing of the first days as Queen are the stuff Audrey Hepburn movies are made of...awakening to the sound of jackhammers during palace renovations, disagreements with a valet over who was supposed to dress the king, and adjustments to her instant family.

In sum, a truly enjoyable keeper for your collection.

As a Jordanian, this book is a great gift from our beloved Queen. Reading it, I relived beautiful and sad moments. It is definitely the book of the year!

If you are looking for a historical, insiders perspective on the Mideast you will enjoy this book.

If you are interested in an insiders view of Queen Noor's life you will be disappointed.

From the photographs in the book, you can see the love between the Queen and her husband. But when you read the pages, very little detail is shared.
They meet. She expresses surprise that the King is interested in her. They date. They get married. Very little of their interpersonal relationship and courtship is described. She expresses her love for the King, but does not really describe their relationship.

As the book is titled "Memoirs of an Unexpected Life" , I really expected to read about the Queen herself. I would like to know how she felt about people she met, her wardrobe, how she stays fit, what she likes, etc. But none of this is in the book or if its mentioned its glossed over. Instead we have fleeting impressions of her country.

In one so tiny paragraph she describes how she recognized that her minimal wardrobe would not be sufficient when she married the King. I want to read more about her wardrobe, her daily routine, her thoughts on how she fits in the country. Yes I want some history but some fluff too. After all this is supposed to be a book about her.

Sadly none of this is revealed and what is written could have been written by anyone with a slight knowledge of the Queen.

I'm not really into biographies and this is the first obe I've read since I head so much about it. While the book is long and slow at some points, the Queen's views are quiet interesting. Her views on the Middle East and America while I don't fully agree with all of them were still interesting.