Queen Noor

This book was a deeply emotional read for me. Members of my husband's family were employees of Queen Noor's family so I always heard from my late, beloved sister-in-law how wonderful Queen Noor and King Hussein were. Being Jewish myself and having lived in Israel, I was most interested in reading about King Hussein's fervent desire to help bring about peace between Arab nations and Israel.

From stories I heard about about King Hussein in his non-royal role, I greatly appreciated learning in show more this book about his life-style with Queen Noor. My favorite picture in the book is one in which Queen Noor and King Hussein are out riding his motorcycle. It brought back memories of hearing from my husband's family about the King's checking out Harley-Davidson dealerships when he was in the Washington area.

This biography seems more like a friend sharing a precious diary with me than a Queen having written her memoirs for people the world over. Everything seems so personal. I found it extremely difficult to read the very end of the book which described King Hussein's failing health and then his death at age 62 of cancer.

I have a special copy of this book, signed to me by Queen Noor. I never read this book before. I'm not sure why. However, I think it means more to me now as I can reflect back on what Queen Noor and King Hussein not only meant to my husband's family, but what they meant to the whole world, and how special the Queen and King were as individuals with their hearts in exactly the right place. show less

What an amazing life lived by this young American of Arab descent who falls in love with King Hussein of Jordan and becomes his partner in all things. It was a leap of faith to become Muslim and embrace a lifestyle so foreign so full of tradition. I also enjoyed reading about the Arab / Israeli conflict from an Arab point of view .
Still, in many ways I found the book a bit of a “lecture”, on the Arab way of thinking . Still I am happy to understand better the Arab viewpoint in the show more Middle East and to learn about the extraordinary man who was King Hussein show less

This is the autobiography of Lisa Halaby, a young American woman who married King Hussein of Jordan and became Queen Noor. Her Syrian father was a pilot, an interest that led him into Hussein’s circle, and indirectly created their meeting.

Noor’s story highlights the difficulties she faced as a young bride, entering into a relationship where huge security pressures mean a complete lack of privacy, and stepping into a role as the King’s fourth wife means she has inherited stepchildren show more as well. Despite this the two obviously have great respect and long lasting affection for each other.

Noor throws herself wholeheartedly into her marriage and dedicates herself to becoming a passionate advocate for the Jordanian people. She sets up several philanthropic endeavours, championing women’s rights, the arts and education.

The story also has a strong political focus as Hussein’s lifelong work is to try and create peace in the Middle East. He is a tireless negotiator, both with the Western world, Israel and with other Arabic leaders. He is frustrated on all sides, by Ararat’s desire for war rather than peace, by the American complicity with and preferential treatment of Israel, and by Israel’s refusal to yield any ground. I respected Noor’s solidarity with her husband’s peace efforts and her frustration at the Western stereotyping of the Arabic world. She also doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to America’s choosing to turn a blind eye to Israel’s ruthless treatment of the Palestinians. On the other hand she also reveals her husband’s frustration at the militant actions of the PLO, jeopardising the peace process he has fought so hard for. I found this an interesting and engaging story about a fascinating and troubled part of the world. show less

This book is really fascinating. As other reviewers have noted, it is about an American-born woman with Arab roots who marries the King of Jordan. Queen Noor's revelations about her day to day life as Queen of Jordan are fascinating. She tries to explain how she went from Lisa Halaby to Queen Noor, and I find her attempts at explaining her extraordinary life alternatively believable and frustrating. Believable because at the heart of it she truly does seem to love the King, in many ways they show more seem to be a good match, and with her Arab roots she does have some ties to (some of) the Jordanian people. I feel really frustrated, though, with the parts of the book in which she makes it sound like becoming the Queen was as easy as putting on a different pair of shoes. For instance, when she discusses changing her name from Lisa to Noor. She says that the name Noor is the best gift the King ever gave her, that she was glad to give up her given name Lisa, and that she never felt attached to her original name and gladly became this new person. She also talks about her instinctive need early on to protect the king and squash her own needs to avoid adding to his stress. The eagerness with which she immediately abandons her own work, her name, and her own life is just a little too Stepford wife. It smacks a bit of both martyrdom and a deep subservience that suggests Daddy Issues or hero worship. Some of the book's political overviews and commentary is helpful, but I cannot say how much I retained. Imagine reading about complex and centuries-old political issues of multiple countries featuring lots of people you've never heard of, combined with historical commentary of a time you can't remember, in a culture not your own, and it's a bit much to soak in. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that after reading her numerous and lengthy summaries of political events, it's pretty much in-one-ear-and-out-the-other for me. I think that is because the explanations (like the events themselves) are so long and convoluted that I eventually give up, feeling like I am never going to understand it anyway. Still, some knowledge is better than none at all, and I didn't expect to come away from reading this book with a deep understanding of the region's politics.My cynical side insists that I note the definite hints of propaganda throughout the book. Naturally I do not expect her to be neutral, but her acccounts of King Hussein suggest that he was superhuman, and that Jordan was an innocent bystander in the many and varied Middle Eastern skirmishes. I'm skeptical of both. But it did give me a surface-level understanding of the deep and nuanced complexities of the Middle East, where no country is really innocent, each country has legitimate gripes, and there are no easy answers. show less