Rating: 
Summary: Educational and Enjoyable
Review: I really enjoyed this book. While at times a bit preachy, it did a good job of presenting the history of Jordan and detailing the events of the past twenty five years from the unique perspective of Noor. She is very honest about almost everything and everyone she discusses, friend or foe. Overall, a thoughtful, balanced, informative book.
Rating: 
Summary: "Important" perspective, but no mention of the Kurds
Review: First, the book's greatest strength: it reminds the reader that people can have very different perspectives about the same thing depending on where they are standing. Perspective-taking is a good thing, and I think it is unfair to paint the book with such a broad brush by announcing that it is anti-semetic and dismissing it entirely. It nicely articulates an Arab perspective to the historical and current events in the Middle East, and as a society, I think we can only benefit from many points of view on the matter.Briefly, I agree with much of what previous reviewers said about this book: a. the author examines the historical and current events in the Middle East in a way that isn't typical of main stream media in the U.S.; b. the author has an especially difficult time maintaining a veneer of "objectivity" when discussing the actions of the Israeli government - which I did not find as troubling as some, given that it so transparent from so early on that I just took whatever she said "with a grain of salt," - and when it comes to reporting on the actions in the Middle East, I think we should be skeptical about whatever we read or hear, regardless of who is saying it; c. the author takes issue with the aspects of the American government and the American media - its her right, and much of what she says is neither new nor that off-base; and d. the author clearly adores her husband, and her courtship and life living in Jordan is a mostly interesting read. Now, what I didn't like: the biggest problem is the book's lack of historical accuracy (and objectivity). Normally I would say "who cares, this isn't a history book," but these aren't normal times, and many people who read this book, as the reviews will attest, see it as a good lesson in history. Queen Noor leaves out too many important events and details, and by clearly concentrating on only those events that cast her husband and certain other Arab leaders in the best possible light, it gives ammunition to those who question her agenda. The example of this I found most shocking, and perhaps easiest for others to relate to, was in the author's depiction of the first Gulf War, and especially her failure to mention the gassing of the Kurds. Here's how she sees it. Much of the chapter the author devotes to the war discusses the shuttle diplomacy that her husband undertook in order to prevent the conflict. She examines the "deceptions" by the U.S. and many Arab leaders, who backed away from any peaceful resolution to the conflict in spite of promising the King that if he could convince Iraq/Saddam to withdraw from Kuwait, the Coalition forces would allow him to do so. [According to Queen Noor, King Hussein did, in fact, get a commitment from Iraq to immediately withdraw from Kuwait, but when he informed the U.S. and the other Arab leaders, they didn't care. They had their own agenda - cripple Iraq, which was getting too powerful in the region.] She spends a lot of time (several pages) discussing the concerns the King had over the loss of innocent Iraqi lives and the destruction of Iraqi infrastructure as a result of American bombs - a legitimate concern of many on both sides of the Atlantic; she briefly talks about Saddam Hussein, though not in the demonizing way he is portrayed in Western media; she briefly (a few sentences) expresses concern about the hero-worshipping attitude towards Saddam that he actively cultivated in Iraq, mostly out of concern that it was unhealthy for Iraqi children to be taught to love their leader instead of loving their country. [A legitimate concern I guess, though an unintended irony is that through out the book she proudly highlights how much Jordanians worshipped their leader]. And that pretty much sums up the discussion of the first Gulf War. Not ONE comment about Saddam using chemical weapons against anyone, let alone against his own people. And this after going to great lengths to repeatedly bemoan the loss of innocent life and destruction of Iraqi infrastructure at the hands of the Americans. When I finished the chapter and realized that the author was done discussing the first Gulf War, with nary of mention of the gassing of the Kurds, I almost stopped reading the book. It made me wonder, as others have before me, if there isn't something else going on with this book. After all, no little detail seemed too small for her - for example, Sting and Steven Speilburg make it into her reference section at the end (Sting for being mentioned indirectly once). And yet, after a relatively sympathetic portrayal of Saddam Hussein (at least by Western media standards) she fails to mention the first time in over 50 years the wide-scale use of chemical weapons??? In the long-run, it is too bad, because I think it makes it easier for her detractors to dismiss the book as anti-semetic and to be trashed, thus ignoring the important point of view she brings to the discussion.
Rating:
Summary: Quiet interesting
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Among other things, a Love Story
Review: This is a great book not only about the love between two people, but about the love between a leader and his people. There is much to be learned by reading Queen Noor's "Leap of Faith". Lisa Halaby, born and raised in the US, had Arab roots through her father. So, in a way, Miss Halaby came full circle when she married Jordan's King Hussein and became Queen of Jordan. The king chose the name, Noor for his fiance, which in Arabic means light. And so, Noor Al Hussein, Queen of Jordan was the "Light of Hussein". And, indeed she was. From the beginning of the marriage, King Hussein wanted his wife to pursue projects and activities in which she was interested. He held great respect for her talents and abilities and the way she used them. Queen Noor found use of her architectural degree in the various homes in which they lived, always trying to make the environment comfortable for all. "Leap of Faith" presents the reader with a point of view, or should I say, another side of the story in regard to the mid-east conflicts. This memoir has caused me to scratch my head and say, "hmmm", on many occasions, as I read the book. For example, the long running conflict between Israel and Palestine is ever present during King Hussein's reign. Within these pages we are reminded that Israel is in violation of an UN resolution, so hmmmm. Another reminder from the book is that the US still has not signed the Land Mine Ban Treaty, another hmmmm. There are lots of hmmmms in regard to the role of the US in the mid-east. King Hussein was a peacemaker and Queen Noor worked with him in his efforts. In spite of the pressing duties of the King, the family managed to find time together. When travelling, one or more of their children frequently accompanied them. There is a great picture showing the King and Queen riding a motorcycle on the desert, a recreational respite. One of the things about "Leap of Faith" is it made me aware of other extremely important perspectives in regard to the Arabic culture. Things are not one-sided and we can all use continued exposure to our world from varied sources to help in our understanding of other cultures. This book is helpful in that respect. This is not the whole story, but a piece of the story.
Rating:
Summary: Great book and an alternative view to American Propaganda
Review: What a wonderful book with refreshing views to widen one's horizon. Not only did the book provide detailed insight into their life, it helped me to see the OTHER side of Mid East tension that existed for decades. Up until I was 21 I've been bombarded by a biased media and I always believed in our government's policies. Only after studying abroad and seeing the world through my own eyes did I realize that our media only shows selected aspect of other countries (just think about the stereotypes for various countries we adopted over the years). I heard about this book for the first time when a well known news publisher trashed the book by saying that Queen Noor is obviously anti-Israel and blamed Israel lobbies. I thought that was a childish way to show that the news staff was impartial. This shows the fundamental flaw of our mass media. If we hope to live in a peaceful world, we should all stop judging and start seeing things from different perspective. I don't think Queen Noor is 100% objective(after all, this is a memoir, not a textbook), but can you name anyone or news agency that's completely unbiased? I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has an open mind and willing to see the other side of the story.
Rating: 
Summary: a little biased?
Review: Being an American currently living in Israel, I was hoping this book would help to educate me a bit on the complex situation here in the middle east.
Her husband, being such a friend/ peace-maker to Israel, I was surpised by the Queen's negative references and 'digs' about Jordan's neighbor.
Israel seems to be the root of all evil.
I found her writing inciteful in most instances, but biased and untrue in terms of her point of view on Israel.
Rating:
Summary: Very Enlightening
Review: I wasn't looking for a fairy tale story when I bought this book. Neither did I expect to have my viewpoint of the Middle East so thoroughly set askance. I am shamed that I did not know more about the Arab people in general and the Palestines, in particular. Queen Noor has created a book that brings the plight of her people into proper focus for this US Citizen and for that I am very grateful! A fascinating read that has me intent to visit Jordan, particularly the preserves and ancient sites. Well constructed and most interesting. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Credible, Touching, Eye-Opener
Review:
... I hope that my review will provide a more balanced appreciation of this extraordinary book by an extraordinary former American of Jordanian extraction who, as a Princeton-educated professional, married to the King of Jordan, is able to summarize her life's work of building better bridges between the Arab world and the west.
I note as a preface that I am aware of the Jordanian hospital for terrorists recovering from combat wounds, that there are many things still running against the people in Jordan. However, what I find in this double-spaced book--by no means a work of scholarship--is a personal story that is rich with wisdom, integrity, and insights into differing perspectives. The true beginning of the book comes on page 32, when the author, then a student at Princeton, learned of the death of four students and injury of nine students at Kent State University at the hands of an undisciplined Ohio National Guard armed with real bullets. Most Americans over 40 will never forget the photo of the young woman kreening over one of the dead. That shooting leads to the following sentence in the book: "It was a seminal moment in shaping my view of American society. While I loved my country, I found my trust in its institutions badly shaken." The value of the book for me is in the author's credible discussion of what she calls "a fundamental lack of understanding in the West, especially in the United States, of Middle Eastern culture and the Muslim faith." I took the entire book on faith myself--while rabid Jews may not agree, I am prepared to believe that Queen Noor has not been brainwashed, and that she is offering all readers a personal perspective on Arabs, Muslims, Israel, the Gulf War, the impact of US policies in creating millions of refugees and tens of thousands of dead, and so on. If anything, the book, one of hundreds I have read in the past several years, confirms my growing sense of ignorance. Every additional book I read in this area seems to confirm how little any one person can know, and how duplicitious and misleading most official accounts, or media stories, are. We have a long way to go in truly understanding one another, and we can all start by a) reading and b) discussing. Attacking this book, and this Queen, is not helpful. Although I was was somewhat aware of the fact that Israel is in violation of United Nations resolutions calling for a separate and equal Palestine state, as well as compensation to the Palestinians driven from their lands and also are of the somewhat rocky start in the area from British mandates and Israeli terrorism utilized to drive the British from the area, I was unaware of Mahatma Ghandi's statement, "Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French. What is going on in Palestine today cannot be justified by any moral code of conduct." The bulk of the book is less about affairs of state than it is about the loneliness of a Queen whose husband is public property and who never has any privacy. It is, none-the-less, an absorbing personal account of many specific people and their ethics--one comes away dismayed that Barbara Bush would send word to Queen Noor that she was a traitor to America, and pleasantly surprised to find that Prince Charles proved to be the only balanced courteous English leader at a critical time. At the end of the book, and this no doubt explains the hysterical Jewish attacks against this Queen, mother, and author, I was persuaded of three things: 1) the US public and the US government does not have a good grip on Arab politics, culture, or needs; 2) the combination of Jewish power within US policy; Arab inattention to playing US politics from within; and the Zionist "myths" that take on a life of their own, are a major reason why US policy is ineffective and unsustainable in the long run within this vital area; and 3) Queen Noor was as good a queen as the Jordanian people could have hoped for, given the circumstances. This book was well worth my time, and I recommend it to every citizen who wishes to reduce conflict, increase understanding, and obtain a better return on how the U.S. taxpayer dollar is spent.
Rating:
Summary: An Intelligent, Important book (A 4.5 on a scale of 1 to 5)
Review: "Leap of Faith" can be deceiving. At first you think: cool upper middle class blonde marries much older(and shorter) King. Ah, a late 20th century Grace Kelly? An American Princess Diana?
Far from it. Queen Noor, who began her life as Lisa Halaby, is and always has been a serious, thoughtful woman who chooses to live her life for politics, philosophy, her family (both her one of origin and by marriage), and causes. She does not and appears to have never been a woman consumed by clothes, jewelry, gossip, and glamour. (Though some of her detractors might argue differently.)
This book traces her beginnnings in the upper middle and upper classes of American society. Her father, Najeeb Halaby, was a very successful Arab American who at various times ran the FAA and Pan Am. Her mother was of Swedish American descent. While Lisa/Noor appears to have inherited the looks of her Nordic ancestors, she clearly embraced her Arab American heritage far more enthusiastically as a child. Lisa, as she was then known, grew up in affluent sections of LA, Washington, DC, and New York. She was educated at the finest schools-westlake, national cathedral school, chapin and concord academy-and was a strong student and outstanding athlete (captain of the field hockey team). She took her studies and the politics of the 1960's very seriously and insisted on transferring from the apolitical Chapin to the more academically challenging Concord Academy. Eventually she lands at Princeton, in the first female class. After she receives a degree in urban planning, she moves from one international job to another and finally lands at an architecture firm in Jordan.
And the rest, as they say, is history. Noor details her leap-from all American (albeit one of the upper classes) Wasp girl to Muslim wife to royalty-in a clear, elegant, understated way. She clearly believes that she found her soulmate not only with her husband, King Hussein, but with the country of Jordan and its people. Most of the book details the Arab Israeli conflicts of the 20th century from the vantage point of Hussein. I found these sections riveting. Certain incidents-for example, the assassination of Rabin after peace accords-took on an added poignancy through Hussein and Noor's eyes. She notes how difficult the American obsession with celebrity news-OJ, Tonya Harding-was for those in the Mideast struggling with the lives and deaths of millions.
While Noor does not overemote throughout the book about her husband, clearly she loved and still loves him deeply and passionately. Beyond being a biography, this book is a romance, though a very understated one and palatable to both genders. Her chapters on Hussein's final months, which she embroiders with such details as her bathing him daily at the Mayo Clinic, are deeply moving.
If I had one criticism of this book, I would note that Noor offers little self-analysis on some very important issues in her life. In addition to her mother's nordic looks, she also seems to exude a Swedish reserve. While she provides the details of her leap, she offers little insight into the impact on herself, her family and her friends. Certain things can be inferred: her father was a high powered, controlling, Arab American perfectionist as was her husband. You don't need Freud. Other issues might have benefited from analysis. At one point, she was against the war in Vietnam, a pioneering woman in Princeton's first female class, and independent soul. A few years later, she was a Muslim woman, enmeshed in some of the most controversial issues of the 20th century, and bound to the traditions of her new land. She was part of the first generation of women that didn't take their husband's last name. Yet in Halaby's case, she changed her last and first name upon her marriage, as well as her religion, citizenship, political views, and profession. In addition, I would have been interested if she or her parents had had Jewish friends who had difficulty (or didn't) with her choices. To be fair, Halaby simply may not have in it her for such analysis-she mentions at one point that she considered going to a therapist but realized that she couldn't for fear of her confidences getting out.
I would recommend highly this book to individuals who like serious biographies and/or current political issues. You will learn a lot. Your understanding of the Arab-Israeli world will be enriched.I would caution individuals with very strong pro-Israeli views that she is very (though not militantly) pro-Arab. I also would warn individuals who love biographies on celebrity princesses-Diana, Grace Kelly, Jackie Kenndy-that this book focuses on politics and philosophy and not clothes and hair. You'll learn about what people said at a State Dinner at the White House not what they wore that night.
Rating: 
Summary: Finally, an objective view of Middle Eastern History!!
Review: Israel is to blame for everything.
The Jews are to blame for everything.
The Jews control congress.
The Jews control the world economy.
Queen Noor has enlightened an entire generation
on the true history of the modern Middle East.
She is to be congratulated for her scholarship
and her objectivity.
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