Rating: 
Summary: Perpetuation of Arab Denial.
Review: Queen Noor does a remarkable job of absolving Jordanians and Arabs in general for their current plight. In her mind and book the Arabs are being held down by the West, and in particular by the US and Israel. It would have been nice to see an educated woman speak up and lay the blame where it belongs and critique the despotic, misogynistic regimes that dominate the Arab world.
Rating:
Summary: Anti-Semetic to the core...
Review: Interesting read - everything wrong with the Middle East and, indeed the world, is in her mind the fault of the Jews. Hitler felt the same way. I thought she had a more open mind but, then again, she's done virtually nothing to advance women's rights in Jordan either. She would have been better off telling her love story than trying to advance her highly prejudiced political views.
Rating: 
Summary: Delightful and Insightful
Review: Delightful and Insightful bookI am delighted with Her Majesty's book. In this book, she recounts with accuracy the unfairness and imbalance of US policy (including US media) toward the Middle East and the Islamic world. I was amazed and appalled to learn that the pro-Israeli lobbies have so much impact in US policy, even to the point of sending "plants" to disrupt her talk at Princeton University. She was in no way anti-Israel or anti-American. She simply has recounted events in her life as she experienced them. She has validated my perspective that US policy in the Middle East should be reexamined. If peace is to be achieved in the region, which is what King Hussein and Queen Noor had hoped (and continue to hope) to achieve, the United States must act as a fair broker in the region and apply equality and impartiality in any negotiations. Political lobbies should be banned from peace talks and from influencing officials. We are talking about the lives of millions of people, after all. There is more to the Middle East than just oil.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent read!
Review: Give it a ***** rating! This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. The historical information that is presented in this book on the Middle Eastern conflicts is one that you can't get on CNN,MSNBC or any other nightly news station. I enjoyed the book so much that I have persuaded several other people to read it. It's such a refreshing break from the narrow perspectives and opinions that we get from the nightly news about the Middle East. Thank you Queen Noor for your attempt to educate a misinformed nation.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent read!
Review: Give it a ***** rating! This is one of the best books that I have read in a long time. The historical information that is presented in this book on the Middle Eastern conflicts is one that you won't get on CNN,MSNBC or any other nightly news station. It's a refreshing break from the narrow perspectives and opinions that we get from the nightly news about the Middle East. I enjoyed the book so much that I have persuaded several other people to read it. Thank you Queen Noor for your attempt to educate a misinformed nation.
Rating:
Summary: A very nice book
Review: A very nice book. It exposes the cultures of the Middle East and contains lots of interesting quotations from Saddam Hussein and President George H. Bush.
Rating: 
Summary: Touching Love Story and Remarkable Account of Adaptability
Review: As its title implies, "Leap of Faith" is more a memoir of Queen Noor's life as Queen of Jordan than a general autobiography. There are only a few chapters dedicated to her life before she met King Hussein of Jordan. Then she tells us how and why American urban planner Lisa Halaby became King Hussein's fourth and final wife, Queen Noor al Hussein. Queen Noor details the challenges of adjusting to her new role, the politics of the royal court, striving to understand her adopted culture, and finding a satisfying role for herself as Jordan's Queen. Queen Noor talks a great deal about her husband, King Hussein, and does so with such sympathy and admiration that her love for him is palpable. Her love may have blinded her to some of the King's faults, but it is touching to read of the great emotion and dedication that she felt for her husband. There can be no doubt that it was Lisa Halaby's great love for King Hussein that motivated her to jump head-first into a foreign culture and the daunting responsibility of becoming Queen Noor al Hussein. "Leap of Faith" is politically charged in places, as might be expected of a story set in the Middle East. Being an American-born wife to a Middle Eastern monarch may make Queen Noor especially qualified to help Americans understand Jordan's point of view. And she takes this opportunity to explain Jordan's position in matters concerning Israel and the first Gulf War. I'm not sure that Queen Noor intended it, but I found her ability to adapt to the demands of her new life as Jordan's Queen to be the most impressive and interesting aspect of her character. Lisa Halaby was an independent and private person. In becoming Jordan's Queen, she lost her privacy; her life became public; and that life was no longer under her control. In addition to these circumstances with which many celebrities and royalty must cope, Queen Noor had to assimilate into an entirely new culture and language at the same time, as well as learn to represent a nation in a very volatile and complex part of the world, all while her husband's life was constantly imperiled. That's a lot of stress, frustration, and adjustment for a person to endure. She seems to owe her success in this overwhelming task to her willingness to embrace her new husband, culture, and role thoroughly and without reservation. King Hussein's second wife, British-born Queen Muna, was not able to do that and was very unhappy in Jordan. It took a lot of courage and tireless effort for Queen Noor to throw herself so completely into every aspect of her new life and to make a place for herself that she, her husband and the Jordanian people could embrace.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a fair and balanced account of the Middle East
Review: Excellent and honest look at Jordan's history and role in the Middle East. Glad to see its prominent position on the NY Times best seller list.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing to see the middle east from a unique prospective
Review: It is an interesting view of Jordan and the Arab world and of the political dynamics of the Middle East.
It is well known that the United States policies do not reflect the will of the average American but is strongly influenced by special interest groups. Israel being a strong one, receiving large amount of foreign aid from US tax payer and judiciously using our money by successfully influencing the congress, senate and executive branch (PATCO etc...)And the US press and stereotyping the Arabs via Hollywood movies. But the internet is changing the way the news is distributed.
This book helps to reverse the stereotype of the Arabs that is portrayed by our institutions and help us understand the dynamics of the Middle East from a different prospective. Most people in the Middle East are peace loving people wishing nothing more than stability and peace. Some of the money raised by the sale of the book will hopefully help this objective.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: Though I have great respect for Queen Noor, this book was a hard read. It was all I could to get thru it. Very boring. Save your money - don't buy it.
| 
