Rating: 
Summary: An Arab perspective through an American's eyes
Review: Most importantly, this book provides excellent insight into the life of an Arab leader including his relationship with other Arab leaders as well the leaders of Israel, the U.S. and other nations.
Queen Noor describes her life from her American childhood through her marriage to King Hussein of Jordan up to his death in 1999. The book is written in a diary-like fashion complete with many personal details. King Hussein is portrayed not as an invincible deity, but as a very decent man trying to make the world a better place.
An index is provided. A map of the Middle East and a Husein family tree would have been helpful aids in following the story.
Rating: 
Summary: A differing view of the Mid-East crisis.
Review: Queen Noor obviously meant this book to be a tribute to her late husband, King Hussein of Jordan. It is equally obvious that because she willingly changed her religious affiliation to that of Islam, and embraced the Arab ways, she views the Western world very differently.She was a child of privilege but sounds very down to earth, a loving mother to her own biological offspring, as well as to Hussein's children by his previous three marriages. Queen Noor describes her total immersion into the Arab ways, an appreciation for its customs, culture, history, its people, their craftsmanship, art, architecture and their political hardships. She sought to improve the rights of women, collaborated with international non-governmental organizations to improve the health of Jordan's children and to highlight the artistic capabilities of local women weavers. The Queen even found start-up monies for some women so that they could assist in the financial support of their own families via their own small businesses. The first part of the book is bland and is fundamentally story telling. The writing is simply meant to be informative. It is when Hussein's exhausting efforts to mediate a Middle East peace plan that her own unique perspectives take on a more interesting tone. She claims that the US perspective and sympathies are always with what is described as the beleaguered and battered Israelis. The Queen speaks of the Israeli transgressions against the Palestinian people and the Israelis' persistent usurping of still further lands, in direct opposition to United Nations agreements. The book grows all the more emotional as a number of Hussein's endeavours fail, even when various factions pledge their cooperation; all these elements seem to lead to the king's decline in health (he apparently substantially increased his smoking), the discovery of cancer and his eventual death. This is a narrative that's told by a devoted wife who both loved and greatly admired her husband and his advocacy efforts in behalf of his country and of the Palestinian people. The Queen also engages in a great deal of name dropping, naming royalty, politicians, presidents and their wives and their receptivity or coolness toward her in their varying associations. Although she treats Libyan dictator Quadaffi as a quirky person, Saddam Hussein and Yasser Arafat as increasingly recalcitrant men, she describes the US as definite contributors to the conflagrations in the Middle East. If the Queen was attempting to humanize the Arabs and to sympathetically treat their plight with the many injustices done to them, she has succeeded. As an aside, I think the reader would like to have known how Noor's own life changed subsequent to her husband's death. Seeing Prince Abdullah, Hussein's eldest son and the offspring of his first wife, became the king, Noor would no longer be queen. How did that affect her works with and for the people of Jordan?
Rating:
Summary: The MID-EAST from an American Woman's Perspective
Review: This book provides a unique perspective--an American wealthy woman who marries into Jordanian Royalty.
The author discusses her care-free yout whith an emphasis on higher learning and attention to higher education.
I was impressed with her acknowledgement of her own difficulties of bringing in a strong free American will into an Arab lifestyle that could dictate that she be more submissive and 'back-seat' than she was used to.
Politically speaking, I liked that she spoke her mind and raised awareness to the stereotyping of her new people by the American media and her dismay and courage to try and rectify that.
While sometimes, I felt as thought she wrote with a certain naiveness regarding world events that felt like she was a housewife expressing her opinion, I for the most part, enjoyed this book even when I disagreed with her.
Rating: 
Summary: A Queen's World
Review: While looking for a good read to keep me occupied during a long flight back from Europe, I came upon this book, because I was drawn toward the glamorous woman on the cover. Honestly, I didn't know much about Queen Noor, but I figured that it would be a way for me to learn about another culture from an American woman's perspective. I did find her life interesting, but her writing style is a bit sugary. Although, I can't claim to know a whole lot about the Middle East, and its history, I can't help but feel that her views are one-sided. Otherwise, it is an interesting story about royal life in Jordan.
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