WBDBaj's Full Review: Queen Noor - Leap Of Faith: Memoirs Of An Unexpect...
This is written in an intimate style, where Queen Noor bares her soul and her own story. The politics involved in this book are light - enough so you understand the reasons behind the king's feelings and decisions. She gives honest portrayals of the king's family, her family, and the time of her reign.
Queen Noor was very brave to leave her American life and become part and parcel of the ruling class of a mideast country. She is highly educated, having come from a brilliant but slightly dysfunctional family in New Jersey. Her father, an Arab by birth, attended the best American schools, and was parented by Christian Scientists, which does give you a different perspective than most Christians (see my review of the Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy). He was president of Pan Am, and therefore, the family did many things and went many places that others did not do in the 1960's.
Noor attended the best schools and being a child of her era, became a liberal. Her travels and job led her to the mideast, and she met the king before his first wife was killed in a helicopter visit. Noor was 26 years younger than Hussein, who died in 2000 from cancer related to smoking.
She participated in protests before her marriage, and yet chose to marry a man whose kingdom was under martial law, whose women did not vote, whose people had almost no economy except oil related business. Noor lived a life of ease, and did (still does) devote herself to starting craft and fashion businesses to celebrate and commercialize the beauty of Jordan's native dress and rugs.
She definitely traveled globally, and the king often flew them himself. Her portraits of visiting the White House as the first lady of an Arab country are fascinating. She felt castigated and left out of some relationships, and her view is not pro-Israel. Her bias is Arab; albeit King Hussein worked diligently to craft a truce between Jordan and Israel.
You need a map and patience reading through some of her descriptions of war history. Keeping the generations straight isn't her fault, but it takes thinking. The main thing to remember is the UN resolution of 1967, and the issues of Jewish settlements on the West Bank.
Her description of difficulties with all of her stepchildren - seven were very young together (including her natural four) is something any parent of a teen can identify with. She really placed herself as a parent, and was subservient to everything that would offend the king, keeping her mouth shut when she knew she should. Noor (meaning "light") started her foundation to give projects in Jordan footing. You can't argue with that kind of help!
Her description of world leaders of 15 years ago is very good, and her honesty in saying she only met Saddam Hussein in passing is refreshing (she could have made something up, who would know?). I also saw Noor on a book show, and she is very well spoken and knowledgeable about her Arab world. However, the items in this review are from the book alone, and not from the conversation she held about her book and the Arab world.
In sum, this book is not very long, but is well written. It offers a view into the life of an Arab first lady, albeit with a man who was open to western ideas, and western lifestyle. She converted to Islam, and I recently read that her step-son is receiving all kinds of university awards for his efforts and real devotion to peace, education and economic success of his country as well.
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