With her husband being not only jordans monarch but the spiritual leader of all muslims, lisa was unsure what her role would be. Noor queen, consort of hussein, king of jordan 1951. Nov 01, 2002 while leap of faith is primarily the author queen noors memoir and a tribute to her late husband king hussein of jordan, what i like most about this book is the authors explanations about the history of conflicts in the middle east region. In her book, leap of faith, queen noor describes her life as an independent, well educated american woman, and later her life as the proactive, compassionate queen of jordan. Sold by ibook store and ships from amazon fulfillment. I remember seeing photos of her and king hussein in the newspaper when their engagement was announced. It is also the refreshingly candid story of a mother coming to terms with the demands the kings role as a world statesman placed on her familys private life. The title of this book is leap of faith and it was written by queen noor. Shell take questions from jeff greenfield, senior analyst at cnn queen noor was born. Born into a distinguished arabamerican family, lisa halaby was a strongly independent young woman. Born into a distinguished arabamerican family and raised amid privilege, lisa halaby joined the first freshman class at princeton to accept women, graduating in 1974 with a degree in. The dramatic and inspiring story of one womans incredible journey into the heart of a man and his nation.
Queen noor of jordan, who was the consort of king hussein, was trained as an urban planner and works as a philanthropistworld activist. Memoirs of an unexpected life one of my book groups selected leap of faith. Memoirs of an unexpected life by queen noor online at alibris. Queen noor lisa halaby was her birth name was born in the united states. Arabamerican lisa halaby became queen noor of jordan in 1978 after she married king hussein. I usually consider the israel palestine conflict too daunting to think about. Memoirs of an unexpected life 2003 is a book written by queen noor of jordan, wife of the late jordanian king hussein i. Memoir of an unexpected life noor, queen of jordan on. Then on reading other books a reference was made to this and yes they were all very good. Leap of faith memoirs an unexpected life queen noor suzanne. Leap of faith memoirs an unexpected life queen noor. Leap of faith written by anonymous from scottsdale, az on april 12th, 2009.
Oct 20, 2011 my book clubs selection for october was leap of faith by jordans queen noor. Memoirs of an unexpected life by queen noor and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. On one hand, this is a glossy and decorous account of the queens unusual experiences, with a polite. Mar 18, 2003 in leap of faith, queen noor speaks with eloquence and candor about her journey from a naive young bride navigating the intricacies of a royal court to a mother, humanitarian activist, and partner to a monarch. In the acknowledgments section queen noor states, this book was written in the spirit of reconciliation, which i hope will contribute to a greater awareness, especially in the west, of events that have shaped the modern middle east, and encourage a deeper understanding of contemporary challenges facing the arab world.
Memoirs of an unexpected life paperback bargain price, march 9, 2005 by queen noor author 4. The subtitle of this engaging and inspiring book is memoirs of an unexpected life. I remember hearing her name before, but thats about it. Queen snore should be the name of the authorit takes a leap of faith to make it to the end. See all 6 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Queen noor signed copies of her book leap of faith. Memoirs of an unexpected life, queen noor describes the devotion she and king hussein shared as magic. Shell take questions from jeff greenfield, senior analyst at cnn.
Queen noor s story exposes the truth and that arrogant prejudice is born out of wilful, deliberate ignorance. Her love for her husband and her adopted country are both obvious and her writing gives some personal insights while maintaining the privacy of the royal family of jordan and that of her own family. Leap of faith presents a heartfelt personal perspective of queen norr and the late king hussein of jordan. When lisa najeeb halaby was twentysix, her father introduced her to king hussein of jordan. Memoirs of an unexpected life by queen noor 467pp, weidenfeld. Queen noor states, this book was written in the spirit of reconciliation, which i hope will contribute to a greater awareness, especially in the west, of events that have shaped the modern middle east, and encourage a deeper understanding of. A leap of faith by queen noor, 9780753817568, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Leap of faith by queen noor overdrive rakuten overdrive. Queen noor is a commissioner of the international commission on missing persons. Queen noors perspective is particularly fascinating on this topic.
Born into a distinguished arabamerican family and raised amid privilege, lisa halaby joined the first freshman class at princeton to accept women, graduating in 1974 with a degree in architecture and urban planning. Introduction read by the author queen noor read by suzanne toren leap of faith is the dramatic and inspiring story of an american womans remarkable journey into the heart of a man and his nation. Final wrap up september 25, 2006 posted by han in leap of faith by queen noor. Memoirs of an unexpected life queen noor, 2003 miramax books 496 pp. Born in 1951 to a distinguished arabamerican family, lisa najeeb halaby became the fourth wife of king hussein at age 27. Queen noor gives up very little about herself and her inner life as queen of. Leap of faith is the dramatic and inspiring story of an american wom. The first page of the pdf of this article appears above. Memoirs of an unexpected life, published by miramax books and released in paperback in march 2005. Israel, as you would expect, is a major focus of the political events in the book. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders. Queen noor, widow of king hussein of jordan, discussed leap of faith, a memoir.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. In the acknowledgments section queen noor states, this book was written in the spirit of reconciliation, which i hope will contribute to a greater awareness, especially in the west, of events that have shaped the modern middle east, and encourage a deeper understanding of. Leap of faith by queen noor i loved this moving memoir of the love story of queen noor with king husein of jordan. Noor, queen, consort of hussein, king of jordan a leap of faith. Memoirs of an unexpected life is a book written by queen noor of jordan, wife of the late jordanian king hussein i. So much of what we have been told even by own government has been untrue, and harmful to jordan, and undeserving for all that king. Buy a leap of faith by queen noor from waterstones today. After finishing up a tale of two cities, i plowed through this book in record time. Sharing a personal perspective on the past three decades of world history, leap of faith highlights queen noor s views on islam and the west. Most of you should be done with the book now and that leaves us this week to wrap up discussion on the book.
Her father was an influential man involved in the air industry and governance, at one time becoming the ceo of pan am. Memoirs of an unexpected life, published by miramax books. I keep hoping that it will fall out of a book or show up in a desk drawer. Apr 05, 2010 leap of faith queen noor april 5, 2010 by claire the captive reader in 1999 when king hussein of jordan died, i was twelve years old and had very little understanding of the politics of the middle east. Queen noor gives up very little about herself and her inner life as queen of jordan, which is what most readers would want to know.
So much of what we have been told even by own government has been untrue, and harmful to jordan, and. Sharing a personal perspective on the past three decades of world history, leap of faith highlights queen noors views on islam and the west. A noor mohamed book noor alhussein, 1951 the authors voice. On one hand, this is a glossy and decorous account of the queen s unusual experiences, with a polite tendency to accentuate the positive. Anyone who loved the king and i will readily warm to the love story of queen noor and the late king hussein of jordan. Memoirs of an unexpected life by jordanian queen noor. It was a good history lesson of the area and the problems they faced together. The subtitle of this engaging and inspiring book is. The former lisa halaby discusses her late husband, king hussein i 193599, and his. However, queen noor is easily the most fascinating figure in this story and im so glad she wrote her story now, not later as she contemplated. Memoir of an unexpected life paperback march 1, 2004 by queen of jordan noor author 4.
The book because it is so interesting leaves the reader wanting to know more about her, the royal family, jordan, and the middle east. I just had to keep reading and the book really helps show the arabisraeli situation from another appropriate angle even though its her story about her life with king hussein of jordan. It was published by miramax and has a total of 480 pages in the book. Leap of faith is the dramatic and inspiring story of an american womans remarkable journey into the heart of a man and his nation. Born in america in 1951 as lisa halaby, noor came from a wealthy, well. As she gradually took on the mantle of queen, noors joys and challenges grew. In the book she describes her courtship days with hussein as filled with family evenings which included the recently motherless children. Unfortunately, i missed the group discussion, but i did read the 440page book and learned a great deal.
They moved around a lot and lisa learnt to become selfsufficient and avoid attention. Leap of faith, memoirs of an unexpected life by queen noor reading group guide from back of the book 1. Memoirs of an unexpected life by queen noor excerpt. I bought this book ver amazon and waited around 4 weeks for it to be. Leap of faith, by queen noor queen noor the former lisa halaby is my agemate. The important message from this bookand there is a message, is that the king wanted peace, but he was saddled with palestinian refugees and a difficult yassir aarafat. Memoirs of an unexpected life by queen noor this spring. Queen noors book is certainly a personal account, with enough historical context.
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