by Queen NoorI was very excited to read this book because I've been dying for an educated and subjective perspective on the Middle East.
Queen Noor is actually a previous resident of California, and an exceptionally educated woman. She was in the first class that included women at Princeton University, where she studied urban planning and journalism.
Queen Noor's father was the head of the FAA and was called all over the world to do his work. He had his daughter working as as chief of operations at his project in Jordan, and this was how she met King Hussein. Their courtship was brief and intense. He was a heavily sought-after eligible bachelor and for this reason, Queen Noor thought their relationship was restricted to a deep friendship. When he asked to talk to her father, she realized what was going on.
After a lot of introspection and analysis, she determined that being queen was right for her because of her profound love for King Hussein and for the ability to do a lot of good in a beautiful country that was struggling--enter her education in urban planning and journalism!
Queen Noor writes with elegance, grace and intelligence. Her memoirs read as a journalistic biography. Her accounts of history are easy to understand and well-detailed. However, for me, her style of writing was a little too stiff to hang with. I wanted her to delve into her raw emotions, and she refused, keeping me at arm's length. I was dissapointed and frustrated. I had to force myself to keep going and eventually I gave up.
Time to read before sadly giving up: 2 months
General consensus: A good story shrouded in good manners.
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