books authored by queens?

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

Are there any books written by queens? Queens being real political queens, or a woman in other positions of high power, like CEOs or founders of large organizations. Particularly focused on functional leadership skills and interpersonal relationships.

[Nazsmum]

The queen of Jordan? Wrote a children's book. Queen Victoria had a diary that you can read. I'm sure that ther are more.

[Arduinna]

Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life by Queen Noor of Jordan

I really enjoyed it.

Not an autobiography or diary but Nur Jahan: Empress of Mughal India by Ellison Banks Findly is also great. I own both of these.

oh I forgot, there is also An Enduring Love: My Life with the Shah: A Memoir by Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran. I haven't read it, so I'm not sure how much she goes into leadership skills and interpersonal relationships. Queen Noor's book definitely does cover those topics.

[Smokering]

Hmm. I read two books by a Saudi princess a while back... can't remember whatthey were called, but I didn't like them anyway. She came across as whiny, spoiled and morally screwed-up, so even though her book exposed a larger male-dominated messed-up society, it was hard to empathise with her. I think one book was just called "Princess"? Maybe?

Queen Victoria's letters to her daughter Vicky discuss interpersonal relationships, sorta, but she mostly makes snarky comments about childbearing women. It's a great read, but maybe not what you're after.

Has Oprah written an autobiography?

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

I just checked out Leap of Faith from the library, so far so good.

[Caneel]

Originally Posted by Arduinna

Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life by Queen Noor of Jordan

I really enjoyed it.

Me too!

Another book I enjoyed, a biography, was The Queen Mother by William Shawcross. It is about the former Queen Mother's life.

On the non-royality front - Personal History by Katharine Grahm is one of my all time favorite books. She was the owner of the Washington Post Company.

She is so honest about her personal growth as she progresses through life. She is faced with some pretty tough stuff mid-life and rises to the occasion. I have re-read it at least 5 times.

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

So I'm a little ways into Leap of Faith, and I have a few comments to share if anyone wants to start a discussion. So far Queen Noor has been fairly passive in the relationship and in her role as queen. She has clearly noted that the people in the palace don't expect her to do anything besides look pretty. But I just got to the part where she organized some empty rooms into her own office space and has set to work hiring her own staff, who she hand-picked to represent people across all local nationalities, religions, and both men and women. I like that she's building a think-tank to support cooperation amongst the diversity. Queen Noor writes that she stays out of the state issues that are the king's business, but is filling in the gaps for internal affairs in Jordan. She doesn't specify but I think she means things like education and community programs. I'm looking forward to seeing her working more on her own programs, but so far, a slow start. She seems a little weak, or codependent?

I've also noticed that she doesn't share much personal opinion. Her language is very guarded. I've been thinking a queen is powerful and self-directed, she sets her own tone. But I'm surprised to see Queen Noor has a lot of responsibility heaped on her to play a certain fixed role for her country. She has to comply with all these expectations about everything - how she does her hair, what she wears, and every public statement is torn apart or taken out of context. To me, she looks like she has to be a puppet, and is losing herself. She has to be the face of Jordan, not her own face. Who is the real Queen Noor?

I would also like to read more about the love story between her and the king. So far she has glossed over it. Hopefully more is coming. I would also like to read more about her relationship with the king's children, especially the youngest three who lost their birthmother. How do you raise children in a palace? How do you have a romantic relationship with your partner when you are both so busy and living in the public eye?

[kangamitroo]

Leap of Faith is on my reading list. thought you might be interested in something Queen Noor has done after the period of the bio: she is a founder of Global Zero and working on the issue of nuclear non-proliferation.

i don't know anything about her private life, but she is a humanitarian and activist on many issues affecting poverty and development.

i look forward to reading the book.

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

As the book progresses, I am seeing Queen Noor finding her way and being more politically active. I like it!

[Arduinna]

weak and codependant, hmmm we must have not read the same book.

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

Originally Posted by Arduinna

weak and codependant, hmmm we must have not read the same book.

She married into her position as Queen, so she entered into an already established male-dominated society. She had to learn to work within the existing framework.

What I had noted in the beginning of the book was that she was telling the King's story far, far more than her own. And she still is, but is finding her own beat now as well.

[MusicianDad]

Originally Posted by Nazsmum

The queen of Jordan? Wrote a children's book. Queen Victoria had a diary that you can read. I'm sure that ther are more.

The current Queen of Jordan has actually written 3 children's books.

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

Originally Posted by MusicianDad

The current Queen of Jordan has actually written 3 children's books.

Queen Rania?

[Aquitane]

I read Leap of Faith a couple of years ago, and really enjoyed it. For me, personally, I learned a lot more about the Middle East than I knew. It was helpful to read a different perspective of things.

There was only one thing that kind of bothered me, but I don't want to spoil anything for you. Have you gotten to the part where the King and Queen start having their own children? I want to know if the part that bothered me, bothered other people.

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

I am learning TONS about the middle east! I didn't know anything at all before. Why isn't this covered in school???

I am up to the part where Queen Noor has had three or four children. I don't find anything disturbing.

[Aquitane]

The part that bothered me is when Noor loses their first child and King Hussein is rather aloof about it because he is more upset about the Shah losing power in Iran. Granted, as a sovereign of a country, it must of hit close to home, but his baby died. (And it seems like Noor may have been in danger herself.) I think in the book that she even states that his coolness about it bothered her, but when she discussed it with Hussein and he explained how he felt about the Shah, it was all okay in her book.

I really did like the book, and I have a lot of respect for Noor, but I guess at that point I kind of thought that their relationship was (at times?) more about her worshipping him, but I'm not sure that Noor showed the King's feeling for her as strongly.

[MusicianDad]

Originally Posted by EarthRootsStarSoul

Queen Rania?

Yup.

[Caneel]

Originally Posted by EarthRootsStarSoul

She married into her position as Queen, so she entered into an already established male-dominated society. She had to learn to work within the existing framework.

that was my take on it too. She knew what she was getting herself into and tried to do the most within the boundaries.

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

Originally Posted by Aquitane

The part that bothered me is when Noor loses their first child and King Hussein is rather aloof about it because he is more upset about the Shah losing power in Iran. Granted, as a sovereign of a country, it must of hit close to home, but his baby died. (And it seems like Noor may have been in danger herself.) I think in the book that she even states that his coolness about it bothered her, but when she discussed it with Hussein and he explained how he felt about the Shah, it was all okay in her book.

I really did like the book, and I have a lot of respect for Noor, but I guess at that point I kind of thought that their relationship was (at times?) more about her worshipping him, but I'm not sure that Noor showed the King's feeling for her as strongly.

King Hussein almost certainly had some level of PTSD, which programs the brain to expect extremely high levels of stress/disasters/death as normal. He saw his grandfather gunned down right in front of him at like age nine, then he himself was shot and survived. He was constantly dealing with warfare, terrorism, assassination attempts, and an impoverished country. His previous wife was killed in a helicopter crash. He had a constant stream of violence and disaster since childhood.

The symptoms of PTSD can numb emotions and disconnect attachments to other people, among other things. Just for the record, it is treatable.