Reviews

Lion of Jordan: The Life of King Hussein in War and Peace by Avi Shlaim

xxstefaniereadsxx's review

informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

 Hussein was born in 1935, a child of Prince Talal and Princess Zein al-Sharaf. He attended school at Victoria College in Egypt, before continuing his education at Harrow School in England. He also had a great relationship with his grandfather, King Abdullah I, who was also grooming him to be a monarch. While accompanying his grandfather to Jerusalem to perform prayers, the were the victims of a Palestinian assassin. King Abdullah I died. Prince Talal, Hussein's father, took the throne, but was forced to abdicate due to a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Hussein then took the throne, and had a multitude of political issues to contend with. He reigned during the Six Day Way, Black September, the Yom Kuppur War, riots in 1989, the Gulf War, and a host of assassination attempts. He became quite ill, resulting in a diagnosis of Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. He ultimately died in 1999 from the disease.

I found this book and decided to pick it up, because I had previously read the book written by his wife Queen Noor. I really learned a lot about Jordan from her book, as well as her life assimilating to Jordanian culture. Of course, she talked about her husband, but I thought it would be wise to read a biography about him. This one was well researched and covered a lot of things about his policies and decision in wartime. I really learned a lot from this book, and found it very enjoyable. 

averygzls's review against another edition

5.0

Long as h*ll but incredibly thorough and well-researched. Highly recommend for anyone traveling to Jordan