Our Last Best Chance, King Abdullah II of Jordan
Our Last Best Chance, King Abdullah II of Jordan
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Our Last Best Chance
The Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril

Author: King Abdullah II of Jordan

Narrator: Nadim Sawalha

Unabridged: 14 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 02/22/2011


Synopsis

A newsbreaking memoir that tackles head-on the toughest challenge in the world today.

When a dying King Hussein shocked the world by picking his son rather than his brother, the longtime crown prince, to be the next king of Jordan, no one was more surprised than the young head of Special Operations, who discovered his life was in for a major upheaval.

This is the inspirational story of a young prince who went to boarding school in America and military academy in Britain and grew up believing he would be a soldier. Back home, he hunted down terrorists and modernized Jordan's Special Forces. Then, suddenly, he found himself king. Together with his wife, Queen Rania, he transformed what it meant to be a monarch, going undercover to escape the bubble of the court while she became the Muslim world's most passionate advocate of women's rights.

In this exceptionally candid memoir, King Abdullah tackles the single toughest issue he faces head-on- how to solve the Israeli-Palestinian standoff- and reveals himself to be an invaluable intermediary between America and the Arab world. He writes about the impact of the Iraq war on his neighborhood and how best to tackle Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Why would a sitting head of state choose to write about the most explosive issues he faces? King Abdullah does so now because he believes we face a moment of truth: a last chance for peace in the Middle East. The prize is enormous, the cost of failure far greater than we dare imagine.

About The Author

King Abdullah II of Jordan spent his formative years in the United States, where he went to Eaglebrook and Deerfield, and in England, where he trained to be an officer at Sandhurst. A cavalry officer in the Jordanian army, he eventually became commander of the Jordanian Special Forces, a position that allowed him to forge invaluable relationships with intelligence and military offices around the world. The head of the Hashemite family, he is a forty-third generation direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammad. His family ruled the holy city of Mecca for more than eight hundred years and his great-grandfather led the Arab revolt for independence from Ottoman rule.Nadim Sawalha, an actor with over 40 years of experience in stage, television, and film, is the narrator of Our Last Best Chance: The Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril by King Abdullah II of Jordan. The Jordanian-born actor is best known for his roles in The Spy Who Loved Me, Captain Abu Raed, and Syriana.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nada

I have a hard time placing this book & evaluating it for multiple reasons. But the most important reason is: As a proud Jordanian reading a book that is written by the King of my country, I find it strange that the book was written for a specific target audience; The American Citizens! Secondly, alt......more

Goodreads review by Ann

A very fascinating look at the Middle East crisis through the eyes of a moderate Arab Muslim. While not endorsing everything he said, I read this book and came away from it with great respect for this man who passionately wants peace between the Arabs and Israelis ... particularly the Palestinian p......more

Goodreads review by Joshua

This was an extremely enjoyable book because it really put me at eye-level with important events in the Israel and Arab region. The history really came alive because the author, the present king of Jordan, not only described what happened but also his motivations and feelings. On the other hand, I f......more

Goodreads review by Joanna

It is very well written. I felt as if King Abdullah was sitting next to me talking. I have met him a couple of times so maybe that is why I feel that way. I had a connection with some parts of the book because of the time line and because my son attends King's Academy. It made me feel proud in the p......more


Quotes

"This worthy addition to that distinctive genre of books written by political leaders still in office is part autobiography, part political history." -- Foreign Affairs