Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Voices of Jordan” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Voices of Jordan

Rana F. Sweis (Goodreads Author)

4.23 · Rating details · 52 ratings · 9 reviews

Jordan's diverse socioeconomic make-up encapsulates, like no other Middle Eastern state, both the array of pressing short-term problems facing the region, and the underlying challenges that Arab states will need to face once the current spate of civil conflicts is over: meaningful youth employment, female participation in politics, and integration of refugees into society. ...more

Get A Copy

Paperback, Amazon UK, 280 pages

Published October 25th 2018 by Hurst Publishers (first published October 2018)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Voices of Jordan, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Voices of Jordan

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.23 ·

Rating details

· 52 ratings · 9 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Voices of Jordan

Jan 26, 2019 Leslie Ann rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

Very good read for my AtW challenge. The profiles vary in quality, but I really appreciated the diversity of the interviewees. The U.S. could benefit from this type of book.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 27, 2019 V rated it it was amazing

Extremely insightful book! It offers a window on the lives of every day people in Jordan and sheds light on their struggles and their joys; through which you find inspiration and motivation. The book flows smoothly and gives you an effortless and enjoyable reading experience while not undermining any detail.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 13, 2021 Emil Avedisian rated it it was amazing

Shelves: amman, jordan, social-issues

This book is like a documentary film showing the lives of 10 different people living in Jordan in the 2010s, in the aftermath of the Arab Spring which now feels for many of us as a distant memory although we are still dealing with its consequences like the war in Syria.
The group is very diverse. This will surprise some because, as the foreword says, diversity is not valued as an asset in the Middle East, and as the introduction explained, we Jordanians 'live in dark' of one another, not knowing ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 27, 2018 Sandy rated it it was amazing

And Rana Sweiss managed in a way to let the voices of Jordanians be heard in this excellent book that describes the diverse Jordanians that live in this country and that don’t exactly know each other. A wonderful and enlightening read.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 27, 2020 Karim Merhej rated it it was ok

This book offers an interesting look into the "everyday lives" of 10 "ordinary" individuals connected to Jordan (including one Jordanian expat living in the USA and a Syrian refugee living in Jordan), from a wide array of socioeconomic backgrounds. The individuals include a woman parliamentarian, a public sector official, a caricaturist, a social media influencer, a Salafist from one of Jordan's poorest towns and a soldier from Aqaba, among others. All readers, regardless of whether they are wel This book offers an interesting look into the "everyday lives" of 10 "ordinary" individuals connected to Jordan (including one Jordanian expat living in the USA and a Syrian refugee living in Jordan), from a wide array of socioeconomic backgrounds. The individuals include a woman parliamentarian, a public sector official, a caricaturist, a social media influencer, a Salafist from one of Jordan's poorest towns and a soldier from Aqaba, among others. All readers, regardless of whether they are well-versed in and knowledgeable about the Jordanian politico-economic system or not, will find the book entertaining and fascinating. The author's writing style is very smooth, and once one begins reading, it is hard to put the book down.

However, the book is not without its flaws. The book suffers from the fact that it barely offers any explanation of the Jordanian political system and its economy (the Introduction chapter is a mere 7 pages long, and only provides a very brief superficial overview of Jordan's political and socioeconomic context Jordan). The reason why it is important to mention this is because without this background, one may be led to ignore or not take into account the factors that led the individuals depicted in the book to be who they are. As a matter of fact, the book depicts extreme socioeconomic inequalities and injustices in Jordanian society, without really being aware of them or without challenging them! One chapter deals with a man living in one of Jordan's poorest towns and another deals with a Syrian refugee woman living in hardship; a third deals with an extremely wealthy social media influencer married to a "hardcore banker" - yet, despite these dramatic socioeconomic inequalities, the reasons as to why such differences and disparities exist is not tackled by the author. Readers unfamiliar with Jordanian society wouldn't notice anything necessarily wrong with this - which is by itself problematic. Readers aware of the dramatic class differences in Jordan and why one tiny segment of society has collected all the fruits of the neoliberalization of the Jordanian economy at the expense of the majority would find this infuriating.

The book inadvertently justifies the inherently unjust politico-economic status quo in Jordan - after all, the preface is written by a former Prime Minister and Chief of the Royal Court who is very well enmeshed in Jordan's community of business elites. This is unfortunate. The book had tremendous potential: the stories depicted are truly fascinating and easy-to-read, and the author has obviously put in a lot of time and effort to carry out the research and write the book. However, without a chapter grounding the socioeconomic and political realities that the characters depicted live through on an everyday life, and without a class-based analysis (even if brief) of why such societal differences exist between the different characters, the book is ultimately rendered weak and lacking. Journalists should ideally be giving a voice to the voiceless to challenge the injustices, not justify them or take them for granted. The author unfortunately falls in the latter category, even if inadvertently. ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 25, 2019 Pickabookbynouf rated it really liked it

The aim behind this book is to give a brief idea about the situation & challenges that faces our region, especially Jordan which has a diverse & complex society. Through the stories of 10 ordinary people living around us the author tried to make us aware of the challenges and struggles of our own everyday life. Each one of the 10 stories represents a decent section of the society that has its own dreams, ambitions, problems, and difficulties. This book Spots the light on different issues includi ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 24, 2019 George Charonis rated it liked it

3 to 3.5 stars. This is the first book on Jordan I picked up ahead of a trip to the country (not counting the guide book). Sweis has put together a colourful collage of personal stories, focusing on peoples' lives, experiences and outlook through their own perspective and voice. Although Sweis does not (aim to) offer a detailed socioeconomic or political analysis of Jordan, she demonstrates the vast diversity of present-day Jordan, illustrating some of the key challenges facing the country throu ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 31, 2020 Debra Wills rated it it was amazing

Shelves: around-the-world

I enjoyed how Rana Sweis told the story of Jordan through many different people. I had no idea how challenged Jordan was and is in the Mideast. They have taken in many refugees and find themselves with a large youth population both give a need for change in dealing with economic strains on the government and the people of Jordan.
Great book and an easy read.

flag Like · see review

Jan 17, 2021 Malika rated it it was amazing

Wonderful book for anyone seeking to understand Jordanian society. Stirring account of 10 Jordanian individuals navigating through life in modern day Jordan focusing on its socio-economic problems.

flag Like · see review