Good evening.

I hope all is well in your world, and then you are ready for another few minutes of seriously good book talk.

Tonight's book is Empress of the Nile by Lynne Olson.

I found it to be one of the best books that I have ever read.

It is now time to go inside the cover.

Lynne Olson is an American author, historian, and journalist.

She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Arizona in 1969.

Empress o the Nile was copyrighted in 2023 and is Olsens ninth book.

The book is subtitled The Daredevil Archeologist Who Saved Egypt's Ancient Temples From Destruction.

And it is a biography of a remarkable woman named Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt.

However, it is about so much more and I learned so very much from this read.

In no particular order, I learned the back story of the Suez Canal crisis of 1956, which, as a nine year old caused me great grief and worry.

I learned more about King Tut.

I learned more about the Louvr Museum and the British Museum.

I was reminded of the brave and important efforts of those associated with the Louvre to protect and safeguar literally thousands of priceless works of art from Nazi tyranny prior to the occupation of France.

I learned more about the Egyptian kings and queens, including Queen Nefertiti.

One of my most special life experiences was seeing the bust of her in a museum in Berlin, simply breathtaking in his majesty, color and artistry.

And summarily, I, of course, learned much more about Egypt and the Middle East.

Most importantly, I was introduced to a person of great significance and importance.

I read of a life of trul amazing contribution, adventure and accomplishment of a woman I had never heard of before.

I was introduced to Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt.

Here see also, our show on Sonia Purnell's book about Virginia Hall, A Woman of No Importance.

Like Hall, Desroches-Noblecourt played a significant role in World War Two as a part of the resistance.

In fact, this book opens on December 12th, 1940, with this 27 year old Desroches being pulled off a train in central France by a German in a black SS uniform.

However, as the subtitle denotes, the gist of this book relates to Desroches's efforts to save the Temple Hathor and Nefertiti at Abu Simbel and the temple complex at Philae.

In saving these truly priceless and historic works of art, Desroches faced innumerable obstacles-- political, cultural, financial, engineering, religious, societal, and practical.

How does one save ancient relics built into the earth and weigh thousands of tons from the rapidly encroaching water of the dam?

As noted in the book, in just over two years, the work of dismantling the temples and moving them to safety had to be completed.

It was a missio of almost unimaginable magnitude and to carry it out, Its organizers had assembled nearly 2000 engineers, archeologists, architects, surveyors, administrators, craftsmen and other laborers from more than a dozen countries.

By persuading charming, pushing, begging, Desroches led the way to the accomplishment of a literal miracle.

Over her lifetime, she was a remarkable person, and I am so glad I was able to learn more about her.

Thanks to Olsen's scholarshi and hard work.

In this regard, Thank you, Betty from Bloomington, Illinois for your recommendation of this book.

And thank you, Shirley Beggs, my dear friend and former first lady at WSU, for introducing me to Betty a fellow reader and book lover.

That's our show.

We have focused on Empress of the Nile by Lynne Olson.

If you can't tell, I love this book and I give it my highest recommendation.

Good night and see you next time.

Until then, keep reading, keep thinking, and live well.