Lynne Olson

The life story of the cutting edge Egyptologist Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt and her fight to save temples and antiquities in Egypt. The book is much more than this. It is an education on how hard it was to save them. After a military coop in Egypt then new leader (Nasser) is driven to build a dam on the Nile to provide power to his people. The Aswan dam will flood dozens of ancient sites so the race in on to save them.- a costly and complicated endeavor. Christiane spends her life digging in Egypt and finding patrons to support her digs. You will learn much reading this book.… (mer)

Lynne Olson has excavated and restored the story of a forgotten French Egyptologist whose contributions should have been memorialized in stone and legend. I was enthralled by this biography of Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt. Inspired as a teenager by Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb, she forged a career in a male-dominated field, gaining the respect of the laborers on the archeological sites and scholars and political leaders alike. She challenged accepted truths. And her relentless work to save ancient temples from destruction culminated in one of the most ingenious and difficult feats of engineering: moving the temple of Ramses II before the Aswan High Dam flooded it. Incredibly, she also participated in the Resistance during WWII!

Single-minded and a relentless worker, Christine’s career started when she took classes in archeology, art history, and hieroglyphics at the Ecole du Louvre, home of the most prized collection of Egyptian art, a legacy of France’s imperialist domination of Egypt. Her first job was to catalogue unopened crates brought back from Egypt. The volunteer project took three years, but she gained a deep understanding that would surpass her peers when she worked in the field. Which happened in 1937 when she was selected to work in the Valley of the Kings on a village that had housed the artisans and laborers who worked on the pharaohs’ tombs. It was thought that a female couldn’t stand the primitive living conditions and heat of the field, but she thrived.

As Christine’s career progressed, the political world around her changed. When the Nazis reached Paris, she helped move the Louvre’s art to secure locations. She stayed under the radar while working with a resistance group as a courier. With the rejection of colonialist powers over Egypt, one of the few Europeans they allowed in the country was Christine; she had forged relationships with Egyptians, learning Arabic. When Nassar determined to build a dam that would bring electricity to his developing country, Christine was appalled at the resulting loss of twenty temples. She pushed UNESCO to fund the rescue operation of moving the temples, which included Abu Simbel, a remarkable temple built by Ramses II.

I was a girl in the early sixties when Abul Simbel was being sawn apart and moved to a high elevation. I vividly recall the National Geographic magazine’s photographs of the project. It was exciting to read this behind the scenes narrative.

Olson includes a wealth of information about Ancient Egypt and the history of archeology in Egypt. The first photographs of King Tut’s treasures was printed in a book written by Christine. Traveling exhibits of Egyptian art raised awareness across the world, inspiring even school children to raid their piggy banks to send money to save Abul Simbel, and fomenting a passion for all things Egyptian. The legacy of colonialism and imperialism, the rise of Pan-Arabism, and the cold war figure into the story. In 1954, she left academia and ended up working thirty years there.

Another surprising insight was the influence of First Lady Jaqueline Kennedy, who was deeply interested in art and Ancient Egypt, who pressured her husband to fund Abul Simbel. And who later, with second husband Aristotle Onassis, asked Christine.to take them on a tour.

Each segment of Christine’s story furthered my interest and excitement, rekindling my childhood interest in Ancient Egypt.

I was given a free egalley by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.… (mer)

The subtitle of this book is "The Americans Who Stood with Britain in It's Darkest, Finest Hour." Tom Brokaw's comment on the flyleaf was this: "I thought I knew a lot about this dangerous period, but Lynne Olson has tought me so much more." I would have to completely agree with Mr. Brokaw.

The book primarily focuses on Edward R. Murrow, John Winant, American Ambassador to Britain and Averell Harriman. But, there were other interesting people profiled. I found Tommy Hitchcock to be interesting. I had read before about how vital the role of the P51 Mustang was in the war, but I don't remember hearing about the fight to equip it with the Rolls Royce Merlin engine. It seems the P51 was an American plane but the Merlin engine was a British engine and many people resisted the change. Hitchcock worked long and hard to get the Merlin engine accepted.

There is a lot of information in this book. It covers everything including the social scene in London during the war and the love affairs of the rich and powerful.

If you enjoy reading non-fiction books about WWII, I think you will enjoy this book.
… (mer)