Reseña del libro "Egypt: The Holy Land: The Quintessential Book (en Inglés)"
Updated and expanded, Egypt: The Holy Land is a "novel of sorts" about some 48 African-Americans and 1 white couple traveling through Egypt on a Educational Tour led by Dr. Fred Monderson, an Egyptologist, historian and himself an African-American, who uses some of his previous writings ("Dr. Yosef A.A. Ben-Jochannan;" "The Nile Valley;" "Egypt, Kush, Ethiopia;" "Flow of the Nile" "Temple of Karnak: Majestic Architecture of Ancient Kemet;" "Temple of Luxor;" "The Ramesseum;" "Technology in a Global Community;" "Medinet Habu: Mortuary Temple of Rameses III;" "The Dance, Music and Musical Instruments;" "The Priesthood;" "Abydos: Home of Osiris;" "Temple of Dendera;" "The Nile Valley in Antiquity History;" "Fascination of Egyptian Archaeology;" "Egypt and Africa;" "Franklin Avenue Shuttle: Shuttle into the Millennium;" "The Illustrious Queen Mother;" "Black Egypt and the Struggle for Inclusion;" "Queen of Sheba in Racial Portrait as Historical Distortion;" and"Spreading the Knowledge;") to engage his students/traveling companions with reading material as they go from site to site on the tourist circuit. The book is packed with a whole repertoire of experiences of the Tour Guide, from his class notes as a student at Hunter College of the City University of New York in the early 1970s, notes from interesting lectures he has attended in New York, notes from his classes at Temple University's Afrocentric Institute under Dr. Molefi Asante, notes from lectures at New York University and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and historical and cultural sayings as well as lectures given on the spot after each day's itinerary. To this is added the encouraged experiences of students who share parts of their life experience to help enrich the learning environment created in this tour of the "Holy Land." Thus, the book is divided into sections involving discussions in the Airport Lounge at JFK, New York, prior to departure; and once on the ground in Egypt with all the characters checked into their hotel rooms, then the book is divided into the following arrangement of the day's itinerary. The characters talk to each other sharing their before-hand wisdom at breakfast; on the bus to the sites; at the lecture after each day's outing; followed by a question and answer period; middle of the day free-time; then at dinner; in the hotel lounge; and back in their hotel rooms. Each individual brings a different perspective to the group dynamic sharing their knowledge and experiences to make the overall Educational Tour a memorable one. Some are students who share their notes, others are retired professionals who write and offer aspects of their knowledge from work to play. Then famous quotations, some from the Library of Congress walls are added. Such cultural topics as "Adultery," "Agriculture," "Calendar," "Charms," "Circumcision," "Cosmogony and Cosmology," Crimes and Punishment," "Ethics and Morality," "Family," "Gods," "Hero and Hero Gods," "Images and Idols," "Magic," "Marriage," "Righteousness," "Salvation," "Tithes," all help enhance the overall message as one of a spiritual, historical, cultural, photographic and historical adventure. Several hundred photographs as well as illustrations, papyrus and ceramic art and plans of temples, are a wonderful experience, when a little imagination is included along the way. This is an excellent book, packed with a tremendous amount of esoteric and philosophic knowledge, useful information creating an overall remarkably knowledgeable and intellectually stimulating experience about ancient Egyptian art, architecture, religion, life, that is useful to the tourist, student, even professional and lay person equally. Somewhat technical, but it is a work worthy of study that makes for excellent, informative reading.
