I really enjoyed reading this book. It was quite exciting and full of a lot of interesting views on language and the evolution of writing. All while still giving a cool introduction to hieroglyphs.
However, my one criticism would be the lack of nuance and this take on history. Specifically, I am not a fan of the use of genius to describe all these ‘white men doing great things all by themselves’. It should be more nuanced like “genius…with a brother who works in the Academy of Inscriptions and Literature…also with a friend who has access to Egyptian excavations…and who probably has people taking care of all his basic needs so he can pursue his hobby”.