Book Nook - Be a Scribe: Working For a Better Life in Ancient Egypt

Michael Hoffen and the protagonist in his new book are both teenagers, but there’s quite an age gap between them—about 4,000 years. In Hoffen’s new book, BE A SCRIBE: Working For a Better Life in Ancient Egypt, he brings to life the story of a young Egyptian, Pepi, whose father, Kheti, is intent on getting his son a job in the royal court. 

Hoffen, who has been translating ancient texts since middle school, became fascinated by a 4,000-year-old or so piece of literature from ancient Egypt’s Middle Kingdom known as The Instruction of Khety, or “The Satire of the Trades.” Under the guidance and collaboration of his two co-authors, Egyptologists Christian Casey and Jen Thum, Hoffen spent three-and-a-half years translating hieroglyphics to modern-day prose and gathering images to tell the story of Kheti and Pepi.

I had a chance to review this book - and my daughter really enjoyed it. She loves learning about different cultures, modern and historical, and this book really helped ancient Egypt come to life. With images of artifacts and colorful illustrations, it helps readers get a visual picture of life in ancient Egypt.

Michael Hoffen is the youngest-ever recipient of the annual Emerson Prize, awarded by the Concord Review for outstanding promise in history. While still in middle school, he was introduced to the joys of translating ancient texts and never looked back. During the COVID pandemic, Michael embarked on an ambitious project to bring ancient Egyptian literature to life outside the classroom. Be A Scribe! is Michael’s first book in a series. When not chasing down new stories to translate or write, Michael enjoys biking, swimming, and rock climbing. He lives with his family in New York.

Dr. Christian Casey is an Egyptologist who specializes in the study of ancient Egyptian languages. He obtained his PhD in Egyptology from Brown University in 2020 and now works as a researcher at Freie Universität Berlin. He is especially interested in sharing the exciting world of ancient Egypt with young people and other interested members of the public.

Dr. Jen Thum is an Egyptologist, educator, and curator at the Harvard Art Museums. She studied Egyptology and archaeology at the University of Oxford and Brown University. Jen’s work celebrates the learning potential of ancient material culture, especially across disciplines. She teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, writes and leads workshops about learning with art and artifacts, and is the lead editor of Teaching Ancient Egypt in Museums: Pedagogies in Practice. Jen conceived of Be A Scribe! after recognizing the need for accessible ancient Egyptian primary sources for young learners.