Kara Cooney is a bestselling author, a dynamic speaker, and a professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA, specializing in craft production, coffin studies, and ancient economies. She produced a comparative archaeology television series entitled Out of Egypt, which aired in 2009 on the Discovery Channel.
In her latest book, The Good Kings: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World, Kara turns to five ancient Egyptian pharaohs—Khufu, Senwosret III, Akenhaten, Ramses II, and Taharqa—to understand why many so often give up power to the few, and what it can mean for our future.