A Stone’s Throw

A Stone’s Throw is about the weaving together of stories by which we construct our lives, individually and collectively. Laird explores the forces that lead both Jews and Muslims to revere the foundation stone of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the Taliban to destroy stone carvings of Buddha, terrorists to attack the World Trade Center. As he crafts a volcanic rock into a piece of sculpture, Laird peels back the facade of the present to reveal the contemporary world as a place where the past is forever working out its unfinished dreams.

I finished reading Ross A. Laird‘s A Stone’s Throw: The Enduring Nature of Myth in the early hours this morning. It’s been a facinating read from cover to cover. Laird presented his own story of craftsmanship woven with myth and history, for history, myth and life are inseparable. I’ve learned quite a lot about Kem, Jewish, Arab and Islamic mythologies and their interwoven histories. It was facinating to discover many of the facts Mr. Laird presented.

One of the most interesting facts presented in the book was that the World Trade Center’s design was based very closely upon the Kaaba, one of the most sacred sites to Islamic people. Did the Islamic terrorists realize they were destroying a tribute to their own sacred site? Was that somehow part of their plan, even unconsciously?

This book is certainly multi-layered, as it explores many aspects of craftsmanship, family, and history becoming myth. Laird’s own family history was as facinating as the older myths he explored. One of his ancestors was accused of being a witch and burned at the stake, while his wife’s ancestor had been an inquisitor who accused witches. Parallels and contradictions in all our histories help to define who we are, no matter how we might try to deny it.

Give this book a read, for it’s undoubtably worth your time! If you have any asparation of being an artist this is doubily valuable. It may be the key to making you discover your own histories.