News of war around the world has been painful to hear and difficult to process. The unrelenting war in Ukraine, the utter devastation of Gaza, and the continuing civil war in the Sudan are daily reminders of the chaos, inhumanity and devastating consequences of war. When I came across the 170-page visual narrative on the history of war created by Alessandro Sanna, I was intrigued. The description printed on the inside flap of the front cover states that this book is “a visionary voyage in paint, shining a light on the unspeakable and on the twinned infinities of stone and stars.”

Old as Stone, Hard as Rock of Humans & War begins with a short poem written by Giuseppe Ungaretti (1916), a World War I veteran, entitled, “I Am a Creature.” An author’s note follows in which Sanna explains how this poem inspired his creative journey in exploring the story of humans and war. He allowed his hands to depict what his mind could not express in words. The introduction written by Ammiel Alecaly follows the author’s note. Alcalay, a poet and writer, philosophically reflects on Sanna’s amazing illustrations stating that “hands are human, capable of creating and destroying.” Alcalay then describes Sanna’s illustrations of the progressive emergence of forces of destruction beginning with the first murder committed with a stone and then progressing to the use of spears, arrows, cannons, planes, bombs and missiles. This introduction serves as a way for the reader’s mind to prepare for the emotional visual journey awaiting at the turn of each page.

Sanna sets out to capture the history of war through illustration. Throughout the book, there are no words used except on the pages dividing each section. These sections are titled: Humanity, Fire, Sea, Sky and Infinity. Humanity focuses on weapons of stone. Fire introduces weapons of metal. Sea shows the movement across oceans to wage war and claim new lands. Sky introduces planes and bombs with images of the World Wars. The last section Infinity reveals how war has become part of human culture. The “cold, hard, impervious and spiritless” stone referenced in the poem at the beginning of the book is visually present on nearly every page. As the reader, I found myself constantly questioning this reference. Is this stone the weapon, the planet, or humanity’s heart?

It is difficult to adequately review a book of this nature. It is a book that must be experienced and deeply reflected upon. The book ends with an image of earth amidst the stars followed by a close-up of a perfectly round blue stone (assumed to be earth) held between the thumb and index finger of a human hand. Surrounding this image are other stones that have been severely damaged. Again, questions come to mind concerning humanity’s power in determining the future. Will this hand destroy, or heal and preserve?

Sanna is an Italian illustrator of over seventy books for children and adults. He lives and works in Mantua, Italy. Sanna uses water-based ink colors in all his illustrations. This technique provides a sense of movement and emotion within his illustrations. Old as Stone, Hard as Rock is Sanna’s fourth book published for the U.S. market through Enchanted Lion. This book published under the Unruly division is geared toward young adults and adult readers.–Recommended by Cynthia K. Ryman, Cal State Monterey Bay

Title: Old as Stone, Hard as Rock of Humans & War
Author/Illustrator: Alessandro Sannaa
ISBN: ‎9781592704217
PubDate: February 4, 2025
Publisher: Unruly/Enchanted Lion

Each month a committee of Worlds of Words advisors recommends a book published within the last year. Our hope is to spark conversations on our website and on social media about the book that expand global understandings and perceptions. Please join us by leaving a comment. You can also share your thoughts with us by using the hashtag #WOWRecommends on social media.

array(12) {
  ["_edit_lock"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(14) "1763571798:264"
  }
  ["_edit_last"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(3) "264"
  }
  ["_thumbnail_id"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(5) "28879"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(85) "https://wowlit.org/wp-content/media/Old-as-Stone-Hard-as-Rock-by-Alessandro-Sanna.jpg"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(5) "47220"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(85) "https://wowlit.org/wp-content/media/Old-as-Stone-Hard-as-Rock-by-Alessandro-Sanna.jpg"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(5) "47220"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_focuskw"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(12) "Old As Stone"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_metadesc"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(130) "This month, Cynthia Ryman recommends a visual narrative by Italian illustrator Alessandro Sanna, which depicts the history of war."
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_linkdex"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(2) "84"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_content_score"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(2) "30"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_primary_category"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(4) "3405"
  }
}

• Themes: Alessandro Sanna, Cynthia Ryman, Old As Stone Hard as Rock
• Descriptors: WOW Recommends