When he was 8 years old, Ramzi Aburedwan became the poster child for the first Palestinian Intifada with a photo of him throwing a rock at an Israeli tank. Then, as he says, "music chose him."
He began to play the viola, which removed him from violence and gave him another means of personal expression. After traveling the world to perform music, Aburedwan returned to Ramallah to open a music school for children. It's called Al-Kamandjati, or The Violinist.
Journalist Sandy Tolan first met Aburedwan in 1998 and again in 2009. At their second meeting, Tolan was amazed to learn that Aburedwan had accomplished each personal goal he had outlined 10 year prior -- including getting an education, mastering an instrument, and opening a music school in Ramallah.
Tolan's new book is called Children of the Stone. It recounts Aburedwan's unpredictable story, how music helps children to cope with trauma, and Aburedwan's respectful but complicated relationship with Israeli conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim.
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