Memoirs have been my favorite literary genre for a number of years now. Whether reading or listening to what others have to say about their lives continues to captivate me.

The most recent example is Yo-Yo Ma’s Beginner’s Mind, an audio book written, spoken, and interspersed with cello playing by this wonderful human being.

In this brief 90 minute work of art, Ma explores how he came to be who he is: human being first, musician second, and cellist third.

And as he examines how he arrived at the place he is now and what he has learned in the process, he also becomes a teacher.

I’ve listened to Beginner’s Mind twice now.

It’s a different type of memoir from anything I’ve read or listened to previously.