Beginner’s Mind
by Yo-Yo Ma
Copyright 2021
What Audible Says
“I realize, perhaps for the first time that I had to learn the cello to become a musician, and that it was only through decades of musical exploration that I came to understand my responsibility as a human being.”
Journey with musical virtuoso Yo-Yo Ma as the iconic performer and global phenomenon delves into the world of self-discovery and our deeply interwoven humanity. This is Beginner’s Mind, Ma’s extraordinary addition to Audible’s Words + Music series, blending vivid personal memoir and breathtaking exclusive performances with indelible lessons gained over a lifetime pursuing meaning, connection, and shared purpose.
Beginner’s Mind continues Ma’s passionate exploration of culture’s role in helping us to imagine and build a better future, asking each of us “to strip away preconceptions and reclaim a beginner’s mind…one open to new questions, new connections, new explorations, and unexpected answers.” As Ma tracks his own profound journey through “four stories of beginnings,” listeners gain insight into his past and discover how the cultural visionary continues to find hope in the endless possibility of human curiosity, creativity, and collaboration.
Beginner’s Mind joins Audible’s ongoing Words + Music series, providing an outlet for musical icons to defy traditional formats with an innovative, and unprecedented approach to musical storytelling and personal expression.
My Thoughts
As a lover of classical music, I enjoyed Yo-Yo Ma’s narration and the included musical selections. I was fascinated to learn a little about his life growing up and that of his parents plus some of his adventures while traveling with his music.
But I was left wanting more. How did Yo-Yo Ma’s family react when he broke free of their influence, leaving his home in New York and studying at Harvard when he was sixteen? How did he become the musician he is today? One main point I gleamed is this. In life, there are always opportunities to begin again. Hence, the title.
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By the way, for those of you who use the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, The Red Dress is available for download from their site here. No matter how you read it, please be sure to review it wherever you can. That goes for all my books. Thank you for stopping by. Stay safe, happy, and healthy.
New! The Red Dress
Copyright July 2019 by DLD Books
When Eve went to her high school senior prom, she wore a red dress that her mother had made for her. That night, after dancing with the boy of her dreams, she caught him in the act with her best friend. Months later, Eve, a freshman in college, is bullied into giving the dress to her roommate. After her mother finds out, their relationship is never the same again.
Twenty-five years later, Eve, a bestselling author, is happily married with three children. Although her mother suffers from dementia, she still remembers, and Eve still harbors the guilt for giving the dress away. When she receives a Facebook friend request from her old college roommate and an invitation to her twenty-five-year high school class reunion, then meets her former best friend by chance, she must confront the past in order to face the future.
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My Corner 
the cello is my favorite instrument – each year I visited Venice, Italy specifically to attend a concert by a group I loved. The cello was magnificent in the Vivaldi concerts. One of my dearest friends is a professional cello player – so magnificent to hear this instrument. I would love to read this book.
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Lynda, this book is available on audible. If you click the link at the beginning of this post, you should be taken to the page where you can purchase it. It might even still be free. You’ll not only hear Yo-Yo Ma reading the book, but you’ll also hear him playing certain musical selections. Enjoy!
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