Yo-Yo Ma, concert cellist and artistic director of The Silk Road Project, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to celebrating local cultures and global connections, recommends five recent favorite reads.
Lying Awake by Mark Salzman (Knopf, $14.70). I have enjoyed all of Mark Salzman’s books, but find this one to be a tremendous achievement. He illuminates the nature of spiritual life through the unique voice of Sister John of the Cross; using the realities and inspirations of her visions, he explores the age-old mystery of artistic inspiration.
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Eastward to Tartary: Travels in the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Caucasus by Robert D. Kaplan (Random House, $18.86). Kaplan’s history, enriched by his comprehensive knowledge of the region, is my favorite kind of book—one that begins a process. It opened a door for me: Not only did I come away with a better understanding of the region, I actually wanted to go there.
The Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf (Schocken Books, $12.80). Described by Maalouf as a “true life novel,” the author presents a well-researched and objective historical study. He transcends traditional perspectives of the Mideast and West, creating an objective historical chronicle.
The East India Company: A History by Phillip Lawson (Longman Publishing Group, $43). As I learned more about the migration of ideas and goods along the Silk Route, I wanted to gain a better understanding of the East India Company, which was such a huge part of British history. Here, Lawson provides a comprehensive study.
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