Beginnings: In Aotearoa and Abroad is a fascinating account of Michael Jackson’s life as an anthropologist and writer. He talks about growing up in Aotearoa and returning over the years, his life with a growing family in Sierra Leone among the Kuranko people, and his musings on childhood, love, poetry, regeneration, changing friendships, yoga, and the beliefs, mythologies and rituals of different cultures. An insightful and nostalgic read those spans decades and continent, but always returns to a love of the land and people in Aotearoa—and Michael’s beginnings.