The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer
I love me some Amanda Palmer. She's kick ass and honest and kick ass and talented and kick ass and fascinating. She is a LITERAL rockstar. So I was thrilled to learn that she was writing a book. But not just any book. A book about something I personally struggle with... asking for help. We are raised to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and walk it off. To suffer in silence. And while I do value people being resourceful and strong and taking control of their own destiny, there are just some times that we NEED other people. And that's a scary thing to admit to. But the minute we do, our lives become exponentially easier.
Amanda Palmer is an amazing storyteller. She tells the tale of her life with a brutal reality and truth that is sometimes heartbreaking but mostly inspiring. She bared her soul as she tends to bare her body and allowed her readers into the most personal aspects of her life. And that invitation has the power to change her readers. I listened to this on audiobook and I highly recomend it. Hearing Palmer's story in her own calming, beautiful voice added something to the book that is difficult to explain.
If you find yourself not being able to ask for help in the big and small moments of your life, I definitely suggest you pick up this book. I especially think this is a great gift to give to recently graduated college students. The art of asking is something I wish I had perfected well before my 35th year.
Synopsis:
Rock star, crowdfunding pioneer, and TED speaker Amanda Palmer knows all about asking. Performing as a living statue in a wedding dress, she wordlessly asked thousands of passersby for their dollars. When she became a singer, songwriter, and musician, she was not afraid to ask her audience to support her as she surfed the crowd (and slept on their couches while touring). And when she left her record label to strike out on her own, she asked her fans to support her in making an album, leading to the world's most successful music Kickstarter.
Even while Amanda is both celebrated and attacked for her fearlessness in asking for help, she finds that there are important things she cannot ask for-as a musician, as a friend, and as a wife. She learns that she isn't alone in this, that so many people are afraid to ask for help, and it paralyzes their lives and relationships. In this groundbreaking book, she explores these barriers in her own life and in the lives of those around her, and discovers the emotional, philosophical, and practical aspects of THE ART OF ASKING.
Part manifesto, part revelation, this is the story of an artist struggling with the new rules of exchange in the twenty-first century, both on and off the Internet. THE ART OF ASKING will inspire readers to rethink their own ideas about asking, giving, art, and love.