The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help

After hearing Amanda's Ted talk, I was excited to hear she had a book out that elaborated on the topic. The title of the book makes it sound like it's in the self help genre, but actually this is a memoir using asking for help as a unifying theme throughout her life. The openness of the memoir, and the issues she faced were refreshing to hear. An optimistic story that left me feeling good and wanting to read more by Neil Gaiman (her husband).

Originally posted on bluchickenninja.com.

The first thing I think everyone should know about this book is that you don't need to be a fan of Amanda Palmer or her music to enjoy it. The book was advertised as a longer version of her TED talk however I felt it was more like an autobiography. The book tells the story of Amanda's life but it also shows the ways she has asked her fans and the online community for help, from finding somewhere to sleep to finding musicians to play on stage with her. Throughout the book Amanda shows that it is okay to ask for help, as she puts it “take the donut“. I genuinely believe that if you want your blog or any other artistic endeavour to become a full time job you should read this book.

No ground-breaking revelations for someone who follows [a:Amanda Palmer 1010543 Amanda Palmer https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1297527121p2/1010543.jpg] around the internet, but a lovely chatty-style book. Very readable, enjoyable, and frank, with a few tears thrown in because of reasons.

It was a great read on trust and being authentic and not being perfect. I felt it could have been tightened up a bit (editor's fault) and transitioning between different timelines of her life (which I finally got used to and then didn't mind.) Some chapters seemed clipped a bit but for the most part I really enjoyed the book.