Name: Matthew Royal's review of The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer
Item: The Art of Asking
Rating: 3
Author: Matthew Royal

Amanda Palmer

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.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help

The Art of Asking

Matthew Royal

Aubrey Hicks

I don't have a review per se. Just a note. This is not a book to listen to while on the subway. I cried like a baby, sobbed. Sometimes the sad, commiserating kind of cry like when a stranger tells you their mom has died - sometimes the "so many feels" kind of cry that is just bursting of some unknowable emotion that needs an escape. I cried. Many times. This book really hit me. I'm okay at giving, not as good at the receiving - that goes for compliments, for money, for help, for support, for hugs. Hearing Amanda's story, and how she sees the asking - how it's an act of trust. That. That is important, and beautiful and wonderful. If you see Amanda in person, give her a hug from me. She helped me today, and I didn't even realize I had asked for the help.

Okay. another point:

I read another review on Amanda's blog about how Amanda was successful because of white privilege ... that hits me too. there is a class/race issue that isn't really addressed here. I'm not sure how many of us have access to the dude who rents out his house to artists at low rates and lets them use it for art and parties and gigs. Or access to friends who can front money to pay the band for months. And I agree with that criticism, that isn't the world Amanda Palmer built yet is the one we all live in. And ... her message about trust and asking and giving and receiving, it's a message we can all learn from. Perhaps we can think of giving more when we're able to. Think of who we can give to and who we can support. Broaden the base as it were. Asking is trust and love, giving is trust and love and acceptance. Let's learn from that.

Shaun Clark

Terrific. Original. Polarising. Honest. 

These and more could apply to Amanda and this delightful little book, which is like a breath of fresh air and truly unique.

Really enjoyed her story, her despair, her openness and her mindset about taking the donuts.

Entrepreneur, artist or employee, anyone anyone could benefit from reading this book and opening up to her ideas.

I hardly ever give five stars, but this treasure deserves kudos for its unique concept - so simple, so powerful, but often so difficult.

By opening up about her struggles, hopefully it will make others more at ease with their own.

Read it. I'm asking you.

Best idea from this book is that being a creative human involves collecting, connecting, and sharing. It’s maybe overly broad a definition, since I think any complex system has these elements, but it’s a useful one.

Izza

I didn't really know who Amanda Palmer is but I had heard so many good things about this book that I got the audiobook. I'm so glad I did. One second I was crying, the next I was laughing. It's very honest and human...comforting. Highly recommend if you're in need of some love or hugs.

Lula Diaz

Loved it, very insightful, raw, honest and inspiring.

Dearna Mulvaney

I wanted to read this book even since I saw her Ted Talk - which is this an extension of. But it was one of those books I put off buying since I had this feeling I would love it. Flash forward to about a year later and this books shows up at work. It's a sign: I must buy it.

This is an inspiring guide for artists, creators and, really, humans everywhere. I'm in awe of the trust Amanda has in her fans and her ability to share her entire life with them. And I mean everything from raising over a million dollars on Kickstarter to marriage problem and crippling self-doubt. Amanda knows first hand that asking is scary but also that it's a gift that's in constant circulation. This is a story I will return to again and again, whenever I'm looking for a pick-me-up. 

So if you need help, just do as Amanda say and take that doughnut!

Adam

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).

Caitlin Berger

This book introduced me to and made me fall in love with Amanda Palmer. I didn't know a lot about her before, but wanted a non-fiction book to read. And boy oh boy did I pick the right one. I don't want to go on and on about the book but it was absolutely amazing. Definitely gave me so much to think about for a long time. Wonderful, beautiful book.

Ember Skies

Gelaine Trinidad

Oliver Magnanimous

Lindsy Rice

Jane Mount

Michelle

Rose

'When we really see each other, we want to help each other' - Amanda Palmer Imagine standing on a box in the middle of a busy city, dressed as a white-faced bride, and silently using your eyes to ask people for money. Or touring Europe in a punk cabaret band, and finding a place to sleep each night by reaching out to strangers on Twitter. For Amanda Palmer, actions like these have gone beyond satisfying her basic needs for food and shelter - they've taught her how to turn strangers into friends, build communities, and discover her own giving impulses. And because she had learned how to ask, she was able to go to the world to ask for the money to make a new album and tour with it, and to raise over a million dollars in a month. In the New York TImes bestseller The Art of Asking, Palmer expands upon her popular TED talk to reveal how ordinary people, those of us without thousands of Twitter followers and adoring fans, can use these same principles in our own lives.

Matthew Royal &
The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer

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