Read this book because… she gets “it”. Life that is. Amanda Palmer’s experiences and insights in “The Art of Asking”, kept me awake for hours, scribbling notes and making highlights and noting ‘aha’ moments. It reminded my of those epic weekends as a kid, getting my hands on a stack of really great books and being unable to go to bed until I’d finished all of them. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve read something this addicting and this review is my attempt to understand why. In short, Amanda Palmer is an authentic, visceral, and vulnerable human being whose insights hit on universally experienced emotions making them comforting to read. “Someone out there feels the same way!”
People hardly ever share their weak, sad, confused, lost, maddening moments because they are so personal and intimate. Yet, Amanda has the bravery to articulate so beautifully these human moments - her pain while going through a friend’s illness, her sense of rejection as a street artist, her struggle to be herself yet be a true partner to her husband. As a performing artist she also has such an incredible way of transforming these human moments into hilarious, unique, and entertaining stories that make her life seem more like fiction than reality - many of these stories expanded my thinking about what was even possible in creating human connections. (There’s a story about swimming in a human sized aquarium full of yellow page papers that made me think- “ I gotta try this”).
Throughout the book I found myself nodding and tearing up, thinking “she GETS it. she knows what its like to be human!”
One of the most highlighted quotes in the book is:
“from what i’ve seen it isn’t so much the act of asking that paralyzes us - it’s what lies beneath: the fear of being vulnerable, the fear of rejection, the fear of looking needy or weak. the fear of being seen as a burdensome member of the community instead of a productive one.”
Later in the book, through stories and direct advice, she addresses this fear with a solution. Essentially, she asks of her readers and her fans to go out and give more to those around them. To invest and tend to the needs of each other whenever they can. To let others be vulnerable to them. And hope the investments will pay off when her readers and fans will themselves need compassion, need to be vulnerable, need to ask their network for help, support and understanding.
“asking for help with shame says :you have power over me. asking with condescension says: i have the power over you. but asking for help with gratitude says: we have the power to help each other.”
Gratitude. Yes.
http://lilyc512.tumblr.com/post/116480846875/amanda-palmer-gets-it-so-read-the-art-of
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: 
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Frequently bought together
$15.25
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 28
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Reviews with images
It's Hard to Describe a Giant Hug for Your Heart
One reason I have loved Amanda Palmer for all these years is that I feel like her personal philosophies are so in line with my own... and some of my own have come from things I picked up from her over the years of following her Twitter feed, things that resonated with me and made me believe that I too could go out on a limb, trust the universe, and ask for what I needed. This book was a great help in examining and dealing with the flip side -- all of the negativity you receive when you dare to do such a thing. Why are people so scared to ask for what they need? Maybe because of the high potential for backlash -- but where has that come from? What makes people respond so venomously? Does it come from others who are just too scared to ask for what they need in their own lives?I listened to the audiobook (which I highly recommend) and found myself constantly nodding in agreement with what she was saying, and at times even sitting in my car for half an hour after I'd arrived home to continue listening. There were definitely stories that made me tear up, but there were ten times as many stories that made my heart nearly explode from the love, tenderness, and affection she expresses for so many, many people all over the world, and for that which those people reflect right back to her. In this book, I felt like I had a friend, supporter, and confidante... it's that good. Read it; you won't be sorry.
Top reviews from other countries
Liz Timoney
funny, heartfelt and fascinating insight
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2023
