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staceface's review against another edition
5.0
I came to this book knowing very little about Amanda Palmer and was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it.
gj377's review
3.0
I will preface this review by saying that I think I really needed to read this book. Amanda Palmer is a force of nature, and this book details the things she's learnt in life about asking for help, about asking for things and not-things in the course of her career, her relationships, and basically any interaction you can have with another human being.
And I needed to read that.
It's also written in such an easy, conversational style, that it didn't feel patronising, or like a lecture - it felt like advice from a friend.
However, the book on a whole was kind of rambling, because of that. There was no coherent narrative, and the timeline jumped around between basically each paragraph, which got a little bit hard to follow. That's kind of its charm, and I guess, a more structured, linear book would have been a different book, and wouldn't have been Amanda Palmer's book.
5/5 for the message. 3/5 for the narrative structure. Would definitely recommend though, this book has something important to tell you - that it's okay to ask for help, and it's okay to ask for not-help, just for something you want, rather than need.
And I needed to read that.
It's also written in such an easy, conversational style, that it didn't feel patronising, or like a lecture - it felt like advice from a friend.
However, the book on a whole was kind of rambling, because of that. There was no coherent narrative, and the timeline jumped around between basically each paragraph, which got a little bit hard to follow. That's kind of its charm, and I guess, a more structured, linear book would have been a different book, and wouldn't have been Amanda Palmer's book.
5/5 for the message. 3/5 for the narrative structure. Would definitely recommend though, this book has something important to tell you - that it's okay to ask for help, and it's okay to ask for not-help, just for something you want, rather than need.
boots's review against another edition
4.0
This book, like so many of Amanda's projects, beat against my cynicism relentlessly. It's a little clumsy in places - I kept wondering what chronological order it's meant to be in - but that's what I expected. Her style is typically haphazard, and I'm sure several people worked to give it what structure was there. Being already familiar with her writing style, that didn't grate as it might for a new reader of hers.
It's an emotionally raw, honest, human memoir. Those traits are what connect her to her audience; they're the source of her greatest victories (like her Kickstarter) and her greatest trials (like the controversial poem for Dzhokhar). It comes across beautifully in the way she writes about pain and empathy, and when people try to reduce her to a list of problematic issues, that's the humanity they're avoiding.
Inevitably, I cried. I will read it again; I will most likely cry again. It hurts to open yourself up to the world after closing off so completely, and Amanda refuses to pretend that it doesn't.
She may not be your cup of tea - the Dita Von Teese story applies nicely to that - but I hope at least that you can respect the fearlessness on display in this book.
It's an emotionally raw, honest, human memoir. Those traits are what connect her to her audience; they're the source of her greatest victories (like her Kickstarter) and her greatest trials (like the controversial poem for Dzhokhar). It comes across beautifully in the way she writes about pain and empathy, and when people try to reduce her to a list of problematic issues, that's the humanity they're avoiding.
Inevitably, I cried. I will read it again; I will most likely cry again. It hurts to open yourself up to the world after closing off so completely, and Amanda refuses to pretend that it doesn't.
She may not be your cup of tea - the Dita Von Teese story applies nicely to that - but I hope at least that you can respect the fearlessness on display in this book.
nomnomdeplume's review
I decided to read this book after watching Amanda's TED talk, and the book lived up to the interest, inspiration, and promise of the talk. A mix of autobiography with personal philosophy, this book engaged me in the details of Amanda's adventurous life and the underlying attitudes that she credits to her success.
boreasword's review
5.0
I laughed. I cried. I bought a ukelele! A book about Zen and the Art of Asking. Also, a book about cancer, Internet trolls, artists, strangers, and how to love them all.
philippakmoore's review
5.0
Simply outstanding. Has changed my outlook on art, creativity, belonging and community. Also feel reassured I am not the only creative person with the urge to communicate who also gets kicked in the guts a bit for trusting people a little too much :) This book has reminded me we're all in this together. Everything in life is an exchange. We don't need to build walls around ourselves. We can ask for help, protection or support, and trust we will receive it.
I'm still processing it, really. A wonderful book. Absolutely essential reading for all creatives.
I'm still processing it, really. A wonderful book. Absolutely essential reading for all creatives.
rodcy's review
I like the idea of this book, but I didn't like this book. Being a writer is a vulnerable occupation, you are putting yourself out there to be critiqued. I don't typically like giving poor reviews because of this, however in this case, I think there are enough people that think it's cool to have this on their shelves because it is by Amanda "fucking" Palmer (self claimed moniker), that this won't hurt any egos.
As I said, I like the idea of a book about asking for help, it is something I wish I was better at. I didn't get too far into this (audio) book so it may have turned around, but reading the negative reviews of this, that doesn't seem to be the case. A lot of navel gazing. A bit egotistical.
As I said, I like the idea of a book about asking for help, it is something I wish I was better at. I didn't get too far into this (audio) book so it may have turned around, but reading the negative reviews of this, that doesn't seem to be the case. A lot of navel gazing. A bit egotistical.
jason_pym's review against another edition
4.0
Amanda Palmer is not a personality everyone warms too, but I like her music and she includes a few songs here. There is also, inevitably, a fair bit about her husband Neil Gaiman, so it probably goes without saying this is a Marmite book.
I like the story about Thoreau; apparently all that time he was communing with nature on Walden Pond his mum would bring him doughnuts and on the weekends he’d have a hot meal at his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson’s house. Amanda says once people know this they feel it destroys his credibility, and that it diminishes the value of his work, but…
‘To the artists, creators, scientists, non-profit-runners, librarians, strange-thinkers, start-uppers and inventors, to all people everywhere who are afraid to accept the help, in whatever form it’s appearing,
Please, take the donuts.'
Nice.
Plus, the image of Thoreau staring out across the lake while munching down on doughnuts is just great.
Amongst the personal stuff there is useful discussion about how to support yourself as an artist. New to me was Patreon, which I always thought was another Kickstarter. Instead it works by automatic subscription, every time you release a work (story, song whatever) each of your subscribers automatically pays a fee, which is a nice idea. She has a few interesting stories about Kickstarters that didn’t work and why, and people’s attitude to the creators they fund. But if you’re just interested in this side of things and not in Amanda’s life better to just watch her TED talk.
I like the story about Thoreau; apparently all that time he was communing with nature on Walden Pond his mum would bring him doughnuts and on the weekends he’d have a hot meal at his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson’s house. Amanda says once people know this they feel it destroys his credibility, and that it diminishes the value of his work, but…
‘To the artists, creators, scientists, non-profit-runners, librarians, strange-thinkers, start-uppers and inventors, to all people everywhere who are afraid to accept the help, in whatever form it’s appearing,
Please, take the donuts.'
Nice.
Plus, the image of Thoreau staring out across the lake while munching down on doughnuts is just great.
Amongst the personal stuff there is useful discussion about how to support yourself as an artist. New to me was Patreon, which I always thought was another Kickstarter. Instead it works by automatic subscription, every time you release a work (story, song whatever) each of your subscribers automatically pays a fee, which is a nice idea. She has a few interesting stories about Kickstarters that didn’t work and why, and people’s attitude to the creators they fund. But if you’re just interested in this side of things and not in Amanda’s life better to just watch her TED talk.