First published 2014
Amanda Palmer built her career on asking strangers for help. She started as a living statue in a wedding dress, collecting donations from passersby on the street. As a musician, she asked audiences to support her directly, crowd-surfing at shows and sleeping on fans' couches during tours. When she left her record label, she turned to Kickstarter and created the most successful music campaign in the platform's history. But Palmer discovered that asking has limits. Despite her public fearlessness, she struggled to ask for help in her personal relationships as a friend and wife. She realized this fear affects countless people, paralyzing their connections with others. Palmer examines these barriers in her own life and explores the emotional and practical sides of asking for support. She reveals how asking, giving, and receiving work in the digital age, both online and offline. The book challenges readers to reconsider their assumptions about vulnerability, generosity, creativity, and human connection.
Genres: art, autobiography, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, personal-journey
Period: 21st-Century
339 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing