This book came about as the result of a TED talk musician / performance artist Amanda Palmer gave about using crowd funding to raise money for an album. Palmer received backlash for using Kickstarter and becoming the first person to get $1 million from her fans to support the project. Too many in the music business, news media, and the public misunderstood that crowd funding was not just begging money but that the fans (me included) who supported the project were, in fact, purchasing CDs, books, artwork, and personal appearances from Amanda much in the same way you order a pre-publication book. She also chronicles how difficult it was for her to learn to accept offerings of money from others, something she began to do while working as a living statue in Harvard Square. In addition to her philosophy of asking & giving, this book is a memoir of her career, her romance and subsequent marriage to husband Neil Gaiman, and her lifelong friendship with the late Anthony Martignetti, her counselor, advisor, guru, and dear, dear friend. I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Palmer with the addition of some of her music including her songs "Ampersand", "Girl Anachronism", and "Ukulele Anthem". It got mixed reviews from others but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
