The Only Pirate at the Party by Lindsey Stirling and Brooke S. Passey

This month’s book pick is The Only Pirate at the Party by Lindsey Stirling and Brooke S. Passey. I absolutely loved this book. I've been a fan of Lyndsey Stirling for a few years now, and to read her memoir written with the help of her sister takes the adoration to an entirely new level. To understand more of why she is the way that she is, and how dedicated and determined she has been to get where she is in her career is wonderfully inspiring.

Stirling is a violinist, composer, director, dancer – basically, she is a mythical musical Amazonian woman with talent pouring out of every finger. She has over 9.5 million subscribers and 1.8 billion (yes, with a “B”) views, and has released three albums. But while violins and the joy playing brings her has almost always been a part of her life (she started playing at age six), Stirling has had her fair share of hurdles to overcome to get to where she is today.

In The Only Pirate at the Party, Stirling recounts many stories growing up, her background of her time in Arizona, coercing her friends to film videos with her, tales of the inventive ways her family dealt with money shortages, and of course how she began playing the violin. These tales themselves are inspiring and heartwarming, allowing a fan (or anyone, really) to catch a glimpse into what makes Stirling such a powerful presence.

But as always, with the ups, there are the downs. Stirling and Passey tell of her big break gone wrong on America’s Got Talent (that actually ended up going right), and how her confidence in her dream of being a performer reached an all-time low. They also recount how her time in New York serving on a mission for her church not only built her faith but showed her how much little gestures of kindness can mean to someone you don’t even know. There are stories of doing anything and everything to get gigs, including traveling on Greyhound buses for very little pay, as well as meeting her band members for the first time two days before her first ticketed show.

But it is not just those road blocks that made me fall in love with this memoir. Stirling allows herself to be vulnerable, telling us about the most difficult time in her life, and how it affected all of her relationships. She battled self-esteem and body issues that culminated in anorexia and threatened to ruin everything. But through it all, and with the help of her family and close group of friends, she re-connected with herself, her faith, her family, and is on her way to conquering the world.

An entertaining and heart-wrenching combination of hilarity and self-doubt, this book is a must read not only for fans of Lindsey Stirling but for anyone looking for a little bit of inspiration to follow their dreams.

Have you read The Only Pirate at the Party? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below?

How are you liking our new monthly book club feature? Have any ideas for books we should add to our list? Let me know below, and I’ll do my best to make it happen!

Happy Reading!