Outside Reading Reflection

I recently finished my book, Petal Pusher, by Laurie Lindeen, which really gave a true meaning to the struggles of a developing musician. A theme that presented itself at the end of the book was that following your personal beliefs is more important than success. In Lindeen’s case, she chose to come back to her morals after attempting to “make it big” in the music business. In some ways, the all-girl band, Zuzu’s Petals, was successful, selling 29,000 copies of their album “When No One’s Looking”, and touring Europe, England, and almost all of the United States. I believe that Laurie somewhat redefined the concept of stardom in the music business for me though, from the artist on the Top Billboard Charts to more of a well-liked sound that has a unique appeal to it. But going back to the theme of living by your beliefs for Laurie Lindeen, who drops the band because of the pressures to settle at home with her husband, Paul Westerberg. Throughout the book Lindeen explains the rigor of surviving in the music world, and the discipline (which she lacks) and persistence it demands.