Asylum

In this deeply moving and resourceful memoir, beloved actor-director and New York Times bestselling author Joe Pantoliano takes aim at the stigma attached to what he calls "brain dis-ease" by writing candidly and humorously about his own journey through clinical depression and addiction. Most people know Joe Pantoliano from his memorable roles in such blockbuster movies as The Matrix, Risky Business, The Fugitive, and Memento, or from his Emmy-winning performance on The Sopranos. But despite all this success, the actor, known as "Joey Pants," struggled with what he later found out was clinical depression-or brain dis-ease, as he calls it. Asylum is the story of Joe's quest for the Hollywood success he was sure would cure him, and the painful downhill spiral into depression and addiction that followed his success. Weaving deeply personal experience together with informative discourse, this memoir creates an unflinchingly honest portrayal of the true nature of the disease, as well as Joe's own eventual diagnosis, recovery, and ongoing efforts to educate others and remove the stigma from mental illness.

Joe Pantoliano was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. He has more than one hundred movie, TV, and stage credits, and won an Emmy Award for his work on The Sopranos. His first book, Who's Sorry Now? The True Story of a Stand-up Guy, was a New York Times bestseller. Pantoliano is also the founder of No Kidding, Me Too!, a nonprofit organization "whose purpose is to remove the stigma attached to ‘brain dis-ease' through education and the breaking down of societal barriers." He produced and directed the documentary No Kidding! Me 2!, an intimate look at the experiences of Americans living with mental illness. He lives in Connecticut.