by Brian Wilson
First published 1991
Brian Wilson opens his story at the height of Beach Boys fame, when the music world knew him as a genius but couldn't see the battles raging inside his mind. He takes readers through the band's formation and explosive success, then into the darker chapters where drugs, alcohol, and mental illness nearly destroyed him. Wilson describes his psychological breakdown with raw honesty, detailing how his creative gifts became entangled with his personal demons. The narrative follows his relationship with controversial therapist Dr. Eugene Landy, whose unconventional methods shaped Wilson's path to recovery. Wilson examines how fame amplified his existing struggles and how he fought to reclaim his life and music. This memoir reveals the man behind the harmonies, showing how creativity and suffering intertwined in his journey from pop icon to survivor.
Genres: psychology, autobiography, biography-memoir, music
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: recovery, survivor
398 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins Publishers
Content warnings: mental-illness