Asylum

By: Joe Pantoliano

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Synopsis: In this deeply moving and resourceful memoir, beloved actor-director andNew York Timesbestselling 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 asThe Matrix,Risky Business,The Fugitive, andMemento, or from his Emmy-winning performance onThe 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.