From the Publisher
"An intriguing read for soap fans and an uplifting read for anyone struggling with mental illness." — Booklist
"Benard’s honest work is realistic yet inspiring. Soap opera fans will relish the behind-the-scenes insight, but overall this will resonate with anyone attempting to overcome life’s hurdles." — Library Journal
"A man I’m proud to call my friend is owed a debt of gratitude for taking us inside the roller-coaster ride that has been his life, shining a light on mental illness and how he rose to heights from that abyss. More importantly, he reminds us of how no struggle is too great to overcome—if you value life, love and all the challenges that come with them. This book is a must-read. Impossible to want to put down." — Stephen A. Smith, ESPN
"This is a heartfelt, inspiring, and brutally honest look in the mirror chronicling his experience with mental illness, finally finding the right diagnosis, and learning how to live with it." — Dr. Drew Pinsky
"In this gripping and extremely informative memoir, Maurice Benard exposes his candid fight with bipolar disorder and years of suffering while achieving phenomenal, award-winning success as an actor. His book will hit home with so many readers as Benard offers tremendous hope." — Victoria Gotti, New York Times bestselling author
"This shocking true story is General Hospital on anabolic steroids." — Mehmet Oz, M.D., Emmy Award–winning host of The Dr. OZ Show
"Maurice and Susan's Nothing General About It is gut-wrenching. It's an honest look at one man’s private pain and an unconventional and inspiring love story." — Al Ruddy, two-time Academy Award–winning producer of The Godfather
"I’m so proud of Maurice for having the courage to put his story forward—now it’s up to all of us to learn from it and use it to expand awareness around mental health." — Kurt Bardella, USA Today & NBC News THINK contributor
"A beautifully written tour de force, this book offers genuine hope to those affected by mental illness." — Dyane Harwood, author of Birth of a New Brain: Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder
Al Ruddy
"Maurice and Susan's Nothing General About It is gut-wrenching. It's an honest look at one man’s private pain and an unconventional and inspiring love story."
Booklist
"An intriguing read for soap fans and an uplifting read for anyone struggling with mental illness."
Dr. Drew Pinsky
"This is a heartfelt, inspiring, and brutally honest look in the mirror chronicling his experience with mental illness, finally finding the right diagnosis, and learning how to live with it."
Kurt Bardella
"I’m so proud of Maurice for having the courage to put his story forward—now it’s up to all of us to learn from it and use it to expand awareness around mental health."
Dyane Harwood
"A beautifully written tour de force, this book offers genuine hope to those affected by mental illness."
Mehmet Oz
"This shocking true story is General Hospital on anabolic steroids."
Stephen A. Smith
"A man I’m proud to call my friend is owed a debt of gratitude for taking us inside the roller-coaster ride that has been his life, shining a light on mental illness and how he rose to heights from that abyss. More importantly, he reminds us of how no struggle is too great to overcome—if you value life, love and all the challenges that come with them. This book is a must-read. Impossible to want to put down."
Victoria Gotti
"In this gripping and extremely informative memoir, Maurice Benard exposes his candid fight with bipolar disorder and years of suffering while achieving phenomenal, award-winning success as an actor. His book will hit home with so many readers as Benard offers tremendous hope."
Booklist
"An intriguing read for soap fans and an uplifting read for anyone struggling with mental illness."
Library Journal
03/01/2020
At 22, Benard was in a psychiatric ward coping with delusions, hallucinations, and uncontrolled aggression, but just two years later, he made his soap opera debut on All My Children. In this debut memoir, coauthored by screenwriter Black, the actor revisits his troubled childhood, where youthful indiscretions and physical abuse from his father escalated as his mental illness went untreated, leading to his institutionalization. As the subtitle suggests, being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and receiving treatment, coupled with support from friends and family, transformed his life. Since then he's portrayed Desi Arnaz and John Gotti, though he's best known as General Hospital's Sonny Corinthos, a role he's played for more than 25 years. Despite his on-screen success, Benard exhibits more pride in his work as a spokesperson for bipolar awareness. His depiction of the disorder is unflinching—an incident where he threatened to kill his then-pregnant wife, Paula, is especially harrowing. Benard's struggles with mental illness have been incorporated into the show, and he reveals how some of his favorite story lines have also been the most triggering. VERDICT Benard's honest work is realistic yet inspiring. Soap opera fans will relish the behind-the-scenes insight, but overall this will resonate with anyone attempting to overcome life's hurdles. [See Prepub Alert, 9/30/19.]—Terry Bosky, Madison, WI