Harder to Breathe, Ryan Dusick
Harder to Breathe, Ryan Dusick
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Harder to Breathe
A Memoir of Making Maroon 5, Losing It All, and Finding Recovery

Author: Ryan Dusick

Narrator: Ryan Dusick

Unabridged: 11 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/21/2023

Synopsis

In the nineties, Ryan Dusick and his friends Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael dreamed about making it big . . . and against all odds, they did. This inside story recounts Maroon 5's founding and their road to becoming Grammy-winning megastars, told through the eyes of former drummer Ryan Dusick. He takes listeners behind the scenes of the band's meteoric rise to success—and the grueling demands that came with it—as well as his personal struggles with anxiety and addiction after his departure from the band.

For Maroon 5, fame came with a platinum debut record, jam sessions with Prince in his own living room, and encounters with celebrities such as Jessica Simpson, Justin Timberlake, John Mayer, and Bono. For Dusick, stardom came to an abrupt halt with the devastating loss of his ability to play drums due to chronic nerve damage.

Alongside Maroon 5's story of camaraderie and pressure, Dusick interweaves his own narrative: a decade lost to liquor and antianxiety medication, his ferocious commitment to recovery, and his current perspective as a professional counselor. With a candor that will speak to anyone who has struggled with mental health, Harder to Breathe moves beyond celebrity to examine the nature of human heartbreak and resilience, and to buoy anyone currently facing similar challenges.

About Ryan Dusick

Ryan Dusick is an associate marriage and family therapist with an MA in clinical psychology and the founding drummer of the popular band Maroon 5.

As a boy, he dreamt of pitching for the Dodgers and writing adventure novels. Arm injuries sidelined his burgeoning baseball career, just as rock music became his new passion and purpose. Founding the band Kara's Flowers in 1994 with fellow Brentwood High School students Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden, and Adam Levine, Ryan worked tirelessly through his college years at UCLA before the band changed its name to Maroon 5 and finally had its first hit record, Songs About Jane. Multiple hit songs, two Grammy Awards, and 20 million albums sold later, Ryan found himself suffering and without direction as his career as a performer came to an end, just as it was taking off.

Struggling with physical and mental health challenges, Ryan finally overcame his struggles in 2016, when he began his journey of recovery, culminating in a new life path full of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. Now working as a mental health professional at The Missing Peace Center for Anxiety in Agoura Hills, California, Ryan is spreading the message that recovery is possible, and some astounding things can come with it.

Reviews

Goodreads review by C.G. on November 25, 2022

Imagine that from the time you're a young teen, you work tirelessly towards one goal and just when that work not only begins to pay off but pay off in ways that far exceeds your wildest expectations, you are stricken down by physical pain and have to abandon your dream, then watch as continues to sk......more

Goodreads review by books&PB on February 13, 2023

Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Harder to Breathe is a memoir written by Ryan Dusick, the original drummer of the pop band Maroon 5. The story covers a number of decades beginning with a young boy and his friends t......more

Goodreads review by Kalina on June 02, 2023

"Harder to Breathe" is an extraordinary memoir by Ryan Dusick. It features the story of his life as the founding drummer of Maroon 5 and his transformation into a passionate mental health advocate. What sets "Harder to Breathe" apart is Ryan’s distinctive blend of heartfelt vulnerability and introsp......more

Goodreads review by Brian on March 21, 2023

Just read this, or rather listened to the audiobook on a road trip to Florida and back from Canada. It was fantastic. Felt like Ryan was right there beside me telling me the personal details of the story of the band and his life, laughing at the funny bits but giving such detail that his struggles a......more

Goodreads review by Amy on August 19, 2023

This is such a great book for everyone- especially Maroon 5 fans, anyone who wants to know what life is like for someone in a band, and in particular, for anyone who has a person in their life with addiction or sobriety. Ryan’s excellent writing style is a nod to his UCLA degree in English, I loved......more

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