Brian Wilson was the creative genius behind The Beach Boys. He turned a suburban California garage into a group that took the world by storm, with the sound of his songs, the sound capturing the laid-back, sunny Southern California lifestyle. But the cheerful image belied what was really going on. This autobiography describes Wilson's 20-year nightmare of drug addiction, alcoholism, obesity and mental illness. He spent three years alone in his room. He lost his family, and he nearly lost his life. It is a frank discussion of what destroyed his life and of the controversial forces which helped to save it.