Fall to Pieces: A Memoir of Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll, and Mental Illness

Absolutely loved it!

I picked up this book because I am a huge fan of Scott Weiland and Stone Temple Pilots. I knew about his drug abuse through the years and just figured it was the typical "Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll", and I was mistaken. This book drug me through the mind of someone with terrible mental illness, depression, and anxiety but in the end I became more compassionate about their situations than I thought. The details of drug use and withdrawl were raw and full of emotion. I felt incredibly connected to these people and amazed at what they have overcome. This is a wonderful book!

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Great book dealing with dual diagnosis!

This is an amazing book for anyone dealing with dual diagnosis. Whether your suffering yourself, or know someone who is. Bipolar and addiction together can be truly terrifying to deal with. As someone who dealt with these issues for 10 years myself I can attest to that. This book has helped me tremendously and I've been clean and sober for over 6 years. And even with all that I've learned over those years, I still learned many things from this book. It's hard enough to put yourself out and own up to your mistakes to your friends and family, but to put it down on paper and put it out there for the whole world to see? That takes more courage than most have. Whether your reading this book because you like reading about "celebrities" or because you have any kind of interest in addiction or mental health you will NOT be disappointed! I can tell that this will be one of those books that stays on my shelf forever and is read over and over...

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Wildly Intense

An accurate depiction of the Rock and Roll scene of the 90's. Mary presents the full picture, from growing up poor in Southern California to becoming a well paid model meeting and ultimately landing the love of her life. Unfortunately Scott Weiland is a hardcore heroin addict. I have always loved STP and followed the stories about him and his addiction. If you're a recovered or recovering addict, beware. It's hardcore. Even having 14 yrs sober myself, it touched some nerves that are still raw. But just when I thought I couldn't stand it any longer, Mary would bring it back to the real. I highly recommend this read for anyone who wants to know the whole truth behind Scott, Mary and STP.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Bridget's Review

Mary ended up in a mental institution after throwing her husbands clothes out and setting them on fire. She suffered from depression and would lay in bed for days. A lot of the time, she didn't even know why she was reacting a certain way. Addiction and depression seem to go hand in hand, so Mary was battling both.

It's an absorbing read that hits close to home for me. I too suffer from depression and it is a very difficult illness to live with. I know how brave Mary must be to pour out her life for the whole world to read. She's a strong woman and I hope that her book inspires others to get the help they need.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Something about Mary

I was just perusing biographies and picked this up (as a fan of old STP, I was curious about a wife's take), and I found myself really interested in Mary, whom I honestly expected to be vapid. Her book is good. She has a good sense of humor and does a great job illustrating her adventures. Mental illness is a sad state untreated. She really seems unfiltered when chronicling her digression and I think that helps the reader understand her. If you're interestd in learning about drug abuse and bipolar disorder, Ms. F.W. can definitely show you what those places look like from the inside. I'm glad she wrote this book. She's intelligent and charming and she deserves to tell us so. Good read. Good job.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Easy read. Powerful story.

I am fascinated by people who manage to overcome addictions, and even though I have never heard of Mary Forsberg Weiland, I have certainly heard of her husband. As a teenage fan of Stone Temple Pilots, I decided to give this story a shot. Very moving and sad, and uplifting at the same time. Congratulations to Mary for finding her strength.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Bittersweet

Mary Weiland's story of addiction and painfully slow recovery is a fascinating and absorbing read. I found it both melancholy and bittersweet. I applaud Mary's resolve in striving so hard to recover and find her way in life. It is a struggle for most people to deal with day-to-day realities, but when hampered by mental disorders and a predilection toward addiction, it can become completely overwhelming. My only criticism of this book is that the story is not always linear and often drifts and overlaps in time. I completely understand how difficult it must be to reconstruct events that occurred in a haze of drugs, alcohol, depression and mania, yet I still found certain areas of the book confusing in time and/or not fully developed. That one criticism notwithstanding, I found the book captivating and was completely drawn into Mary and her husband's successes and failures in fighting the demons that led to such a downward spiral. Her ultimate triumph is an amazing feat.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Book. Worth Reading!

I am a huge fan of Scott Weiland and his band, the Stone Temple Pilots. I was walking around trying to find a good book, and I ran across this one. The cover was the reason a noticed it, then the last name. I picked it up, ran home, and read it in one day. I stayed up all night reading it b/c I couldn't put it down. The book made me love Scott, hate Scott for what he did to Mary, and fall in love with Mary and their relationship. It gave me an inside view of what went on and made me realize that being in one of the best bands, and having an awesome modeling career isn't everything. It gave me hope that dreams to come true- and made me more aware of what a horrible life it is to lead when using drugs (I don't use drugs nor have I ever, but it gave me an inside perspective of a drug user's life).
I adore this book- it is a GREAT book- worth every single penny of my money. I hope she writes another one. I also hope Scott and her work everything out and possibly get back together. If not, I wish them the best in their SOBER life!
READ THIS BOOK! IT IS great!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great read. Couldn't put it down.

As someone who was recently diagnosed bipolar, the similarities between Mary Forsberg and I are uncanny. I am so glad to find a book on bipolar disorder that I can relate to.

Great book, worth your time

An interesting look at the life of a model and rockstar. It shows you the unglamorous side of fame. Held my interest throughout.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awesome Read!

This was a powerful story about a woman's struggle with addiction and mental illness. You go Mary! Thank you for sharing your story.

Amazing

This was the first memoir I've read. I loved STP in the 90's. I have wanted to attend college to become a substance abuse-mental heath counselor for years. I bought this book hoping to get a little insight on how it is to live a life with both illnesses. All I can say is wow. This book was sooo inspiring. I don't think she could have written this book a bit more beautifully. Such an amazing book. I won't even loan it out to friends. I hope she writes another memoir, or maybe even one for Scott.. Oh please, oh please.. A MUST READ"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Learned A Lot!!

First off, Mary is an amazing writer and I hope she writes more books. I was always curious about what the "real" story was and now I know. I learned so much about addiction and mental illness from this book and I am sure she will help many people by sharing her story. Much appreciation to her!

Recommend

You think your life is a mess? You won't after you read Mary Weiland memoire. Her early days reminded me a lot of my early days, wild, fast paced, parties,rock and roll! She worked hard and had to work hard again and again and again to overcome a lot. Fast read, interesting!

This book should. be a must read book!!!!

From the momet i read the preface, i knew this was not just another celeberty book. But a book to those who feel lost or give insight to those who are trying to.understanc how we think, hoe deep we feel those feelings, how we love with every fiber in our souls, Bethie Collins, Amarillo,, Texas

So interesting, could not put this down....

I love a good memoir, and this is absolutely a great read. I honestly couldn't put it down, and Mary is an excellent author and puts the truth and herself out there in this book. Definitely a great book!

highly recommended

Amazing to see how people can function and in this case become a model and rockstar while having so many addictions. An amazing story.

great book

This book was a great look into Mary's life, it was a love story as well as a struggle with addiction.

great read!

She shares her life, thoughts, and feelings with the world. She is a strong woman, and her book will help people that have issues with drugs, mental illness, and troubled paths in more ways then one. i know someone with a addiction struggle i want to pass the book to. i think it will give him faith to know that even in the worst times when your in the gutter with drugs your life can be turned around and changed with hard dedication, and faith. thank you Mary for sharing some of your life with the world.

Excellent Read

Mary writes with candor and humor, but also understands the gravity of her story. She holds nothing back and offers a very refreshing point of view. She has done her research but never comes across as condescending or pompous. Her story is fascinating and contains many STP anecdotes, as well as some about other famous names as well. A very well written book, I couldn't put it down!