Harder to Breathe

Two decades after Songs About Jane, Maroon 5’s original drummer presents an unflinching examination of fame, anxiety, mental health, and recovery

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 readers 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.

Ultimately, Harder to Breathe is a roller-coaster memoir about how making it to the top sent Dusick to the bottom—and how he let go of the past and embraced a new future, one breath at a time.

“When we first got together and played music, it was one of the best times of my life. In his words, I can practically see and feel those moments again. So, I hope you have fun while reading this—but I also hope you walk away with inspiration from what Ryan has accomplished and achieved.”

—Adam Levine

“I didn’t know there was so much I didn’t know about my friend Ryan . . . He shares about his pain and discovery with such vulnerability and honesty and wit, and I’m inspired by his transformation. His willingness to invite others towards themselves through his own story, is undoubtedly going to help a lot of people.”

—Sara Bareilles

“Ryan captures youth and success in all their contradictions; the delirious joy, the heady sense of discovery, the searing bliss, the heartbreak, the confusion, the pain and disappointment. The real beauty of his story, however, lies in what comes later: finding balance, peace, and meaning as the light and noise of youth and fame dim . . . His story resonates with universal truths far deeper than the particulars of his path.”

—Mickey Madden

“Harder to Breathe is not only a detailed chronicle of the early days of the band, but an inspiring story of redemption. Ryan’s personal journey is inspiring and will remind those in need of help that change is possible.”

—James Valentine

“Ryan had to face a devastating loss and step away from the group just as our childhood dreams were coming true. How he navigated his way through such a difficult life experience is admirable and inspiring., and now here is this book for you to read.”

—Jesse Carmichael