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On the Couch
by Lorraine Bracco
G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN 0-399-15356-X
Published May 2007 - Hardcover - 294 pages - $25.95

I don't know Ms. Bracco's work that well (mainly because I'm too poor to go to the movies and I don't have HBO), but I do remember Good Fellas.  I have seen her on television and love her confidence and outspokenness.  So, I was delighted to come across her biographical account of her life and career.  She starts her book off talking about her depression, how she coped with it, her split from Harvey Keitel and their custody battle, and her signing on with The Sopranos to become Tony Soprano's psychiatrist.  There is a lengthy account of Harvey Keitel's abusive behavior, drugging and disappearing acts, and their neverdending custody lawsuits over their daughter.  She takes us from the beginning when she modeled and went to live in Paris, to how she met and married her first husband, and how she returned to the States and started living with Keitel.  Ms. Bracco comes across as a level-headed person with a good upbringing who lives in the crazy world of show business.  What was agonizing was her younger daughter's bout of systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis - horrifying.  Her story is not horrific but it's not enviable either.  Her seven points at the end of the book offer great and good advice for us humans.  I agree with her description of depression (been there) and her subsequent outlook on life.  Do go through her "Favorite Causes" - we all need to do what we can for each other.  When are we going to get this?  One of her concerns is domestic violence - something I have really been desperately trying to get off the ground through a writing/celebrity project.  It's not as easy as I envisioned.
Conclusion - I really enjoyed this book and encourage everyone to read it.