Ned Vizzini
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Edison Price Vizzini (April 4, 1981 – December 19, 2013) was an American writer. He was the author of four books for young adults, including '' It's Kind of a Funny Story'' (2006), which
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placed at #56 in its list of the "100 Best-Ever Teen Novels" and which is the basis of the film of the same name. Vizzini had depression, spending time in a psychiatric ward in his early 20s, and authoring several works about the illness. He was found dead in his native
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after an apparent
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
from a fall, aged 32.


Early life

Vizzini grew up primarily in the
Park Slope Park Slope is a neighborhood in South Brooklyn, New York City, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park and Eighth Avenue (Brooklyn), Prospect Park West to the east, ...
neighborhood of
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in
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. He attended
Stuyvesant High School Stuyvesant High School ( ) is a co-ed, State school, public, college-preparatory, Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school in Manhattan, New York City. The school, commonly called "Stuy" ( ) by its students, faculty, a ...
in
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, graduating in 1999. Vizzini's characters and situations are said to be based upon his time spent at Stuyvesant.


Career

Vizzini's first published work was an essay he submitted to the ''
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'', an
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, about winning honorable mention at the 1996 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. As a freelance writer for the paper, he wrote about everything from family vacations to getting drunk in the street with other kids. The success of Vizzini's work earned him an invitation to contribute a teen-focused article to the ''
New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazin ...
''. In May 1998, Vizzini's essay "Teen Angst? Nah!" appeared in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. Following this, several of his ''New York Press'' columns became the core of his first book, ''Teen Angst? Naaah....'' which is a
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of his teenage years. It is a collection of short stories, most of which were originally published in ''The New York Press'' and ''The New York Times Magazine''. The book is broken down by years covering junior high through high school and beyond. Vizzini attended
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, located in Manhattan. In 2004, his first novel, '' Be More Chill,'' was published. A review in the ''
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'' said that ''Be More Chill'', which is about a high school student named Jeremy Heere who gets a supercomputer pill in his brain that makes him cool, "is so accurate that it should come with a warning," adding that "If it weren't so funny, izzini'sfirst novel might be too painful to read." ''Be More Chill'' was later adapted into a musical in summer 2015, with music and lyrics by
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. It premiered at New Jersey's Two River Theatre. Three years later, an
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production opened at the Signature Theater in New York, transferring to Broadway the following February. In 2006, Vizzini's second novel, '' It's Kind of a Funny Story,'' was published. It is based on his five-day stay in Brooklyn's Methodist Hospital psychiatric ward. The book recounts fifteen-year-old Craig Gilner's battle with suicidal depression as a result of a taxing school year at Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School that exacerbates his feeling of social inadequacy. A ''
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'' review called the novel "impressive," noting that "Vizzini’s sense of pacing, structure and character is solid, and his casual vernacular is dead-on, simultaneously capturing the paranoia and self-obsessed negativity of depression as well as the sexual curiosity of adolescence." In 2012, Vizzini's third novel ''The Other Normals'' was published. It is an "alternative fantasy" about a teenager who falls into a fantasy world that is the basis of his favorite
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. A review in '' The Austin American-Statesman'' said, "The sharp wit from author Ned Vizzini’s earlier works ... is on display here as well." With Nick Antosca, Vizzini wrote two episodes of the 2012 season of MTV's supernatural drama ''
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''. In 2013, '' House of Secrets'', the first novel in a middle grade fantasy series by Vizzini and filmmaker Chris Columbus, was published. It debuted on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list, where it remained for four weeks. ''
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'' gave the book an "A−" review. His essays and criticism appeared in ''The New York Times'', '' The Los Angeles Review of Books'', and ''
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''. Vizzini spoke at schools and libraries around the world about mental health, writing, and how students can use writing as a medicine for mental health. He spoke at
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;
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; the
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
,
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, and
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Public Libraries;
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;
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; The National Council of Teachers of English; and a Master's Tea at
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. Vizzini and Antosca were story editors on ABC's 2013 drama series '' Last Resort''. They are the credited writers of the episode "Nuke It Out." From 2006 to 2012, Vizzini facilitated a writing workshop for local
teenager Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated wi ...
s. The workshops were held monthly in a
Park Slope Park Slope is a neighborhood in South Brooklyn, New York City, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park and Eighth Avenue (Brooklyn), Prospect Park West to the east, ...
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. The teens who attended had the chance to have their work published on the group's blog, "Give Us Money."


Death

Vizzini, who often spoke and wrote about his struggles with severe
clinical depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Intro ...
, died by suicide on December 19, 2013, in Brooklyn, New York, at the age of 32. The New York City chief medical examiner's office said he suffered blunt impact injuries. The writer's brother, Daniel, told reporters that Vizzini had jumped off the roof of the building where their parents lived.Yardley, William (December 20, 2013)
"Ned Vizzini, 32, Dies; Wrote Teenage Novels"
''
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''.


Bibliography

* ''Teen Angst? Naaah...'' (2000) * '' Be More Chill'' (2004) * '' It's Kind of a Funny Story'' (2006) * ''The Other Normals'' (2012) * '' House of Secrets'' (2013) * ''House of Secrets: Battle of the Beasts'' (2014)


References


External links


Ned Vizzini's blog
on
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vizzini, Ned 1981 births 2013 suicides 2013 deaths 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American young adult novelists Hunter College alumni Novelists from New York (state) People from Park Slope People with mood disorders Stuyvesant High School alumni Suicides by jumping in New York City Writers from Brooklyn