When the MTV reality show Jersey Shore debuted in December 2009, cast member Sorrentino—whose nickname “The Situation” referred to his well-defined eight-pack—skyrocketed to fame as one of eight young clubgoers sharing a party house on the New Jersey coast....
When the MTV reality show Jersey Shore debuted in December 2009, cast member Sorrentino—whose nickname “The Situation” referred to his well-defined eight-pack—skyrocketed to fame as one of eight young clubgoers sharing a party house on the New Jersey coast. Their every move and interaction was filmed, which provided material for dramatically edited episodes; the resulting show was a ratings juggernaut. Fame brought the author lots of money, from a per-episode fee that started “well above six figures” to payments of up to $20,000 for a nightclub appearance. The whirlwind celebrity life exacerbated drug addictions he’d struggled with since high school, which affected his personality and his relationships with his then-girlfriend, Lauren Pesce (now his wife), his castmates, and various MTV executives. Four stints in rehab finally resulted in his realization that “Being successful in long-term sobriety requires more than treating only the physical aspects of addiction,” and he committed to the 12 steps of recovery. Sober and healthy, his life was on the upswing when he was sentenced to eight months in prison for tax evasion, which he served in 2019. Rather than spiraling back into addiction, he decided to “use this fresh pain as fuel to continue my journey of self-improvement.” In addition to his own recollections, the book features contributions from his spouse, his mother (Linda), Jersey Shore co-creator Anthony Beltempo, and castmate Vinny Guadagnino, all of which enhance the reader’s sense of the author’s character. Sorrentino recounts his escapades with a wry sense of humor: “At that point, I still didn’t truly comprehend the value of what God had gifted me,” he writes of his famous abs early on. “But I was learning.” The book also highlights the author’s acceptance of responsibility for his actions, which is refreshing in a celebrity memoir: “The buck stopped here with me.”
