The Kevin Show: An Olympic Athlete's Battle with Mental Illness

Written by Mary Pilon

Narrated by Andrew Sellon

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Monopolists, the incredible story of Olympic sailor Kevin Hall, and the psychiatric syndrome that makes him believe he stars in a television show of his life. Meet Kevin Hall, brother, son, husband, father, and Olympic and America's Cup sailor. Kevin has an Ivy League degree, a winning smile, and throughout his adult life, he has been engaged in an ongoing battle with a person that doesn't exist to anyone but him: the Director. Kevin suffers from what doctors are beginning to call the "Truman Show" delusion, a form of psychosis named for the 1998 movie, where the main character is trapped as the star of a reality TV show. When the Director commands Kevin to do things, the results can lead to handcuffs, hospitalization, or both. Once he nearly drove a car into Boston Harbor. His girlfriend, now wife, was in the passenger seat. In the tradition of Kay Redfield Jamison's An Unquiet Mind, journalist Mary Pilon's The Kevin Show reveals the many-sided struggle by Kevin, his family, and the medical profession to understand and treat a psychiatric disorder whose euphoric highs and creative ties to pop culture have become inextricable from Kevin's experience of himself. Interweaving his perspective, journals, and sketches with police reports, medical records, and interviews with those who were present at key moments in his life, The Kevin Show is a bracing, suspenseful, and eye-opening view of the role that mental health plays in a seemingly ordinary life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9781501989841

Mary Pilon

Mary Pilon is the New York Times bestselling author of The Monopolists and The Kevin Show. She cowrote and cohosted the audio series Twisted: The True Story of Larry Nassar and the Women Who Took Him Down. She previously covered sports at The New York Times and business at The Wall Street Journal. She is a story producer on BS High, HBO’s documentary about the Bishop Sycamore High School football scandal. Find more of her work at MaryPilon.com.

Reviews for The Kevin Show

[akblanchard_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's all about Kevin in The Kevin Show.Kevin Hall has led a remarkable life. A gifted sailor from a young age, he participated on both Olympic and America's Cup teams. He's an Ivy League graduate and a two-time cancer survivor. Apparently, he has a lot of personal charm, as well. But what is most notable about Kevin, especially in the context of this book, is his severe bipolar disorder. His manic episodes are accompanied by the delusional belief that his every move is being filmed for a TV show under the direction of a shadowy figure he calls, naturally, "The Director". His long suffering family, which includes his wife, children, sister and parents, strives to keep up with his moods and avoid sending him to the hospital if possible.The Kevin Show offers a multi-perspective look at Kevin's life, both in the grip of mania and without it. I thought the book as a whole felt rather padded. Perhaps Kevin's "Truman Show" delusion is not enough to sustain an entire book.Please note that I received an advanced reader's copy of this book through my employer, with no expectation that I would review it or give it a positive review.