His third memoir, "Apology to the Young Addict", is the last of a trilogy dealing with addiction, recovery, and helping others achieve sobriety. His acclaimed first memoir, "The Los Angeles Diaries" (HarperCollins, 2003), is an intimate portrait of his dysfunctional family, covering his childhood, Hollywood script meetings, his splintered marriage and life with his older brother, the actor Barry Brown (1951–78), and his sister, the actress Marilyn Brown (1953–98), who both committed suicide. It was named a Best Book of the Year by "Publishers Weekly", "The San Francisco Chronicle" and "The Independent of London".