Ned Vizzini, born Edison Price Vizzini on April 4, 1981, emerged as a significant American writer, renowned for his contributions to young adult literature. His legacy includes the creation of four books, among which It's Kind of a Funny Story stands out, a novel so impactful that NPR ranked it #56 on the "100 Best-Ever Teen Novels" list. This particular work also inspired a film adaptation bearing the same title. Vizzini's narratives, deeply rooted in his personal experiences, often explore the themes of mental health and depression, reflecting his own struggles with the condition. Despite his brief tenure in a psychiatric ward during his early 20s, his ability to articulate the complexities of mental illness through literature has left an indelible mark.

Vizzini's early life was spent in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. A prodigious talent, he attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, graduating in 1999. Even as a teenager, Vizzini began writing articles for the New York Press, an alternative newspaper, and his essay published in the New York Times Magazine led to the compilation of essays in his first book, Teen Angst? Naaah... He furthered his education at Hunter College in Manhattan, where he continued to reside until his untimely death.

Tragically, on December 19, 2013, Vizzini's life came to a premature end. He was found in his native Brooklyn, having succumbed to an apparent suicide from a fall at the age of 32. His death deeply affected those who knew him and the literary world, leaving behind a poignant legacy that continues to influence and inspire.