Nancy Stearns Bercaw crossed her fingers the day she promised to kill her father. Instead, she promised herself to one day tell his story, and in this unflinchingly honest memoir, she recounts her life with Dr. Beauregard Lee Bercaw, who became a neurologist in response to watching his father deteriorate and die of Alzheimer's. This is the story of the author's own struggle to establish her identity and to navigate the treacherous and ever-changing emotional terrain of her relationship with her father. Brain in a Jar is a gripping account of a family dealing with a tragic disease that continues to ravage the lives of countless victims and their survivors. It is an American Gothic tale of love, grief, genetics, obsession, adventure, fear, and courage.