My Father's Brain

Life in the Shadow of Alzheimer's

By: Sandeep Jauhar

Narrated by: Sandeep Jauhar

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Long-listed, New Yorker Best Books of the Year, 2023

“These pages will be a blessing to families dealing with Alzheimer’s. Sandeep Jauhar’s prose is insightful, honest, and moving about a condition that most of us will inevitably encounter in our lifetimes."—Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone

A deeply affecting memoir of a father's descent into dementia, and a revelatory inquiry into why the human brain degenerates with age and what we can do about it.

Almost six million Americans—about one in every ten people over the age of sixty-five—have Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias, and this number is projected to more than double by 2050. What is it like to live with and amid this increasingly prevalent condition—an affliction that some fear more than death? In My Father’s Brain, the distinguished physician and author Sandeep Jauhar sets his father’s descent into Alzheimer’s alongside his own journey toward understanding this disease and how it might best be coped with, if not cured.

In an intimate memoir rich with humor and heartbreak, Jauhar relates how his immigrant father and extended family felt, quarreled, and found their way through the dissolution of a cherished life. Along the way, he lucidly exposes what happens in the brain as we age and our memory falters, and explores everything from the history of ancient Greece to the most cutting-edge neurological—and bioethical—research. Throughout, My Father’s Brain confronts the moral and psychological concerns that arise when family members must become caregivers, when children’s and parents’ roles reverse, and when we must accept unforeseen turns in our closest relationships—and in our understanding of what it is to have a self. The result is a work of essential insight into dementia, and into how scientists, caregivers, and all of us in an aging society are reckoning with the fallout.

©2023 Sandeep Jauhar (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"From the unflinchingly honest perspective of a compassionate doctor and loving son, My Father's Brain offers an unprecedented portrait of the insidious ravages of dementia and the terrifying vicissitudes of chronic neurologic disease. It delivers a page-turning narrative as haunting as it is inspiring and as devastating as it is deeply moving. Essential reading for every child of a mother or father in the twilight of life." —Cody Keenan, former Chief Speechwriter for President Barack Obama and author of Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America

"With Heart: A History and other books, Sandeep Jauhar established himself as one of our most insightful, readable, and humane physician-authors. With My Father’s Brain, his work becomes still more essential. Blending the humor, compassion, and absorbing family drama of first-rate memoir with expert science writing, he has composed a can’t-miss introduction to what has been called The Age of Alzheimer’s." —Sanjay Gupta, author of Keep Sharp and World War C

"My Father's Brain is honest and compelling, combining the professional and the personal in a story that is both gripping and desperately sad. Anyone who has loved and cared for someone with dementia will recognize their own creeping realization that something is wrong: the attempts to explain away bizarre behaviors, the moments of frustration and shame, the 'traitorous eye rolls' made by Jauhar as he tried to convey to strangers that his father 'was no longer himself and it was not my fault.' Sandeep Jauhar is unsparing in his analysis of his own response to his father's illness, and does not offer trite solutions, but he describes what happened—there are sharply observed scenes of family discord about the care of his father in his final days—and his honesty makes this a book that will give others what we sometimes need most: the knowledge that we are not alone." —Lucy Pollock, author of The Book About Getting Older

Interesting and informative

Particularly as I am primary caregiver to my 86 year old mom with dementia. I want to know more!

Heartfelt and informative

Sandeep does a wonderful job explaining the changes in the Alzheimer’s brain, the effects on the individual and the family. Thank you for this piece of work. It will help many.

Painfully realistic

This story resonates with so many caregivers of persons living with Alzheimer’s/dementia.
Dr.Jauhar’s narration of the book is on point and his reluctance to want to accept the loss of his father as he knew him, is real yet painful, for former caregivers like myself. His need to “correct” his father and “keep him in our world” by reminding him of events, his career, his family members and that he now lived in Long Island, NY, not Fargo, nor India, was absolute denial of the disease because acceptance of it, would be terribly painful. “Accepting the disease” means we caregivers would “accept” their imminent mortality. The many transitions of our loved ones with AD/D is something we caregivers are not prepared for nor skillfully equipped to deal with or address.
Thank you, Dr. Jauhar, for sharing such a vital story with us.

Highly recommend

I highly recommend this book for anyone who has a loved one struggling with any form of dementia but especially Alzheimer’s. Read it to know you not alone in your grief, frustration and even anger. Dr. Juahar comes at the disease both from the perspective of a medical professional and from the perspective of a son. The relationships among the three Juahar siblings provide insight into how a family as a whole is affected by this disease and how equally loving & caring family members can differ in identifying the best way forward. I rarely stop to write a review, but this book deserves it.

Exactly what I needed to help me grieve

My father died one month ago of dementia. I overheard Sandeep Jauhar speaking of his book on NPR a few days after his passing and I knew that when I was ready I must read it. I was right. Mr Jauhar’s reflections hit so close to home, I often found myself yelling “YES!” In response to many of his memories and feelings. This book also provided me with more understanding of dementia that I wish I had when my father was still alive. I think I cried through the entire last chapter, which felt so necessary for moving me through grief. Thank you for this healing book.

Another excellent book by Sandeep Jauhar

I have listened to all Sandeep Jauhar's books on Audible and loved every single one of them.

This book is powerfully emotional while giving detailed, practical insight.

It is a personal story, thoughtfully and beautifully told. Many learnings and deep feelings too.

Loved this book

This book was deep and honest. I connected with the emotions of Sandeep and his siblings.

Listen to this if you are dealing with Alzheimer’s

Informative; scientific: emotional: this book is an invaluable listen to those with a parent with Alzheimer’s.

Thank you for sharing your story and helping me with mine.

Profoundly Upsetting; Profoundly Necessary

This book was recently mentioned in a NY Times article discussing books about Alzheimer's and dementia. My wife has early stage Alzheimer's, and I felt I should read it.

First, while Dr. Jauhar goes into considerable detail about the physiology and history of Alzheimer's, the book is generally accessible. There are a few portions where I felt he got a bit too clinical/technical, which is why I gave it four stars rather than five, but you shouldn't let that get in the way. When he describes his father's decline, the book is so moving and upsetting, but that's the part that I felt was necessary to prepare me for what likely lies ahead.

HIs narration is superb - he has a wonderful speaking voice, and his narration is compassionate and emotional, as a book by a son about his father's decline should be.

I'm not sure I'd recommend this as a "good read" for someone who has no need to know about Alzheimer's, but if you are in the unlucky group that does need to know, this is a very necessary book indeed.

Must read

This is a very personal family story and one that defies normal common sense thinking. The suffering is circular with the afflicted and the care giver.
I learned a lot. Mainly that the disease defies all of our prior knowledge and expectations.
I listened in one sitting !!!