**In the tradition of My Stroke of Insight and Brain on Fire, this
powerful memoir recounts Barbara Lipska's deadly brain cancer and
explains its unforgettable lessons about the brain and mind.
**Neuroscientist Lipska was diagnosed early in 2015 with metastatic
melanoma in her brain's frontal lobe. As the cancer progressed and was
treated, she experienced behavioral and cognitive symptoms connected to
a range of mental disorders, including dementia and her professional
specialty, schizophrenia.
Lipska's family and associates were alarmed by the changes in her
behavior, which she failed to acknowledge herself. Gradually, after a
course of immunotherapy, Lipska returned to normal functioning,
amazingly recalled her experience, and through her knowledge of
neuroscience identified the ways in which her brain changed during
treatment.
Lipska admits her condition was unusual; after recovery she was able to
return to her research and resume her athletic training and compete in a
triathalon. Most patients with similar brain cancers rarely survive to
describe their ordeal. Lipska's memoir, coauthored with journalist
Elaine McArdle, shows that strength and courage but also an encouraging
support network are vital to recovery.