In IMAGINING ROBERT I have attempted to set the story of my brother's life,and of his history and struggles with mental illness, within the context of our relationship as brothers, and of our family history. For most of the past 40 years I have been Robert's caretaker,and in knowing him, andwitnessing his life and writing about it, I trust I have shown that while his life has too often been grim and unenviable (to say the least), nevertheless it has been a rich life--and Robert, despite all he has been through, remains at least as complex, delightful, warm, generous, quirky, and fully human as any of us.

—Jay Neugeboren, author