Am I Still There?

"Am I Still There?" by James R. Hall is a science fiction tale set in a future where medicine has advanced to the point of replacing human organs with synthetic versions, even the brain, raising deep questions about what truly makes a person who they are. The story centers on Vincent Bonard Lee, an older man on the brink of undergoing a revolutionary surgery to replace his entire brain, and even with already having many replacement surgeries, he wrestles with the unsettling possibility that he might lose himself in the process. As Lee prepares to become the first person to receive a complete artificial brain, he struggles with what this means for his consciousness and identity, leading to intense discussions with his doctor and forcing him to consider if anything of his true self will remain. Lee’s journey causes readers to consider weighty topics such as technology, identity, and what it means to be human.