Death Be Not Proud
Death Be Not Proud
Author: John Gunther
Desc: Death Be Not Proud chronicles Johnny Gunther's gallant struggle against the malignant brain tumor that killed him at the age of seventeen. The book opens with his father's fond vivid portrait of his son - a young man of extraordinary intellectual promise who excelled at physics math and chess but was also an active good-hearted and fun-loving kid. But the heart of the book is a description of the agonized months during which Gunther and his former wife Frances try everything in their power to halt the spread of Johnny's cancer and to make him as happy and comfortable as possible. In the last months of his life Johnny strove hard to complete his high school studies. The scene of his graduation ceremony from Deerfield Academy is one of the most powerful - and heartbreaking - in the entire book. Johnny maintained his courage wit and quiet friendliness up to the end of his life. He died on June 30 1947 less than a month after graduating from Deerfield.