Death Be Not Proud: A Memoir

by John Gunther

Paperback, 1994

Status

Available

Local notes

PB Gun

Barcode

926

Publication

Scholastic (1994), Edition: English Language edition, 231 pages

Description

Biography & Autobiography. Nonfiction. HTML: "If courage is the antidote to pain and grief, the disease and the cure are both in this book. . . . A story of great unselfishness and great heroism." â??New York Times Johnny Gunther was only seventeen years old when he died of a brain tumor. During the months of his illness, everyone near him was unforgettably impressed by his level-headed courage, his wit and quiet friendliness, and, above all, his unfaltering patience through times of despair. This deeply moving book is a father's memoir of a brave, intelligent, and spirited boy.

Awards

Language

Original publication date

1949

Physical description

231 p.; 6.6 inches

User reviews

LibraryThing member silkentent
I first read this book in 1964. Back then it was about a boy my age who died. I read it again in 2000 when my fifteen-year-old daughter read it for school. And the book had changed -- now it was about a parent my age who lost a child my child's age. John Gunther was trained as a journalist in the
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first half of the twentieth century. Very personal memoirs about an emotional experience were not the style at all then. This book is an early example of the genre, and I can see Gunther's training on every page. Even with the restraint, it is a powerful testament by a parent who has suffered the ultimate tragedy.
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LibraryThing member tymfos
John Gunther obviously poured his heart and soul into this heartbreaking yet inspiring account of his teenage son's fatal battle with a brain tumor -- but in a restrained, thoughtful way. He is a true wordsmith and his literary skill in combination with his emotional investment make for a truly
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moving, memorable read.
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LibraryThing member brianinbuffalo
I vaguely remembered reading Gunther's tribute to his son early in my high school years. Decades later, shortly after my best friend died at age 37 of a brain tumor, I stumbled upon a yellowed copy of "Death Be Not Proud" at a roadside sale. I didn't even quite remember what it was about, but I
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bought it. After reading about Johnny's valiant struggle with a brain tumor, I was struck by the familiarity of it all. The author skillfully captured so many of the emotions, including the cruel roller coaster of hope and hopelessness. Most of all, the book vividly illustrates how courage, friendship and even humor can help to make even a "hopeless" situation memorable and meaningful.
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LibraryThing member lucybrown
A well-written tear- jerker. I read this as a teen and at that time really liked it. I wonder if I would now.
LibraryThing member MerryMary
A brilliant author chronicles the battle fought by his equally brilliant son against a brain tumor. The treatments back then were much different that today's, but the courage and heart Johnny showed know no time period.
LibraryThing member lindawwilson
Read this when it first came out, 1965, recommended by my childhood friend, Janice Wendy; it was horrifying to read as a young girl; to think that such a thing could happen to one.
LibraryThing member kaulsu
I first read this memoir in 1970...who knows why I picked it up then? It is incredible to realize the advances that have been made in the treatment of cancer...yet poignant too, to realize how many are still terrorized by this disease.

No matter how crude the treatments or how "advanced," to have a
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child die while under a parent's watch is nearly unbearable! Gunther (1901-1970) wrote with a gentle touch about a most personal topic. Thank you.
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LibraryThing member paulinaturnsthepages
Death Be Not Proud, is a very melancholic and mournful book about Gunther a teenage boy who has a brain tumor at the age of only 17. This book really touched me since my godfather, has the same condition of glioblastoma. Gunther was a young smart boy with many aspirations of becoming successful in
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his life and really how much enthusiasm to others. He is a courageous young spirit who you will see on throughout the book and he even tries to get the girl of his dreams. This book really shows you how life's important and you should always treasure every last breath you take. The memoir has many snippets from Gunther's journal and his mom and dad's sort of point of view. It's a really good read, and I'm hardly emotional yet it made me cry. When Johnny gets more sick, you still see the light shine through his soul. Johnny's father wanted Johnny's courage and hope to live so he published the book. It's a very whole-hearted story and you really absorb everything what Johnny is feeling. It's just something about adolescene dying young that just really washes a whole gloomy expression on my face. No child should ever go through what Johnny did. It just made me unconfortable about how raw it was during his illness.

Let Johnny's spirit be free.

- Paulina
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LibraryThing member nicole_a_davis
A touching story, but lacking emotion.
LibraryThing member Brenda63
Wonderfully written true account by a father losing his son. The story encapsulates the battle between life and death. Johnny is only 17 when he dies of a brain tumor; he never loses hope and puts the interests of others ahead of himself always. Bittersweet.
LibraryThing member revslick
John Gunther's memoir of pain surrounding his son, Johnny's cancer, treatment, struggle, life pursuits, and eventually death. The book itself is basically the Foreword expanded from 19 pages to 198 and for the most part fairly shallow. The subject is a painful one as it's a parents nightmare for
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their child to die before them and John does an OK job describing the events leading up to it, but it wasn't until the final eleven pages that are written by Frances, John's ex-wife and mother to Johnny, that one realizes the depth John could have taken it. The book itself is known for Johnny's prayer he wrote called An Unbeliever's Prayer. If the book were edited down to John's Foreword and Frances' final pages I would have rated it a 4-5 stars, as it is I can only give it a 2.
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LibraryThing member chocolatechip
this book is really depressing, i kept getting freaked out after reading it, looking for any sign that i might have cancer
LibraryThing member lucybrown
A well-written tear- jerker. I read this as a teen and at that time really liked it. I wonder if I would now.
LibraryThing member Elpaca
As did most people, I read this in High School. I would re-read it whenever I was certain that my parents hated me or vice versa, get weepy, then carry on. Gunther had an honest quality in this book that brings you to reality.
LibraryThing member LeslieHurd
John Gunther, a journalist, wrote this book about his teenaged son Johnny's battle with a brain tumor and his ultimate death. Gunther writes without sentimentality about his son's intelligence and kindness, and how throughout his 15-month battle with cancer he maintained a determination to continue
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his studies, pursued the path toward healing set down by his doctors, and impressed all those in whom in came in contact with his determination and remarkable attitude. The genuine goodness of this very young man makes his ultimate death the more heartbreaking. Gunther also presents a wonderful picture of the relationship Johnny has with his mother, Gunther's ex-wife. The conversations between mother and son are remarkable and it seems clear he learned much of his equanimity from her. I recommend this book to anyone.
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LibraryThing member brendanus
brain tumor. died at 17, father's memoir of the son, extraordinary orientation towards 'the other' in this boy
LibraryThing member morningwalker
Cancer and the death of a child are never easy topics. However, I found John Gunther and his son to be pretentious. Just because you have everything in life doesn't mean you won't suffer.
LibraryThing member prudencegoodwife
I originally read this book as a high school junior and it made a significant impact on my life. I experienced a family member's death dearly in my childhood, and while it was not a pediatric death, I felt everything that Johnny Gunther felt. As a future nurse, I also paid attention to how he
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described the care he received. I have never forgotten this book.
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LibraryThing member A-JCHS
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,
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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.
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LibraryThing member kslade
Inspiring book of author's son who dies from cancer yet graduates from high school and completes other goals while suffering.
LibraryThing member Huba.Library
Deeply moving, true story relates a father's recollection of his son's courageous and spirited battle against the brain tumor that would take his life at the age of seventeen.
LibraryThing member lucybrown
A well-written tear- jerker. I read this as a teen and at that time really liked it. I wonder if I would now.
LibraryThing member crabbyabbe
Gut-heartwrenchingly moving. I tried reading this years ago but couldn't get into the way Gunther told the story––too erudite for me at the time. I guess I've matured because I rolled through this in one day. I couldn't put it down. I was intrigued by the 1940s dialogue and history and medicine
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capability at that time, but I was thoroughly enchanted with Johnny and his heroic quest just to live. The reminder of how precious life is sometimes can sound so trite, but put forth in this memoir of a 17-year-old who had the zen of life to end each day with "What a great day, Mom"––even if his brain had just been opened up again for drainage––brought me to my knees. When I'm having a bad day, I will think of this young, brave man and try to follow his example every day of my life.
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Pages

231

Rating

½ (340 ratings; 3.8)
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