

The first entry was in 1944, long before his illness. The letters were followed by entries from Johnny's personal diary. The first letters were written when he was approximately seven years old, and the last letter was written months before his death. In the second part of the book, the author shared letters that Johnny had written throughout his life. He maintained his eyesight and managed to keep comparatively well right up to the point of death. The parents found out that slides from Johnny's brain would be of import to the world's neurological institute because Johnny's case was rare. He wrote about the letters that came to the family by the hundreds. Johnny's death made a huge impact on the world, according to his father. He finished high school, and he applied to Harvard.

He was particularly interested in science and kept trying to continue his experiments. Even when his health was deteriorating rapidly, Johnny did everything he could to keep current academically. Other times, it was obvious that he wasn't going to make it. At times, it seemed as if the experimental methods were working, and everyone was filled with hope. They even tried to help him by drastically changing his diet. In the fifteen months of his illness, his family and the medical team did everything they could to help cure Johnny. It showed how Johnny and his parents discovered that he was ill and showed the gradual decline that led to death. It set up his character and showed his relationship with his parents, who were separated but amicable towards each other. No one knew about his illness until fifteen months before his death.ĭeath Be Not Proud offers the reader a glimpse of Johnny's life before his illness. One of his main goals was to graduate from there then move on to attend Harvard. Johnny loved to learn with a passion, and he attended Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. His family came back to the United States when he was seven and a half years old, and they settled in Connecticut. Johnny spent his earliest years in Paris, Vienna, and London. His father, a distinguished journalist and the author of this book, wrote Johnny's story to help others learn more about the devastating effects of a brain tumor. Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther tells the story of Johnny Gunther, a young man who died on June 30, 1947.
