Death Be Not Proud (book)

Last updated
Death Be Not Proud
DeathBeNotProud.jpg
First edition (published by Harper & Brothers]
Author John Gunther
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Harper & Brothers
Publication date
1949

Death Be Not Proud is a 1949 memoir by American journalist John Gunther. The book describes the decline and death of Gunther's son, Johnny, due to a brain tumor. The title comes from Holy Sonnet X by John Donne, also known from its first line as the poem Death Be Not Proud.

Contents

At the time the book was published in the late 1940s, memoirs about illness and grief were uncommon. [1]

Synopsis

The book is an account of Johnny Gunther's experience with a brain tumor, and ends with his death at age 17.

The book consists of two parts. Part 1 contains the primary narrative of the book, while Part 2 contains additional letters written by Johnny, excerpts from his diary, and a short essay by his mother, Frances Gunther.

The primary narrative consists of five chapters, and an Aftermath section.

Chapter 1 begins with Johnny's diagnosis with a brain tumor in the spring of 1946. It describes the first operation that Johnny underwent, at the Neurological Institute of New York. The surgery confirmed the existence of the tumor. One of his doctors, Tracy Putnam, said, "It was about the size of an orange. I got half of it." Johnny recovered from the surgery, while the nature of the tumor was assessed: it was described as an "astroblastoma undergoing transformation".

Chapter 2 begins in June 1946 when Johnny underwent daily X-ray treatment of his tumor until June 20. Johnny's vision was impaired to varying degrees because of papilledema (pressure on the nerves to the eyes) caused by the tumor. Johnny's parents, John and Frances, sought help from many sources. Between August 1 and 5, 1946, Johnny was treated with chlormethine, described by the author as mustard. Dr. Max Gerson was consulted, and Johnny began a special, highly regimented program of diet and enemas on September 7, 1946, visiting Dr. Gerson's nursing home for the first time.

Chapter 3 describes Johnny's initial ill state, and then seeming recovery, within a week of beginning the Gerson diet. His papilledema diminished, and his blood counts improved. Johnny began to be tutored in this period in an attempt to make up for lost classwork, with the hope of graduating with his class at Deerfield Academy the following spring. In December 1946, Johnny's condition worsened, leading to a second operation. Dr. Lester Mount reporting that "he had successfully drained an abscess that went five centimeters into the brain beyond the table of the skull, and had got out a full cup of pus and fluid." Johnny was discharged from the hospital on January 12, 1947, and his parents were hopeful at this time.

Chapter 4 begins with Johnny's apparent recovery, and then, starting in late February, his decline. He began having episodes of amnesia and shivering. Through March and April, he continued studying in an effort to graduate and be admitted to Harvard University for the fall. The bump on Johnny's skull, caused by the tumor, began growing, and Dr. Mount attempted to drain it of fluid. However, the bump was "like stone again, and Mount had scarcely been able to drain a drop."

On May 1, 1947, Johnny underwent another major operation. Dr. Mount reported that "the mass was even invading his scalp and that, despite the depth he had reached, 11 cm., he had never penetrated to the healthy brain tissue at all."

Chapter 5 describes Johnny's graduation from high school and his death, on June 30, 1947.

The Aftermath section describes Johnny's funeral and the reaction of people to Johnny's death.

Publication

Gunther wrote the book in the months after his son's death, originally with the idea of printing some copies to distribute privately, as some parents had done in remembrance of soldiers who were killed in action. [1] After writing it, however, he changed his mind and sought to have it published. Although Gunther was an experienced and extremely popular author, his publisher, Harper & Brothers, was reluctant to take on this book. [1] They were concerned that it was too private a subject for the general public. To forestall criticism for profiting off of his death, both the author and the publisher agreed to donate all profits to children's cancer research. [1]

Reception

Soon after the book's release, Dorothy Thompson wrote

But had [Johnny] lived to be 90 and had his achievements filled encyclopedias, he could have made no greater achievement than this, transmitted by his father: To show us what, on its highest levels of courage, serenity, truth and beauty, a human life can be; to show us that as we live we die, and life and death are one. [2]

Katharine Graham, writing for the Washington Post, wrote "Without doubt, the outstanding work of the week is John Gunther's Death Be Not Proud, in the Ladies Home Journal. But it is only for the strong-minded or the very strong-hearted...Harper's is publishing the book, of which this is a condensed version." [3]

A reviewer in the Washington Post wrote that "It is this memory [of Johnny] which John Gunther has attempted to preserve in a memoir heart-breaking in its quiet simplicity and restraint." [4]

Vogue magazine described Death Be Not Proud as "a poignant, factual account of [Gunther's] son's death." [5]

Albin Krebs, in his obituary for John Gunther, wrote

The vignette, “Death Be Not Proud,” the profits from which went to children's cancer research, was probably Mr. Gunther's most vividly memorable work. [6]

Adaptations

The story was made into a television movie in 1975, starring Robby Benson as Johnny Gunther, and Arthur Hill as his father. [7]

Publication data

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Haley</span> American rock and roll music pioneer (1925–1981)

William John Clifton Haley was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-selling hits such as "Rock Around the Clock", "See You Later, Alligator", "Shake, Rattle and Roll", "Rocket 88", "Skinny Minnie", and "Razzle Dazzle". Haley has sold over 60 million records worldwide. In 1987, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Beard</span> American chef

James Andrews Beard was an American chef, cookbook author, teacher and television personality. He pioneered television cooking shows, taught at The James Beard Cooking School in New York City and Seaside, Oregon, and lectured widely. He emphasized American cooking, prepared with fresh, wholesome, American ingredients, to a country just becoming aware of its own culinary heritage. Beard taught and mentored generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. He published more than twenty books, and his memory is honored by his foundation's annual James Beard Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idiopathic intracranial hypertension</span> Medical condition

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), previously known as pseudotumor cerebri and benign intracranial hypertension, is a condition characterized by increased intracranial pressure without a detectable cause. The main symptoms are headache, vision problems, ringing in the ears, and shoulder pain. Complications may include vision loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papilledema</span> Eye disorder

Papilledema or papilloedema is optic disc swelling that is caused by increased intracranial pressure due to any cause. The swelling is usually bilateral and can occur over a period of hours to weeks. Unilateral presentation is extremely rare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Cushing</span> American neurosurgeon (1869–1939)

Harvey Williams Cushing was an American neurosurgeon, pathologist, writer, and draftsman. A pioneer of brain surgery, he was the first exclusive neurosurgeon and the first person to describe Cushing's disease. He wrote a biography of physician William Osler in three volumes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorna Luft</span> American actress and singer (born 1952)

Lorna Luft is an American actress, author, and singer. She is the daughter of Judy Garland and Sidney Luft, the sister of Joey Luft and the half-sister of Liza Minnelli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gunther</span> American journalist (1901–1970)

John Gunther was an American journalist and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intracranial pressure</span> Pressure exerted by fluids inside the skull and on the brain

Intracranial pressure (ICP) is the pressure exerted by fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) inside the skull and on the brain tissue. ICP is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and at rest, is normally 7–15 mmHg for a supine adult. The body has various mechanisms by which it keeps the ICP stable, with CSF pressures varying by about 1 mmHg in normal adults through shifts in production and absorption of CSF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Valtin</span>

Richard Julius Hermann Krebs, better known by his alias Jan Valtin, was a German writer during the interwar period. He settled in the United States in 1938, and in 1940 wrote his bestselling book Out of the Night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Sorensen</span> American lawyer and presidential adviser (1928–2010)

Theodore Chaikin Sorensen was an American lawyer, writer, and presidential adviser. He was a speechwriter for President John F. Kennedy, as well as one of his closest advisers. President Kennedy once called him his "intellectual blood bank". Notably, though it was a collaborative effort with Kennedy, Sorensen was generally regarded as the author of the majority of the final text of Profiles in Courage, and stated in his memoir that he helped write the book. Profiles in Courage won Kennedy the 1957 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. Sorensen helped draft Kennedy's inaugural address and was also the primary author of Kennedy's 1962 "We choose to go to the Moon" speech.

Immersion journalism or immersionism is a style of journalism similar to gonzo journalism. In the style, journalists immerse themselves in a situation and with the people involved. The final product tends to focus on the experience, not the writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deerfield Academy</span> Independent, boarding and day school in Deerfield, Massachusetts, United States

Deerfield Academy is an independent coeducational boarding preparatory school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States.

<i>The Dead Zone</i> (novel) 1979 novel by Stephen King

The Dead Zone is a science fiction thriller novel by Stephen King published in 1979. The story follows Johnny Smith, who awakens from a coma of nearly five years and, apparently as a result of brain damage, now experiences clairvoyant and precognitive visions triggered by touch. When some information is blocked from his perception, Johnny refers to that information as being trapped in the part of his brain that is permanently damaged, "the dead zone." The novel also follows a serial killer in Castle Rock, and the life of rising politician Greg Stillson, both of whom are evils Johnny must eventually face.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloria Hemingway</span> American physician (1931–2001)

Gloria Hemingway was an American physician and writer who was the third and youngest child of author Ernest Hemingway. Although she was assigned male at birth and lived most of her life publicly as a man, she struggled with her gender identity from a young age, and in her sixties she underwent surgery to transition, preferring the name Gloria when possible.

Kermit Bloomgarden was an American theatrical producer. He was an accountant before he began producing plays on Broadway including Death of a Salesman (1949), The Diary of Anne Frank (1955), The Music Man (1957), Look Homeward, Angel (1957), and Equus (1973).

Tracy Jackson Putnam among other things was a co-discoverer of Dilantin for controlling epilepsy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death Be Not Proud</span> Poem by John Donne

"Sonnet X", also known by its opening words as "Death Be Not Proud", is a fourteen-line poem, or sonnet, by English poet John Donne (1572–1631), one of the leading figures in the metaphysical poets group of seventeenth-century English literature. Written between February and August 1609, it was first published posthumously in 1633.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl Rose (coroner)</span> American physician

Earl Forrest Rose was an American forensic pathologist, professor of medicine, and lecturer of law. Rose was the medical examiner for Dallas County, Texas, at the time of the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy and he performed autopsies on J. D. Tippit, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Jack Ruby. After being shoved by Kennedy's aides, he stepped aside and allowed Kennedy's body to be removed from Parkland Memorial Hospital without performing an autopsy.

<i>Inside U.S.A.</i> (book) 1947 book by John Gunther

Inside U.S.A. is a nonfiction book by John Gunther, first published in 1947 and one of that year's best-selling nonfiction books in the United States. It describes the author's observations during 13 months of travel through the then-48 U.S. states beginning in November 1944.

Günther C. Feigl is an Austrian neurosurgeon. Feigl is an internationally renowned expert in minimally invasive neurosurgery. His main areas of expertise are skull base surgery and neurooncology. He specializes in the surgery of gliomas, minimally invasive endoscopy-assisted microvascular decompression in trigeminal neuralgia and facial hemispasm as well as the surgery of acoustic neuromas, tumors of the pineal gland and meningiomas of the skull base. Furthermore, his specialties comprise treatment of pituitary adenomas, spinal cord tumours and metastases as well as the area of pediatric neurosurgery.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Cohen, Deborah (2022-03-08). "The Book That Unleashed American Grief". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  2. Thompson, Dorothy (1949-02-11). "Memorial to a Son - 'Death Be Not Proud'". Boston Globe. Boston.
  3. Graham, Katharine (1949-01-30). "The Magazine Rack". Washington Post. Washington, D.C.
  4. "Heartbreaking Memoir of a Boy: Death Be Not Proud". Washington Post. Washington, D.C. 1949-02-06.
  5. "People and Ideas: Mr. and Mrs. John Gunther". Vogue. Conde Nast. 1951-05-15.
  6. Krebs, Albin (1970-05-30). "John Gunther Dead; Wrote 'Inside' Books". New York Times. New York. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  7. "Death Be Not Proud (1975) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.