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Death Be Not Proud is a memoir by American journalist and writer John Gunther that was first published in 1949
. It is a poignant account of the illness of Gunther’s teenaged son Johnny after a brain tumor is discovered and Johnny’s subsequent death. Because illness memoirs were rare at the time, Gunther’s publisher was hesitant to take on the title. However, Death Be Not Proud received a strong reception and undoubtedly helped to popularize the illness memoir genre.Read the full book summary, an in-depth character description of Johnny, and explanations of important quotes from Death Be Not Proud.