Reader Response to Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther
Back cover reads:
"Johnny Gunther was only 17 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 quite friendliness, and, above all, his unfaltering patience through times of despair. This deeply moving books is a father's memoir of a brave, intelligent, and spirited boy."
My Rxn:
It's a memoir, and reads more linearly than a journal would. It's a nice read. pretty short... captivating enough to make me keep reading until all hours of the night. It was first published in 1949, so it's certainly dated. i'd like a contemporary brain surgeon to read this and tell me the technological and procedural differences, if any, that would take place today.
It was kind of scary. I could definitely connect with it. At some times it reminded me of my stay in the hospital in January. I'm not turning backflips over this book, but it did produce a few diamonds:
"Not all children are Mozarts; but almost all are geniuses at one thing or another before they are ten" (6).
"He could not have been more than six when he announced to me that he had discovered what God was. 'God is what's good in me'"(14).
"All the doctors!--helpless flies now, climbing across the granite face of death" (137).
And this part really reminded me of watching my grandfather die:
"I felt his arms, cupping my hands around them, and the warmth gradually left them, receding very slowly upward from his hands. For a long time some warmth remained. Then little by little the life-color left his face, his lips became blue, and his hands were cold. What is life? It departs covertly. Like a thief Death took him."
It's a great read, but it doesn't win the Word Nerd Seal of Approval. I don't know if I'd use it in my classroom. I'm sure i would if i thought it fit somwhere. I might recommend it to a student who's interested in science or the history of science.
Unbeliever's Prayer
Almighty God
forgive me for my agnosticism;
For I shall try to keep it gentle, not cynical,
nor a bad influence.
And O!
if Thou art truly in the heavens,
accept my gratitude
for all Thy gifts
and I shall try
to fight the good fight. Amen
-John Gunther, Jr
Back cover reads:
"Johnny Gunther was only 17 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 quite friendliness, and, above all, his unfaltering patience through times of despair. This deeply moving books is a father's memoir of a brave, intelligent, and spirited boy."
My Rxn:
It's a memoir, and reads more linearly than a journal would. It's a nice read. pretty short... captivating enough to make me keep reading until all hours of the night. It was first published in 1949, so it's certainly dated. i'd like a contemporary brain surgeon to read this and tell me the technological and procedural differences, if any, that would take place today.
It was kind of scary. I could definitely connect with it. At some times it reminded me of my stay in the hospital in January. I'm not turning backflips over this book, but it did produce a few diamonds:
"Not all children are Mozarts; but almost all are geniuses at one thing or another before they are ten" (6).
"He could not have been more than six when he announced to me that he had discovered what God was. 'God is what's good in me'"(14).
"All the doctors!--helpless flies now, climbing across the granite face of death" (137).
And this part really reminded me of watching my grandfather die:
"I felt his arms, cupping my hands around them, and the warmth gradually left them, receding very slowly upward from his hands. For a long time some warmth remained. Then little by little the life-color left his face, his lips became blue, and his hands were cold. What is life? It departs covertly. Like a thief Death took him."
It's a great read, but it doesn't win the Word Nerd Seal of Approval. I don't know if I'd use it in my classroom. I'm sure i would if i thought it fit somwhere. I might recommend it to a student who's interested in science or the history of science.
Unbeliever's Prayer
Almighty God
forgive me for my agnosticism;
For I shall try to keep it gentle, not cynical,
nor a bad influence.
And O!
if Thou art truly in the heavens,
accept my gratitude
for all Thy gifts
and I shall try
to fight the good fight. Amen
-John Gunther, Jr
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