Countless afflicted and sorrowing people from every part of the world have found solace and inspiration in this testament to the heroism of young John Gunther who died at the age of seventeen after a gallant but losing fight against the ravages of a brain tumor. The record of his brief life, so tenderly and poignantly portrayed, is the story not so much of suffering and death, but of courage and consideration and selflessness. Besides being one of the rare consolatory books in the world's literature, it became immeasurably influential in the campaign to combat cancer.