John Gunther was an American journalist and writer, best known for his series of popular sociopolitical works known as the "Inside" books, produced from 1936 to 1972. These books offered insightful profiles of major world powers, with "Inside U.S.A." becoming a bestseller in 1947.

Gunther's personal life was marked by both achievement and tragedy. He was married to Frances Fineman in 1927, and the couple faced the loss of a daughter who died four months after her birth in 1929. They later divorced in 1944. His most famous work, Death Be Not Proud (1949), is a poignant memoir about the death of his teenage son, Johnny Gunther, from a brain tumor.