Man's Search for Meaning

Man's Search for Meaning –by Viktor E. Frankl

Psychology

1803 KB/185 pages

Footnotes/Endnotes: Yes

Illustrations: No

Suitable for eReaders: Depends

5 Stars

I purchased and read this on my Kindle. It has endnotes at each of the 3 sections, and I found it frustrating I couldn't get to them, let alone back to the text. If you are like me, and like to read them, then get the hard copy.

This is not the first time I've read the book, I think it's one of those books everyone should read at least once in their adult life, and probably a few more times throughout the rest of their life.

The first part of the book is about Frankl's time in the Concentration Camps of the Holocaust. What makes his account different from most of the other's I've read, though surprisingly not all, was the attitude he chose to live through his imprisonment, which started out in Auschwitz.

Frankl was of the opinion that our greatest freedom is the freedom to choose our attitude. And that, if you have meaning in your life, you can live through anything, or at least die with dignity.

It was illegal for those in the Camps to actively stop someone who was trying to commit suicide, but Frankl and other's were able to work with several men (men and women were segregated by gender) find a meaning to their life, and to continue to live.

The second and third sections of the book basically described his theory on how to conduct Logotherapy. The book is not clinical, and I think anyone who is interested can easily access the information. It is a quick read, and if you want to apply any of the lessons, I think it will change your life for the better.

I couldn't help but notice how many of what Dr. Frankl taught, was similar to the basics of what Buddhism teaches, though Dr. Frankl was not Buddhist.

If I had a hard copy, it would be on the shelf next to my copy of Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal. Both excellent books, both by survivors, both easy reads of a difficult subject.