In short, it's difficult to complain about life when getting a lesson on it from an Auschwitz survivor. It really puts things into perspective for anyone who feels lost or depressed or worthless or small. It gives depth to "if you can't change your situation, change your attitude."

Frankl hits on surprisingly modern points about depression years before Prozac Nation and the transferring of therapy and medications to the mainstream--the normalization of not feeling normal. And he manages to provide a power-packed message in a tiny book; I found myself taking notes on logotherapy and Frankl's observations. And now I find myself trying to figure out how to apply his theory to my everyday frustrations. It's a good challenge.

Feeling curious about the world, frustrated by your life, or lost? Take a weekend and read this book.

My only gripes are the translation, which was crap in the version I read (but I'm an editor, so I get cranky about things like that) and that Frankl does paint himself as the all-answering, all-curing type who can walk into a room and fix any poor fool who's been suffering for years within minutes. I appreciate a degree of modesty. But I guess he's earned the right to feel righteous.

I've read this more times than I can count. The autobiographical part of the book is stirring. The details of Logotherapy wear a bit thin after many reads, just because of familiarity.

I don't really relate to the idea of suffering as a life accomplishment - not because I devalue the trials of those who have no other choice, but just because I'm disconnected enough from it that I have trouble relating. I do continue to find the idea that a purpose is imposed on you rather than vice versa intriguing, although again, I'm not sure that I agree.

It's a great book and everyone should at least make a lap of the biography to understand what the Holocaust looked like from an insider, particularly people like myself who have been affected by the death of loved ones.

If you've never read it, it will be the best $7 you've ever spent.

Viktor Frankl has written an powerfull book about his years as a prisoner inside a nazi concentration camp. He worked as a psychologist and wrote on the subject of lifes meaning. The book is a powerfull testament to the will of humans to survive in dire circumstances. The book begins with the train full of prisoners rolling into the camp. At once they are stripped of all their belongings. Beginning with their clothes, and then glasses, jewlery and all other personal belongings. This is the first step in the process of dehumanizing them. So the struggle for these prisoners he writes is very much about struggling to keep the idea of yourself as a subject alive. To keep alive ones feeling of self worth was essential for survival. it was also important he writes to have the feeling that one had a spiritual center where one could retain some freedom even though one was imprisoned. Otherwise he or she will regress to feeling very small and in the end becoming a formless member of the herd, like an animal. Once this was achieved, when the personality and subjectivity had been broken and erased the person could be willed to do almost anything. The spirit only survives he writes, as long as the idea of hope does. That is why in the suffering one has to parodoxically have to try to find some meaning. If one dosent then the organism is in great danger of being annihilated. Only those who where able to somehow retain a sense of hope, that maybe somewhere someone was waiting for them, that someone who loved them was thinking about them, that god,even though it seemed impossible, saw their suffering.

Title says it all. The second half of the book has some really great tips & tricks for life. You shouldn't skip the first half of the book since it ties into and validates the teachings in the second half of the book.

Sometimes the writing is a bit awkward and verbose (he does speak in technical terms at times), but go slow and really try to understand what he's saying. The book is a really quick read, but again take your time!

For a while I really didn't understand this quote from the author: "Live as if you were living a second time, and as though you had acted wrongly the first time." But, after taking some time to think about it (like the time you need to read the book), it truly hit home what this quote means.

I'd recommend this book to anyone!

Viktor Frankl, famed psychotherapist and a holocaust survivor, said: The spiritual dimension cannot be ignored, for it is what makes us human. Spirituality is at the core of who we are; it defines for us what is meaningful in life.
Among all living things, only we humans can envision our futures and play out mental scenarios of how we will make our visions a reality.

Viktor Frankl, survivor of the Holocaust, emphasized that the meaning of life is not what happens to us. It is what we do with that which happens to us.
Viktor Frankl while interned in sub-human conditions in a Nazi concentration camp found meaning through meditating. He would overcome these horrendous and barbaric conditions by holding a mental image of him speaking to a group of International Psychiatrists at a special dinner event.

His wife had been transferred to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where she died. On April 27, 1945, Frankl was liberated. Among his immediate relatives, the only survivor was his sister, who had escaped by emigrating to Australia. It was due to his and others' suffering in these camps that he came to his hallmark conclusion that even in the most absurd, painful and dehumanized situation, life has potential meaning and that therefore even suffering is meaningful. Meaning cannot be invented but must be discovered.

Viktor Frankl wrote "Man's Search for Meaning" after surviving the worst conditions a human can experience during his imprisonment at Auschwitz.
Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning - the classic best seller now considered to be one of the most important contributions to psychiatry since the writing of Freud. Frankl gives a moving account of his life amid the horrors of the Nazi death camps, chronicling the harrowing experience that led to his discovery of his theory of logotherapy.

Viktor Frankl, to be sure, leaves a profound legacy. He wrote many books on existentialism and Logotherapy. Throughout his life and his work, he reminds us that we all have important work to do, that whatever we do is important, and that there is meaning everywhere, all the time.

Human freedom, therefore, is the freedom of responsibility. Freedom without responsibility is something arbitrary, senseless and either leaves us directionless, or can lead to irresponsible, that is, lawless, immoral and violent, self-destructive ways of living. Human kindness can be found in all groups, even those which as a whole it would be easy to condemn. Because boundaries between groups overlap we must not try to simplify matters by saying that these men are angels and those others are devils.

As far as happiness is concerned Frankl, said: Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it.

If you want to get better acquainted to the work of Viktor Frankl " Man's Search for Meaning" is a good place to start.

Raymond Le Blanc. Auhtor.Achieving Objectives Made Easy! Practical goal setting tools & proven time management techniques

Suffering, Meaning & a Worthwhile Life....

"A psychiatrist who personally has faced such extremity [as the Nazi death camps] is a psychiatrist worth listening to. He, if anyone, should be able to view our human condition with compassion. Dr. Frankl's words have a profoundly honest ring, for they rest on experiences to deep for deception."

So wrote Gordon Allport, Harvard Professor of Psychology and at mid-20th century, one of the great American psychologists. What does Frankl say? More vitally, what talk has he walked?

"Man's Search for Meaning" is not a boastful or an easy book. But it is forcefully honest & gripping -- ongoing struggles, failures and flashes of success, brilliant success really. Not so much in preserving sanity. For who of us has the right to dare call insane anyone in a concentration camp who became overwhelmed or gave up? Frankl's struggles, and the struggles of those around him, were how to keep humanely living in the face of what seems unfaceable.

As Frankl says, "...we had nothing to lose except our so ridiculously naked lives." If there's a meaning, a reason, a "why?" sturdy enough to bear that load, it must confront outrageous & unavoidable suffering.

I'm a psychotherapist; I work with many who suffer: children severely abused & neglected, adults still caught up in their abuse, soldiers back from Iraq along with their spouses & children. A label is easy & obvious: PTSD. Healing is not.

Frankl, writing well before we called this a "stress disorder" (Concentration camps = STRESS? Can you feel how wrong it is to stop at the mechanics of stress?), shows us a deeper, more accurate, more transcendent reality & truth. Struggling to find a worthy life in the face of suffering is not a "disorder". In that struggle we can become profoundly sickened, and our risk of sickening is never far away. But equally possible & present is a humbling choice: we can honestly face our suffering and struggle to find (create, build, open ourselves up to, ....) our own meaning. "Our own", in that it is individual to us, but it is never "just ourselves".

Through brutally-learned understandings & terribly-lived examples, Frankl shows us ways. I fear quoting a few lines. It feels like sound-biting & trivializing, not only misleading but obscene. Frankl isn't about one-liners, though he writes many memorable lines & stories. But lines pale when removed from their stories, their struggles to grasp onto meaning.

"Man's Search for Meaning" is short and easy-to-read, especially the first section, about the camps. Read it. Likely someday you'll be glad you did.

This book was recommended to me by my mother while I was in college. I read it during college at a time I was having trouble with anxiety. This book and The Road Less Traveled by M Scott Peck helped me deal with my ego based psychological problems at the time. These two books were very influential in helping me to finish college and move on with my life. Now I read books by Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tolle which help me but these books were powerful stepping stones during that period in my life. Recommended for anyone who wants to read and be motivated by the power of the human spirit.

This book gives you a very powerful insight in the lives of millions that had the opportunity to be prisoners in the concentration camps. As strange as it sounds, that was an opportunity to develop their love for life, and that love for life was what kept them alive, Victor Frankl is a being full of light that not only thought about his own life but the value of other's lives, specially in such an ultimate experience where survival was critical. You will love it and is such a small book that gives you so much that is incredible that so much light could be put in to such a small book.

This is one of the most important books that I have ever read. It, along with certain books by Elie Wiesel, also a survivor, have helped me maintain a hold on life and have kept me from going under in times of despair. For me, its message is priceless. I don't know if my review can really do it justice, because it has struck such a personal chord with me that it would be difficult to objectively describe.
Just read it, you may never see life quite the same again.

MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING is an incredibly deep and optimistic exploration of the best that man has to offer in the worst of times. This should especially be read by anyone under the age of 30. We live in a different world today, but today's generation can benefit from the philosophical gold of yesterday's generation. Some books transcend their time. This is one.

I've been meaning to read this book for years and finally got around to it. WOW WOW WOW! That just about sums it up. The amount of thought provoking passages increased with each page. I was in tears several times. I've gone back and reread many sections that touched me. I think I'll read the entire book again very soon. There are already so many great in depth reviews here, so it's not necessary to go into detail. Just read it if you haven't yet! It'll make you count your blessings and give thanks.

My daughter needed this book for a High School project. My review of this is neutral, but I see no reason to not buy it, if you need it for homework, ha ha

One thing really struck me, and was the most painful thing to read. Throughout all the terrible physical and mental suffering--and the stories were as riveting as they were disturbing--what kept the prisoners going was that future day of liberation. Life could and would be better, they would reunite with their loved ones, their talents and abilities would be exercised again. In a phrase, there would be meaning to their suffering. But when many people returned to their former lives they found that things were not as they'd imagined--families were dead, jobs were gone, homes were unoccupied, people didn't care.

"When, on his return, a man found that in many places he was met only with a shrug of the shoulders and with hackneyed phrases, he tended to become bittter and to ask himself why he had gone through all that he had. When he heard the same phrases nearly everywhere--"We did not know about it," and "We, too, have suffered," then he asked himself, have they really nothing better to say to me?"

. . . A man who for years had though he had reached the absolute limit of all possible suffering now found that suffering has no limits and that he could suffer still more, and still more intensely."

Doesn't that just tear at your heart?

It made me realize that while the Holocaust was particularly horrific, there are people throughout the world who suffer the same torture and suffering. Listen to the news and you'll hear about Darfur, Sierra Leone, Rwanda. Those are group atrocities you actually hear about. And yet most suffering is anonymous. What about the individual's capacity for fear, suffering, loss . . . or hope?

"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how."

So I have looked deeper into my soul to put words to that nebulous abstract that guides my days: my life's meaning. If faced in a similar circumstance, would I be one of those who turned to bitterness, hopelessness, or apathy? Or would I find that inner courage to actually live, to look forward to another day, to show a kindness and try my best--because my life has meaning?

And . . . Do I do that now?

Dr. Frankl is an author-psychiatrist who takes care of patient's problems by using logotherapy. In "Man's Search For Meaning," he tells readers about his experiences in Auschwitz concentration camp, and how he discovered logotherapy by going through this horrible experience. In case you are wondering, the object and challenge and challenge of logotherapy is to put together ties of meaning and responsibility in people's lives, and actually make themselves feel important.
Dr. Viktor E. Frankl was a long time prisoner in various concentration camps. There he was stripped of his feeling of existence. His mother, father, brother, and wife were sent to gas chambers and killed. Everyone in his family, except his sister, unfortunately died in these concentration camps. He went many days without eating or sleeping, in brutally freezing temperatures. Knowing that every single day he was on the brink of extermination, how did he still find life worth living? That is what this book really sums up in one word, logotherapy.
All of Frankl's stories in this book ring true to anyone that suffered the tortures of these concentration camps. He views the human spirit with compassion and truth. It really makes his experiences worth listening to. Even though I, certainly, have never been in a concentration camp I felt that Frankl's words and feelings were shown greatly in his writing. It is definitely not a cakewalk to talk about your past when it has such a difficult history. This really shows that you do not have to be quiet about dark emotions. Do not feel burdened to be silent when you know you were the one who experienced such tragedies.
I have never liked reading about the concentration camps in Europe, because those thoughts are not comforting to someone who does not want to face the reality of it. This was very detailed and specific on all the accounts in the camps. Although, it also was very clear on logotherapy, so needless to say it was very dry. The message that the book made obvious to me was that we cannot forget the past, but cannot dwell on it either. The grass is always greener on the other side, and we always must move on no matter where life takes us.

This is a terrific book about the meaning of Life. However, it is tough reading! You'll find yourself re-reading many passages just to understand the subtleness of the author. It will have a profound effect on anyone searching for some meaning to their lives. Warning: it is sometimes depressing, but enlightening.

This book offers a very insightful look into the human mind through circumstances so dire its almost difficult to contemplate. Fortunately, most of us will never likely come within reach of such dreadful circumstances; however, by means of this book we are able to ascertain meaning by vicariously viewing the experiences of Dr. Frankl and learning from his own thoughts and perceptions about the matter.

This book rates high in its ability to help the reader search for meaning, define purpose, and gain an incredible sense of relativity. I give four stars only as a result of its propensity to read like a psychology text book. I admit, however, that may speak more to my weaknesses and lack of pursuit on such subjects than the quality of the writing. As such, this is certainly not meant as a major detriment as the substance presented is excellent.

All the best.

X

This book offers a very insightful look into the human mind through the experiences of circumstances so dire its almost difficult to contemplate. Fortunately, most of us will never likely come within reach of such dreadful circumstances; however, by means of this book we are able to ascertain meaning by vicariously viewing the experiences of Dr. Frankl and learning from his own thoughts and perceptions about the matter.

This book rates high in its ability to help the reader search for meaning, define purpose, and gain an incredible sense of relativity. I give four stars only as a result of it propensity to read like a psychology text book. I admit, however, that may speak more to my weaknesses and lack of pursuit on such subjects than the quality of the writing. As such, this is certainly not meant as a major detriment as the substance presented is excellent.

All the best.

X

i am glad that I read this book. It made me think about life in general.
I am glad that this is out there for people like me who did not live through that era. Great reference book for applications of Psychology.

One of the best books I've read in my life. Recommend to everyone. Life will not be the same after you finish.

This small volume is a priceless addition to any collection of humanitarian ideas. Its subtext makes several interrelated existential points about human suffering and human meaning; points that only those who have known extreme suffering could make with the kind of conviction and eloquence that Dr. Frankel has made here: That while pain and suffering may be relative, even "chosen," the infliction of gratuitous cruelty -- insults, indignities and debasement are absolutes, and is an unforgivable but universal currency applied by all totalitarian systems.

Social and political tyrannies, whether soft or hard, are just opposite sides of the same coin of cultural and existential emptiness. They begin first by destroying the most precious of freedoms, the freedom of thought: effectively creating a "concentration camp of the mind" through social stratification, willful (or benign) neglect, obscene discrepancies in wealth and wellbeing, and by twisted race-based ideologies and other forms of "groupthink" consensus-based political and social orthodoxies. Then come the politics of exclusion, followed by social death - ghettoes and segregation; and then the final stop: unjust physical imprisonment and eventually removal to concentration camps. It is a gradient that leads progressively to walls of hopelessness and despair and that at each step of the way is every bit as cruel in their cumulative emotional and psychological effects as the electrified fences that enclosed the prisoners of Auschwitz.

The existential challenge for the suffer has been put best by Professor Cornel West of Princeton University, who as a self-described "Chekhovian Christian" sees the challenge as follows: "... Being a Chekhovian Christian is refusing to be imprisoned and walled-in by intentionally inflicted misery. It is to wake up each day with a new strategy for survival."

That is exactly what Dr. Frankel did in repeatedly facing-down certain death at the hands of the Nazi war-machine. This book and the Logo-therapy that it gave rise to are fitting living tributes to all of those who died in the European holocaust.

This book is a classic as both an compelling human story and a model of self-help, self-actualization. It is a tough story of surviving an unbelievable trial but if you want to learn about building self accountability and strength, this classic book on your library shelf.

Psychologist Viktor Frankl's autobiography examining his struggle to survive four concentration camps.

It is an inspirational story that defines mankind's potential for greatness whatever the circumstances. I read a few pages at night to reinforce my spirit.

The first 100 pages describe Frankl's experiences within the concentration camps. The remainder of the book explains Logotheraphy, Frankl's psychotherapy to treat despair and indifference.

Within the camps Frankl saw what a difference a purpose had on a camp prisoner's state of mind, starting with his own. He noted that those who expected things from the world were vulnerable to disappointment, and that when expectations were totally dashed people lost the will to live. Frankl's answer to us all, 'It doesn't really matter what we expect from life but rather what life expects from us'! Thus he exhorts us to find a worthy pursuit, whatever the circumstances; if circumstances destroy hope of success then find a better goal and don't be victim of your expectations.

After the war Frankl practiced Logotherapy. Logotherapy is an alternative psychotherapy to Freudian psychoanalysis. Whereas Freudian psychoanalysis typically tried to solve discontent by tackling unresolved relationships from the past, Logotherapy helps discontents find a way of living under current circumstances to create a sense of meaning. Many successes are described in the book. The aim of Logotherapy is to identify an inspiring goal. Frankl says people risk creating objectives that ring hollow; I want money, I want power. He stresses that the full realization of our potential can only be achieved when we direct our objectives away from ourselves, when we transcend ourselves. This self-transcendence, he says, has self-fulfillment as a side-effect. So I like to paraphrase his philosophy as 'What now is my answer to my life and who is my answer for?'

Psychologist Viktor Frankl's autobiography examining his struggle to survive four concentration camps.

Why choose to immerse yourself in a story of suffering? I found it to be utterly inspirational. The severe circumstances define mankind's potential to achieve greatness whatever those circumstances are. I read a few pages at night to reinforce my soul while I slept.

The first 100 pages describe Frankl's experiences within the concentration camps. The remainder of the book explains Logotheraphy, Frankl's psychotherapy to treat despair and indifference.

Within the camps Frankl saw what a difference a purpose had on a camp prisoner's state of mind, starting with his own. He noted that those who expected things from the world were vulnerable to disappointment, and that when expectations were totally dashed people lost the will to live. Frankl's answer to us all, 'It doesn't really matter what we expect from life but rather what life expects from us'! Thus he exhorts us to find a worthy pursuit, whatever the circumstances; if circumstances destroy hope of success then find a better goal and don't be victim of your expectations.

After the war Frankl practiced Logotherapy. Logotherapy is an alternative psychotherapy to Freudian psychoanalysis. Whereas Freudian psychoanalysis typically tried to solve discontent by tackling unresolved relationships from the past, Logotherapy helps discontents find a way of living under current circumstances to create a sense of meaning. Many successes are described in the book. The aim of Logotherapy is to identify an inspiring goal. Frankl says people risk creating objectives that ring hollow; I want money, I want power. He stresses that the full realization of our potential can only be achieved when we direct our objectives away from ourselves, when we transcend ourselves. This self-transcendence, he says, has self-fulfillment as a side-effect. So I like to paraphrase his philosophy as 'What now is my answer to my life and who is my answer for?'

Psychologist Viktor Frankl's autobiography examining his struggle to survive four concentration camps.

Why choose to immerse yourself in a story of suffering? I found it to be utterly inspirational. The severe circumstances define mankind's potential to achieve greatness whatever those circumstances are. I read a few pages at night to reinforce my soul while I slept.

The first 100 pages describe Frankl's experiences within the concentration camps. The remainder of the book explains Logotheraphy, Frankl's psychotherapy to treat despair and indifference.

Within the camps Frankl saw what a difference a purpose had on a camp prisoner's state of mind, starting with his own. He noted that those who expected things from the world were vulnerable to disappointment, and that when expectations were totally dashed people lost the will to live. Frankl's answer to us all, 'It doesn't really matter what we expect from life but rather what life expects from us'! Thus he exhorts us to find a worthy pursuit, whatever the circumstances; if circumstances destroy hope of success then find a better goal and don't be victim of your expectations.

After the war Frankl practiced Logotherapy. Logotherapy is a different approach to psychotherapy over Freud's technique of retrograde introspection. Many successes are described in the book. The aim of Logotherapy is to identify an inspiring goal. Frankl says people risk creating objectives that ring hollow; I want money, I want power. He stresses that the full realization of our potential can only be achieved when we direct our objectives away from ourselves, when we transcend ourselves. This self-transcendence, he says, has self-fulfillment as a side-effect. So I like to paraphrase his philosophy as 'What now is my answer to my life and who is my answer for?'

Psychologist Viktor Frankl's autobiography that examines his struggle to survive a concentration camp.
Why digest a story of human suffering? Because it is inspiring! The tortures contrast the achievements, the pain distinguishes the human potential for greatness and beauty. I read a few pages at night to feed my soul before I slept.
The first 100 pages contains Frankl's concentration camp account, the remainder of the book explains Logotheraphy, Frankl's psychotherapy to treat despair and indifference.
Within the concentration camp Frankl saw what a difference a purpose had on a prisoner's state of mind, starting with his own. He noted that those who expected things from the world were vulnerable to disappointment, and that when expectations were totally dashed people lost the will to live. Frankl's answer to his fellow man, 'It doesn't really matter what we expect from life but rather what life expects from us'! Thus he exhorts us to find our own purpose to match our circumstances and not depend on expectations.
Logotherapy is considered by Frankl as a different approach to psychotherapy over Freud's model of tensions channelled through the interplay of Id, Ego and Superego. However I feel that Frankl's approach merely explains Freud's Ego/Superego dynamic, with Frankl's approach being more actionable, Freud's more clinical.
Frankl mentions people risk creating objectives that ring hollow; I want money, I want power. He stresses that the full realization of our potential can only be achieved when we direct our objectives away from ourselves, and that this self-transcendence has self-fulfillment as a side-effect.
Given this last I have paraphrased his philosophy as this question 'What now is my answer to the world and for whose ultimate benefit?'

A Nazi camp survivor, Frankl should know about searching for meaning. First part contains his account of time in the concentration camps. Second part serves as an introduction to logotherapy, imparting a sense of hope in psychotherapy patients by helping them find the meaning in their life or hardship. Frankl states that meaning is an innate need for all people, not just a reaction formation or ego issue. It makes sense to me, and as a survivor, Frankl has the "credentials" to back it up!

I found the authors experiences in the death camps very interesting and well written. I appreciate my life more every time I read such survival story's. I cannot begin to comprehend how anyone survived these camps considering their exposure to the elements with virtually no food to provide the energy for work or the body warmth/immunity to ward off illness and disease. God Bless Mr. Frankl and all others who survived.
The more psychoanalytical add ons at the end of the book were more in depth than my literary interests or needs at this sector of my life.

This book was exactly what I expected and was oddly similar (but obviously not as cruel) as basic training. I liked his story, he's a very brilliant man. "Man's Search for Meaning" basically cronicles this psychologists' (Viktor E. Frankl) experiences at Auschwitz extermination camp in World War II. Frankl gives the reader an inside look at his day-to-day life, what he thought about while away, and essentially how he was lucky enough to survive.

So many times we only learn from theory but Frankl learns about life from his experience as a prisoner. He finds how to find purpose in the middle of his suffering. He finds beauty similar to Dostoevsky, which makes him stay alive.

For all its complexities and mysteries, life boils down to one aspect that should ALWAYS allow a human being to keep his dignity if nothing else: We have the ability to react to any situation any way we want. That is, even in the awfulness of the Nazi extermination camps, a person can still keep his dignity if merely by being able to control how he reacts to a situation.

Also, Frankl continously refers back to a qoute by Nietzsche that says, " He who has a WHY to live for can bear any HOW." In a concentration camp, Jews often found that the will to live no longer existed within them. They had lost all hope and it was their despair that often led to physical illnesses that led to their death. As a response, people like Frankl tried to reinforce to their friends that they did in fact have something to live for. That "something" could be their family back home, their kids, their other loved ones, their careers that they may be able to once again resume after the war, etc. Now, one may question how this relates to his main idea of people reserving the right to react to any situation however they choose to. Well, Frankl argues that once a human has hope, that is the WHY to live for, then he can bear just about any HOW. That is, no matter how long the SS made the Jews stand out in the bitter cold, often with no shoes, and no matter how often they whipped them and kicked them and punched them, it was always the victim's right to react to those situations as he wanted to. Whether it was by giving up and perishing or by replying with even more fervent prayer and hope that they will once again be reunited with their loved ones; therefore, survival, Frankl argues, is up to the individual.

The first section of the book is divided into three periods of a "prisoner's" life; the period of shock, the period of being a prisoner, and the period after liberation. Frankl provides specific examples for each period and then ties them back into his main idea. The second part of the book explains Frankl's notion of Logotherapy. I found this second section to be not as important as the first section, because I'm not really interested in psychology.

If I had been asked to only rate the first part of the book, I would have rated it 5 stars; however, the second part of the book isn't as interesting. I would recommend that you read this book either before or shortly after reading "Kaddish for an Unborn Child" by Imre Kertesz. You will find differing philosophies on what happens to the human mind during such tragic and degrading conditions as were the Nazi extermination camps.

I have to say this is probably the most beautiful book I have ever read and ever will read. The magnificent way Dr. Frankl took such horrific experiences and turned them into such beauty is astounding and inspirational to me. It helps one who is suffering to see the greater good in everything, and how every bad experience can conjure some positive outcomes in all of us. Everyone should read this book at least once in their lives. Viktor Frankl is my hero.

This is an incredible account of a man who lived through the Holocaust, and had the ability to seperate himself from the brutality of the circumstances to provide a dispassionate view of himself, and what he went through. It is just an incredible piece of literature!

...and usually only respect the advice of those who have walked their talk, then you need to read this book. Dr. Frankl endured the horrors of three Nazi concentration camps and then thankfully lived to document his experience and, more to the point, the effects of the camps' conditions on himself, his colleagues, and his oppressors.

The book's first part contains Dr. Frankl's observances of human nature in the concentration camps, while the second part discusses his technique of logotherapy. Logotherapy, in contrast to Freudian techniques, doesn't immerse itself in childhood conflicts and sexual frustration. Logotherapy instead asserts that humans ultimately desire to know and live the meaning of their lives above all else.

He cites his staying alive in the camps for his wife, who at one point resided in an adjacent barracks yards away, as an example of how meaning in his own life inspired his survival. He also discusses being kept alive by his drive to further develop his ideas and theories about the human quest for meaning, which he actually began forming before entering the camps. These two examples cover the main ways he says humans find meaning -- in relationships and in their life's work.

Other issues he discusses are suffering with dignity and the function of an inner spiritual life as a respite from harsh and humiliating conditions. In the interest of keeping this review short I won't expand on these subjects -- just read the book!

This is a small book with a big subject - life and meaning - written in 1946 and first published in 1959. Only recently it has been published in English. It still rings true, written by a Nazi concentration camp inmate, Dr. Viktor Frankl. He originally wanted to be an anonymous author; however, his friends persuaded him to publish under his own name to give the book credibility. Readers could therefore also understand this is a psychiatrist's objective view of suffering, which is part of life, and why life and hope prevail in the darkest moments.

Part One, Experiences in a Concentration Camp is key to all he learned on the meaning of life. The horrible losses and inhumanity are seared into your mind, but when Dr. Frankl looks at the horror with educated eyes, he recognizes courage, objectivity and responsibility as vital for survival. This is a story of a man who was sent to the concentration camp with a belief that if he had to suffer and die, it would be significant: he would not suffer nor die for nothing.

Dr. Frankl reviews the fight for survival and his decisions that somehow help him survive. He notes that prisoners go through three phases, 1)shock: the period following his admission 2)apathy: the period where they they become well entrenched in camp routine, and 3)the sense of loss, where they lose everything but hope. He digs down deep in his own soul to helps others to go on and have meaning in their life - not to give up and find the basic motivation to go on. He teaches despairing men "that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but what life expected from us." Dr. Frankl repeats, "if we have the "why" we will always find the "how" to go on."

This book shows each individual he is important and every decision he makes is impactful. Therefore, make the right decisions and be triumphant. Right decisions cause the least pain and give the most love for fellow man. It is what gives us hope and value as part of humanity.

Part Two, Logo-Therapy in a Nutshell, was not as interesting to me. It describes Frankl's philosophy of logo-therapy and reminded me of of mid-eastern religions as well as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. It is a way (Frankl calls it "neo-dynamics") to have a goal in mind and achieve it no matter what obstacles and stress you are facing. The things that make life important and with meaning are different for each of us. All of us can have a meaning of life, but the "big picture meaning" is hard to understand. It takes us a lifetime of good and bad events and decisions to shape us.

Part Three, is a postscript on "Tragic Optimism" and states that despite the "tragic triad" (as it is called in Logo-Therapy) 1)pain, 2)guilt, and 3)death - how is it possible to say yes to life in spite of all that? Logo-therapy teaches there are three main avenues on which one arrives at meaning in life. The first is creating a work or by doing a deed. The second is by experiencing something or encountering someone, and the third is turning a personal tragedy into a triumph. He mentions using bad situations as a growth experience.

Overall a deep book but a good book on looking at life. It shows that each one of us can determine personal meaning and why it is important.

I am not much on bibliotherapy, but I have lost more copies of this book than any other giving it to psychotherapy clients to read. This is an incredibly readable, heartfelt treatise on meaning-oriented, existential therapy. The greatest component to it is that it is not written in an erudite nor an obtuse manner. Instead, it is written so that everyone can grasp it. Written from a first-person perspective, with the first part of the book focused on Frankl's personal and interpersonal struggles, trials, tribulations, and explorations while in a concentration camp, this book clearly and simply develops Frankl's logotherapy perspective on therapy. As I have done before with countless clients, I highly recommend this book for anyone in search of meaning in life.

I ordered this book for myself after one of the other women on the tour suggested it. I've only read a few chapters. It's not a book you can't put down. I haven't had any free time to go back and read more of it.

This book is deceptively small, but incredibly deep, and probably unmatched anywhere in literature...(that I have ever read at least). The first part is a stark autobiography of Frankl's personal journey through the Holocaust. It is powerful, compelling and harrowing.. this story is now familiar, but Frankl tells it with immense compassion and dignity. A Google search reveals that this book has not been invited into a certain Holocaust museum (?), but one would assume it is because Frankl's philosophy, which he outlines in the second part of the book, which is borne from his personal search for meaning in the darkest days of WW2, achieved a transcendence of Self that went beyond the labelling of Jew and Nazi. I found his exposition of logotherapy fascinating, with golden threads of thought that I could unwind with more current day psychological schematas, such as those propounded in NLP and Psychosynthesis. As a primer on the theory of Existentialism and an introduction to existential therapy, which he helped to form, I would also thoroughly recommend this book.

This book changed my life. I have purchased this book more times than I can remember to give to other people. The author has a way of stating things with a minimum of words. This is good for the reader because a library full of other books cannot begin to have the impact, in my opinion, of this book.

Frankl does not seem to feel he is special or extraordinary is any way because he has survived his circumstances. He is kind to his readers. When I read this book I feel as though I am in his kind hands. I feel as though I am being taken care of.

One thing I always remember from this book, and think about almost daily is something he writes about how we perceive other people. He writes that often we form an opinion about someone, and then later hear something about that person from someone else that is totally different. He says perhaps we think that someone is very bad, and then hear someone say that that person is very good. He goes on to remark that what made that person good had perhaps not happened to that person yet, when our opinion was formed. Before I make opinions about others now, I think that whatever I'm about to say that is critical, may have already changed. I think we would appreciate if others would do this for us.

"Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete."

What is the meaning of life? Frankl try's to answer that through his experience as a prisoner in a concentration camp in Auschwitz (among others) and in his psychiatry practice after the war. Be it by grace, a miracle, or chance, he made it out alive. And now he is here to tell this powerful, optimistic story and help us with an age old question.

He try's to answer this question: " How was everyday life in a concentration camp reflected in the mind of the average prisoner?" This would later influence psychotherapy. Even being surrounded by so much evil there was still kindness to be found in an occasional guard. The prisoners were not always kind to there fellow inmates: there were sellouts and CAPO's; Capo's were Jews that watched over their fellow captives for favors, food, and extended life. Who is to say what any one of us would do. With misery and suffering beyond comprehension, "having a why to live for enabled them to bear the how". I will never look at that last leftover pea the same way.

Writing on his concentration camp experience Frankl briefly discusses "logotherepy". In a later chapter he goes into detail: Logotherepy (which he coined), the "striving to find a meaning in ones life is the primary motivational force in man". In his practice he uses a form of reverse psychology. The last chapter is on optimism during tragedy.

Freedom is only part of the story, he writes: "I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast"

There are many quotables from Frankl, I will leave you with this: "Our generation is realistic, for we have come to know man as he really is. After all, man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord's Prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips."

In the end, there is that need for a reason.

Wish you well
Scott

This should be required reading in all college programs before students begin their course specific courses. The second half is worth much thought. He is not into any specific religious belief, just spiritual and honest....and insightful.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in self-improvement, anyone with an optimistic outlook that seeks validation, anyone in a down turn that needs a spirit uplift, well -- anyone in general. It could change your life literally overnight.

This is the best book I have read! It is: easy to read, a nice blend of thoughts and drama, inspiring, and comes with great ideas. I recommend it to everyone.

One of the most important themes of this great work is substituting societies common grouping of people (black, white, Jew, gentile, etc.) with a delineation that is truly practical. Frankl rightly says there are only two categories of people "the decent and the indecent." That is perhaps the greatest idea postulated in generations. So now we must wrestle with the fact that there are decent and indecent black people, decent and indecent white people, and yes, even decent Germans in the midst of the holocaust.

To arrive at that conclusion under those circumstance gives hope that we may transcend the unnecessary divisions of our time, freeing us to see past exteriors and balance the core of a person on the scales of decency. We all carry baggage and this book has lightened my load.

While these ideas are powerful they are only a sub-theme in this work. Centrally, Frankl conveys his method of overcoming life's greatest challenges and it is very profound.

I was hesitant to read this book because I thought it would only be about the horrors of the concentration camps which we have all heard about for decades. But this book is different in that it examines the prisoner's state of mind and how Viktor Frankl uses his experiences to support his logotherapy. Great book, I'm glad I finally took the time to read it.

Viktor Frankl's journey and his amazing survival techniques in the Auschwitz death camps prove to be one of the most meaningful books ever written. If there was 1 book that everyone should read in their life this would be my choice. Forget all those meaningless self-help books on getting rich, getting in touch with your inner self and all that new age baloney that might enhance your life but if your life has no meaning, no foundation for growth than nothing will ever bring you true happiness. In the midst of our greatest struggles we learn our greatest lessons and a life without struggle is not a life with meaning.

People have considered this book primarily a book about survival in inhuman conditions. But Victor Frankl got into those inhuman conditions because he did a decent, human thing; he honored his aged father and mother, instead of accepting the US immigration visa. He had a opportunity to participate in an escape attempt, but was moved with compassion by one of the sick prisoners in his care.

Viktor Frankl considered his logotherapy to be basically humanistic, attempting to focus the patient's attention on the meanings he will fulfill in the future, the things he will create, the deeds he will do, the people he loves, the sufferings he will courageously endure. But a lot of logotherapists didn't have the God of Viktor Frankl inside them, the God who delivered Viktor from his narrow prison.

Given that we have had other impositions of inhuman conditions since the book was written, such as the Killing Fields of Cambodia and the massacres in Rwanda, it would be useful for future editions to address these situations. Neither the foreword nor the afterword addressed these.

Was referred to this book-using all three I ordered for help in understanding the minds and lives of our encarcerated brothers and sisters. I'm in a prison ministry.

To this day, Viktor Frankl's name is a frequent reference or footnote in motivational and business books and many others. He says we never cease to be ourselves, we are never without an ability to choose. In this small, understated treatise of his time in Nazi concentration camps, as part of his own means of coping, Frankl analyzes why some seemingly strong people die and others, whom you'd expect to wither away, do not. In the inhuman caldron that burned away all pretense and excuses, leaving bare human nature, Frankle witnesses the skills to mastering life: hope, chiefly, then humor, love, beauty and more. In his book, those change from lofty concepts to the essence of existence--and in many cases the means to continue to live.

Makes you realise that without goals or objectives we can all sink without a trace

This is a must read for everyone! It is a look at the day to day experience of the Nazi death camps and it is soul grabbing. Frankl allows us to feel his experience and he shows how he and how we can choose to cope with suffering. You walk away with the proof that your choices make the quality of your life. We all suffer on some level. How we choose to experience the suffering and what we do with it when it has ended is what will make the difference in our lives today.