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July 13, 2015

Man’s Search for Meaning

mans_search_for_meaningMan’s Search for Meaning

By: Victor Frankl

Everything I read alters my worldview to some degree; however, there are a couple of books that have changed my life. This is one of them. Victor Frankl, an Austrian psychologist, wrote this memoir about his experience as a prisoner in the Nazi concentration camps. His story of miraculous survival and terrible loss have been an inspiration since this book was first published in 1959. While reading about the atrocities he experienced in the concentration camps, it is hard to believe that Frankl will find a message of hope and healing for those who are suffering.

Frankl developed logotherapy based on his experiences during the war. He felt that people can find meaning in their life and their suffering through looking at the “specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment” (108). This allows someone to change his or her behavior and outlook to something that provides meaning to his or her life. Frankl’s memoir is an inspiring book which provides a philosophy that enables one to deal with loss, suffering, or even just ennui, with grace and hope.

 

Review By: Heidi Herald