Man's Search For Meaning: The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust

""to live is to suffer to survive is to find meaning in the suffering" "he who has a why to live can bear with almost any how" i have witnessed these two quotes in action with so many people who have experienced severe trauma in their lives many from within the military veterans community"

"this book however was a real disappointment"

"it tells the true story of how human beings survive in the most awful circumstances"

"i didn't intend to review this book just specifically for this reason but recently in my own life i have had a diagnosis that my long term cancer which was in remission has metastasised to lungs liver and bones and i am now in the 'endgame' which may be a couple of years or perhaps four or so years long"

"the second part about logotherapy was utterly dull & unclear despite me having studied many schools of psychotherapy in my training "

"where it challenges the meaning of good and evil in a way that only humanitys greatest catastrophe could do so"

"the first section where he describes his time in a concentration camp and the ways that he and his fellow inmates attempted to cope with the terrible conditions is extremely good"

"well written book illuminates many aspects of human nature and calls into question can in even the most dire circumstances meaning be found?"

"the 2nd part of the book which is less compelling is a summary of logotherapy a tenet of which is that even unavoidable suffering has a certain meaning in life"

"it is one that every single person should own and read because after you have read it you realise that misfortune and all the negative events of your life can only touch you to a certain extent: you have the ability to decide what your response will be"

"the book is also not overloaded emotionally which allows for a focus of course it's up to the reader to choose the topic of focus but this books surely offers a few"

"he is clearly mentally resilient and robust to find a way of dealing with the harsh conditions of a slaughter camp called auschwitz without being dehumanised"

"i thought it would be a traumatic read overly empathic response too immersed in the emotive horrors"

"i'd thought myself somewhat desensitised to depictions of the holocaust but frankl's matter of fact and rancour free prose proved very unsettling"

"and as if to prove the point of man's inability to learn anything from history is the fact that i read it as conflicts in the world continue to demonstrate man's contempt for human life and of the suffering endured by those whose skin colour or beliefs marks them out for despicable acts of inhuman behaviour"

"secondly despair and depression are not at all correlated with the experience of adversity but if anything inversely so: in our modern plentiful and comfortable times neuroses are legion"

"i’ve read many holocaust memoirs & this is the driest most dispassionate by far"

"a read for all to be aware and understand how far extreme persecution can go and for what?"

"this man went through hell and yet still is an inspiration he has made me see i can still have to make my own contribution to the world no matter how small"

"it keeps a perspective on our own very trivial sufferings"

"more an inspirational tale of over coming detrimental circumstance"

"to clarify the book is composed of three different parts: the first one the original tale of what living in a concentration camp was the second one a gentle introduction to logotherapy and the third one about tragic optimism "

"this is a must read book for anyone suffering from extreme despair loss bereavement torture emotional deprivation childhood abuse and the privations of war natural disaster and the like"

"it highlights the reality of a vast swathe oh people whose search for meaning is simply scorned as fruitless frivolous and with ultimate irony meaningless"

"this must have been difficult given the subject"

"but actually it’s a detached prose insofar as a scientist who lives his unchosen experiment can write which signifies the importance of finding meaning in life"

"the particular significance of this book is in respect of this observations on the human condition during the most horrendous of circumstances"

"and as if to prove the point of man's inability to learn anything from history is the fact that i read it as conflicts in the world continue to demonstrate man's contempt for human life and of the suffering endured by those whose skin colour or beliefs marks them out for despicable acts of inhuman behaviour"

"it was one of the first books written that described life in the concentration camps in ww2 with in the second part frankl's theories on why some people survived the labour camps as opposed to the death camps where many were sent to be murdered obviously while others didn't"

"but all the same this seems to me a plausible explanation for modern melancholy: who these days isn't continually and forcibly preoccupied with things he or she doesn't truly value?"

"frankel discovered in the camp that the key to surviving suffering is to find meaning in the suffering and to design for yourself an ultimate goal in life that you focus on to get through the suffering a must read for anyone experiencing ongoing suffering or depression"

"in today's world full of shallow therapies like cbt logotherapy is goes to the root cause"

"it enlightens the reader with very simple and logical answers to questions that seem complicated"

"a warning from history of brutal regimes"

"my uncle was taken by the nazis and was almost dead due to typhus when the camp at dachau was liberated"

"a heart breaking journey for but just one man but thousands in their ordeal and uneccesary suffering inflicted by a sick minded and his officers frankl gives meaning to the darkest days a man can fall upon"

"the book itself is divided into three parts starting with a first hand account of frankl's gruesome experiences in various concentration camps in ww2 continuing with 'logotherapy in a nutshell' where the approach is explained in more depth and ending with an essay on logotherapy adapted from his speech at the 3rd logtherapy congress in 1983 if memory serves "

"but all the same this seems to me a plausible explanation for modern melancholy: who these days isn't continually and forcibly preoccupied with things he or she doesn't truly value?"

"his book chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and describes how he used his psychiatry psychotherapy skills to guide himself and the other holocaust victims to survive their mental suffering in the death camps those who had lost faith in the future their future were doomed"

"i would say towards the end of logotherapy it is slightly rushed and requires rewind often"

"it is a book that is guaranteed to challenge your thinking or at the very least make you relook at existing assumptions"

"a life where death was a daily possibility and the only food dome watery soup"

"this is a must read book for anyone suffering from extreme despair loss bereavement torture emotional deprivation childhood abuse and the privations of war natural disaster and the like"

"this was at times a very uncomfortable read however just when i thought i couldn't read anymore something took hold of me and wanted me to carry on"

"frankl opens your eyes to a dehumanizing experience and provides an insight into his thoughts and processes that led onto his famous logo therapy"

"the second section a treatise on his own method of treating psychiatric patients ‘logotherapy’ seems an odd addition to the work and somewhat irrelevant to the holocaust theme in a lot of areas but ultimately ties in to the first half quite well if you stick it out"

"the first part is mainly the account of frankl's experience in the camp and the second part was more of an account of the theory behind his logotherapy may get a bit technical for a lay readership and is theoretically quite outdated but still interesting as a historical account of his ideas and the thinking behind his approach"

"great book that does not sound self righteous or drones on about irrelevant information while still putting its message across very well would highly recommend this book it helped me rethink my personal view on some things in life"

"he is clearly mentally resilient and robust to find a way of dealing with the harsh conditions of a slaughter camp called auschwitz without being dehumanised"

"this is a rather thin book"

"i thought it would be a traumatic read overly empathic response too immersed in the emotive horrors"

"as he overcame the trauma he’d seen and experienced so i use my much smaller traumatic experience to push me on to greater better things"

"his book chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and describes how he used his psychiatry psychotherapy skills to guide himself and the other holocaust victims to survive their mental suffering in the death camps those who had lost faith in the future their future were doomed"

"the author describes how many just gave up either committing suicide or passively waiting to be beaten to death"

"furthermore after looking into the biography of the author there seems to be some discrepancies between his account of his time in concentration camps and the written records which remain unexplained and this casts doubts over the honesty and aim of this book"

"an insight into a turbulent time"

"i found towards the end of the book it was too much heavy reading and the psyhcology was way over my head so much so it became boring"

"furthermore after looking into the biography of the author there seems to be some discrepancies between his account of his time in concentration camps and the written records which remain unexplained and this casts doubts over the honesty and aim of this book"

"only criticism i would have is that i am not fully convinced the idea of paradoxical intention always works"

"i was hesitant to read this book as i thought the negativity would be overwhelming but as much as it dealt with many negative themes these where countered by the overall positive message"

"don’t expect to find a generic answer to “meaning” as you might expect"

"his book chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and describes how he used his psychiatry psychotherapy skills to guide himself and the other holocaust victims to survive their mental suffering in the death camps those who had lost faith in the future their future were doomed"

"not as sad as one might think loved the overall message will recommend this to anyone going through a rough time of anyone who has lost their way"

"they let themselves decline and became subject to mental and physical decay eventually losing the will to live"

"the manner of presentation is non exhaustive every page surprisingly is giving a different take on something i thought i know of sufficiency well for a 3d question or at least am familiar with through works of other classics on the subject not necessarily the subject of holocaust but the subject of similar ugly historical events of equivalent scale that also touch on the murder of the soul and 'the what happens after' like experiences described during russian revolution s "

"it was like treading through mud!"

"anecdotally meanings are more likely to count as profound and compelling the more gravely connected with the "tragic triad" of pain guilt and death they are no shortage therefore at auschwitz "

"this means that few things are properly defined that some definitions contradict others and that only a few simple cases of the success of the approach are presented"

"if you ever think you're having a hard time read this book it'll change your mind and attitude forever"

"frankel discovered in the camp that the key to surviving suffering is to find meaning in the suffering and to design for yourself an ultimate goal in life that you focus on to get through the suffering a must read for anyone experiencing ongoing suffering or depression"

""to live is to suffer to survive is to find meaning in the suffering" "he who has a why to live can bear with almost any how" i have witnessed these two quotes in action with so many people who have experienced severe trauma in their lives many from within the military veterans community"

"it makes you realise that your problems today which seem to either rule or ruin your life are so insignificant"

"i have read this book twice and shall read it again"

"a heart breaking journey for but just one man but thousands in their ordeal and uneccesary suffering inflicted by a sick minded and his officers frankl gives meaning to the darkest days a man can fall upon"

"the 2nd part of the book which is less compelling is a summary of logotherapy a tenet of which is that even unavoidable suffering has a certain meaning in life"

"as cliched as it may sound it helped me through my difficulties and it's not like a preachy self help book but written by someone who really has been through significant trauma and come out the other side"

"as he overcame the trauma he’d seen and experienced so i use my much smaller traumatic experience to push me on to greater better things"

"this may perhaps be a little self fulfilling and neurosis may be a product of existential frustration in other words the confounding of one's own quest for meaning through preoccupation with things you don't truly value : frankl cites a senior american diplomat who sought treatment from depression arising from discontent with his working life"

"if you're going through a difficult time it really helps you to see how people deal with struggle and can reframe it"

"at times the author explained in depth and very well the reasons why people seemed to go along with the awful treatment being put on them and effects of being freed"

"it explains how with a purpose for life even if only imaginary can help you overcome the most severe situation"

"impossible to read without disliking the author so abandoned it early on"

"as someone who struggles to get to sleep this is not always possible because you have a 1000 other thoughts going through your head keeping you awake"

"i have a history of depression and anxiety and look towards 'self help' books to inspire my almost daily battle!"

"the style is typical of its time many decades ago the end of the book is concerned less with the recounting of his experiences during the war and more with academic practice focused commentary"

"don't leave it so long"

"just amazed at the resilience that can be drawn upon in times of extreme trauma"

"i was hesitant to read this book as i thought the negativity would be overwhelming but as much as it dealt with many negative themes these where countered by the overall positive message"

"i’ve read many holocaust memoirs & this is the driest most dispassionate by far"

"not a painful holocaust story more a book of hope and a practical guide to an incredibly useful psychology logotherapy "

"frankl's advice was not undergo psychotherapy but to change his job to something he cared more about!"

"i thought it would be a traumatic read overly empathic response too immersed in the emotive horrors"

"i can only feel a sense of relief from my long and arduous task of understanding purpose and meaning in life"

"it is well written with sufficient details not to make it uncomfortable due to the topic dealt with"

"makes me sound a little selfish"

"may these atrocities never happen again"

"the book is not all doom and gloom as the author takes you on a journey of discovery of how positive thinking can change how you feel on the inside which goes on to change your outlook of the outside situation"

"having said that it's not for everyone"

"impossible to read without disliking the author so abandoned it early on"

"a good read though not pleasant stuff"

"a validation as i said above of a deep seated confusion in my and many other's lives i suspect mainly how to thrive or even be recognised as legitimate in a society that values measurable achievement and very little else"

"could not put it down"

"his book chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and describes how he used his psychiatry psychotherapy skills to guide himself and the other holocaust victims to survive their mental suffering in the death camps those who had lost faith in the future their future were doomed"

"this book by victor frankl is one of the most important books ever written coming out of his concentration camp expereince in the war he has been able to distill the very essence of human behaviour and existence in a way that is as relevant now as it was then"

"very disappointing"

"the manner of presentation is non exhaustive every page surprisingly is giving a different take on something i thought i know of sufficiency well for a 3d question or at least am familiar with through works of other classics on the subject not necessarily the subject of holocaust but the subject of similar ugly historical events of equivalent scale that also touch on the murder of the soul and 'the what happens after' like experiences described during russian revolution s "

"for anyway struggling with life on life's terms there is always meaning to get through your struggles for "

"the second part about logotherapy was utterly dull & unclear despite me having studied many schools of psychotherapy in my training "

"this testimonial of the holocaust is well written engaging and helps you empathise with the position of all the people who were tortured and killed in concentration camps during wwii like no other has done before"

"this was my first book in this area and find it could not stop reading it"

"may these atrocities never happen again"

"a heart breaking journey for but just one man but thousands in their ordeal and uneccesary suffering inflicted by a sick minded and his officers frankl gives meaning to the darkest days a man can fall upon"

"for anyway struggling with life on life's terms there is always meaning to get through your struggles for "

"the setting of the holocaust gives the book and the author huge credibility"

"being written from a holocaust survivor frankl's guilt and tales of survival give a truly unique perspective on a tragedy that left me with feelings i never thought could be there"

"reading it makes you feel humble at the way we today complain about the small things in life which don't really matter"

"the book is in two parts the first part details his time in concentration camps not from the horrific side of the camp but more his mental ability to endure the harsh unremitting life in them and that of others"

"there is no reference to ethics"

"i did not like the book not what i expected"

"the manner of presentation is non exhaustive every page surprisingly is giving a different take on something i thought i know of sufficiency well for a 3d question or at least am familiar with through works of other classics on the subject not necessarily the subject of holocaust but the subject of similar ugly historical events of equivalent scale that also touch on the murder of the soul and 'the what happens after' like experiences described during russian revolution s "

"dr frankel was a neurologist brain surgeon and psychiatrist of jewish ethnicity and survivor of the wwii holocaust"

"interesting analysis of humans and how we deal with difficult and major life events"

"now in modern times people with all the benefits and material comforts of affluence succumb to despair and depression"

"its a tale of mans inhumanity to man and the horrors of being a victim in a concentration camp during the second world war"

"brilliant book and provides a road map for recovery for truly difficult times"

"i knew that this book would be affecting and impactful but i hadn’t actually realised how"

"the book is in two parts the first part details his time in concentration camps not from the horrific side of the camp but more his mental ability to endure the harsh unremitting life in them and that of others"

"it has made me realise i had little to complain about and that logo therapy was perfect"

"it has the subheader 'the classic tribute of hope from the holocaust' however this is not just a holocaust survivor book"

"he reluctantly agreed to write a script which as we know became this book"

"it has the subheader 'the classic tribute of hope from the holocaust' however this is not just a holocaust survivor book"