Literary Monday: Man's Search for Meaning

Title: Man's Search for Meaning

Author: Victor E. Frankl

Copyright Date: 1959

Summary: The book is a autobiography of Frankl's experience in the Nazi prison camps of Auschwitz and a smaller one in Austria. The horrifying experience of constantly know that at any point he could be gassed, or beaten, or worse, and malnourishment, and sickness taught him valuable lessons into attaining happiness in life. He learned that happiness wasn't in money or even art, it was in the meaning of life. The meaning of life is different for every person and every moment. The key to living a full, happy life is finding the meaning in it.

Quote: "The experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action. There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which proved that apathy could be overcome, irritability suppressed. Man can preserve a vestige of spiritual freedom, of independence of mind, even in such terrible conditions of psychic and physical stress.
"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms-- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

Chaddy's Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Chaddy's Comments: I thought this was a really DEEP book, but I came to find that that was what I liked about it. Victor Frankl's observations in his psychiatric practice and his camp experience were wonderful. Just plan on spending time with this book!