16 MILLION COPIES SOLD‘A book to read, to cherish, to debate, and one that will ultimately keep the memories of the victims alive’ John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped PyjamasA prominent Viennese psychiatrist before the war, Viktor Frankl was uniquely able to observe the way that both he and others in Auschwitz coped (or didn’t) with the experience. He noticed that it was the men who … experience. He noticed that it was the men who comforted others and who gave away their last piece of bread who survived the longest – and who offered proof that everything can be taken away from us except the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. The sort of person the concentration camp prisoner became was the result of an inner decision and not of camp influences alone. Frankl came to believe man’s deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. This outstanding work offers us all a way to transcend suffering and find significance in the art of living.
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This is the one book that I have seen referenced more than any other around a “must read”, as it is truly the most life changing book you can read, no matter how your life is going.
In a nutshell, Frankl demonstrated the impact of positive thinking in making it through this journey we call life.
If you haven’t read it, you must and then give it to someone else to change their life!
I’ve never been more humbled by a book. Thank you for writing this (RIP)
Man’s Search for Meaning is written by a Holocaust survivor with a deep understanding of the psychology of humans especially in these tragic and tormenting times. It has become a classic in trying to understand this era.
A great read and a must-read for anyone seeking the meaning of life.
I have to say that this is one of my favorite books of all time. I wish I would have read this book at a younger age, when the world seemed so bleak and when the world of psychiatry (as then and still as today) reduced ones existential anguish to that of “chemical imbalance.”
I am surprised that I had never heard of Logotherapy, and am surprised that even though this book is one of the most recommended books of all time the messages and thought seem to still be so utterly ignored.
This book was so full of gems that I read it at a snails pace and collected so many quotes along the way. Read it, and drink it in slowly like a fine wine.
An important work to be read multiple times through the years.
Amazing insights.
This is a must read book for all.
One of the worlds great pieces of wisdom out of the greatest of tragedies.
Those of us who grew up in the baby boom generation,have no idea of the horror o of W W I I and the atrocities of the Holocaust.Even the men who served in the U.S.army didn’t talk about it until many years later on.U.S.soldiers of German descent were often treated with undeserved maliciosnous.My father was one of those brave men.
A critically important book which should probably be read by all thoughtful people
Greta book if you’re feeling depressed and/or need a little guidance.
Helped me get through Marine Corps boot camp.
Very intelligent and inspiring.
A way of looking at the world and becoming better no matter what your fate is.
Frankl is a must read. His story is timeless, and the experience of his role as a medical aid and prisoner in some of the worst Nazi concentration camps is profound. His personal loss and survival, coupled with the images forever etched in his mind–now etched in mine, led to a unique therapy after his survival.
The moment when he realizes in the shower that he and his fellow prisoners are at absolute zero, nothing to take with them from their past, is just breathtaking. Reminds me of the incredible perspective found in When Breath Becomes Air (written by a cancer surgeon fighting and losing his life to the horrible disease), Dr. Frankl sees this horrendous experience from the eyes of a brilliant Psychiatrist.
The key finding is the essence of what allowed some to survive the holocaust, while others lost the will to live. A Life-changing read!
A wonderful read from tragedy to prevelance. A book that You will want to read once a year.
This is one of the best and most helpful books I have ever read. I first came across it in graduate school and have continued to re-read it every few years. Dr. Frankl was a concentration camp survivor and psychiatrist who developed a therapy based on helping people uncover the meaning in their lives. Brilliant man, inspirational book. Highly recommended.
This book could change your life!
This is the account of a psychiatrist who was incarcerated in concentration camps in the 1940’s. He gives an account of the physical trials, the mental trials and the spiritual trials of a circumstance most of us can not imagine. His account leaves one with hope and not despair.