From Goodreads.com:Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945, Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of others he treated later in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering, but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory--known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")--holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.
At the time of Frankl's death in 1997, Man's Search for Meaning had sold more than 10 million copies in twenty-four languages. A 1991 reader survey for the Library of Congress that asked readers to name a "book that made a difference in your life" found Man's Search for Meaning among the ten most influential books in America.
My thoughts:I know quite a few that found this book to be life changing. I did not. If I had read it back in the 70-80's maybe.
The first part details the authors time in Nazi camps during WWII and I found that extremely interesting and thought provoking.
I found myself coming back time and time again to the simple question of what would I have done if put in the same circumstance. I didn't have a solid answer. I have what I hope I would be and od but never will know thank goodness.
The last part of the book goes into the authors brand of science of the mind. It is now a bit outdated but it was nice to read where he got his ideas from and so much more agreeable than Freud.
