Man's Search for Meaning

De: Viktor E. Frankl

Narrado por: Theo Solomon

As relevant today as it was when it was first published, Man’s Search for Meaning is a book for finding strength and purpose in times of great despair.

“This is a book I reread a lot … it gives me hope … it gives me a sense of strength.”—Anderson Cooper, Anderson Cooper 360/CNN

Viktor E. Frankl was a medical doctor at a psychiatric hospital in 1942 when he became a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps in World War II. In 1946, he published this book about his camp experiences and a method of psychotherapy he developed. Forty-five years later, it was still named one of the most influential books in the United States.

Part One describes his three years in four Nazi concentration camps, which took the lives of his wife, father, mother, and brother. He closely observed inmates’ reactions to their situation, as well as how survivors came to terms with their liberation.

Part Two, introducing logotherapy, is an academic discussion of the psychological reactions experienced by all inmates to one degree or another. It solidified Frankl’s early theory that humanity’s primary motivational force is finding meaning in one’s life.

In Germany, titled Ein Psychologe erlebt das Konzentrationslager, or A Psychologist Experiences the Concentration Camp, its title in the first English translation was From Death-Camp to Existentialism. As of 2022, this book has sold 16 million copies and been published in 52 languages.

©1959, 1962, 1984, 1992, 2006 Viktor E. Frankl (P)2024 Blackstone Publishing

Love this book

It was slow at first, but the second part really opened my eyes to the true meaning of life. It is a must read/listen that everyone should read/listen to

Was this a good book?

This book was a little bit hard to follow.
It jumped from topic to topic too fast for me.
The overall theme was good. But I didn’t like how some of the book was written, because it was confusing at times. I give this book a (B+).

So moving

So moving so humane and human. A brilliant man whose ideas are still groundbreaking. May his memory be a blessing.

History never to be forgotten

As an older man who was born during WW2, and read Ann Frank as a boy i can never remove from my mind and emotions what happened to the Jews in Europe during that war. As a result, i can never be unsympathetic to Israel's precarious position in the Middle East. Reading Viktor Frankl reinforced what I always thought. In his book, Dr. Frankl illuminates what the meaning of life is. There is no one meaning. Everyman finds his own meaning. And meaning can be found in the most horrid conditions. As evil as was the concentration camp experience, Mr Frankl was able to find goodness in the camp commander who purchased medicine for the prison inmates and in the inmates willing to give up their own lives to save other inmates. If you are feeling sorry for yourself, read this book.

Divine

Viktor Frankl provides sacred insight to divine principles which, indeed, give eternal meaning for those who choose to live them.

Powerful

This isn’t just a memoir, it’s a mirror. One that is held up to the reader with unwavering steadiness. Man’s Search for Meaning begins by giving its readers many windows into the horror of the Holocaust. But the theme is not just survival, it’s about humanity. It’s about what remains when everything else is taken. Frankl’s core insight is that meaning is not found in pleasure or power, but in responsibility to something greater than the self. What moved me most was his refusal to let suffering define him. We cannot choose our circumstances, but we can choose how we meet them. That idea is deeply empowering.

This book doesn’t offer comfort for comfort’s sake. It offers clarity. And for those of us who crave a life aligned with truth, that’s far more valuable.

overwhelming, the immense powerful capacity to become dehumanized and still keep internal humanity.

the definition Muselman of concentration camps, are read by the narrator as Muslims. should be corrected

Life Changing

This book is special. I originally read the book knowing nothing about the context or plot and will not describe the experience I had while reading it as to leave yours as subjectively untainted as within my ability. The real power of this work derives from the fact that everything written is based on real events with real people that existed on this earth, and I sorely reminded myself this fact while listening. I highly recommend you read/listen this next if you've been lucky enough to hear of this text as a consideration. This is not an exaggeration, and I hope you can find anything similar to the value I've gained from this man's work. Thank you Viktor E. Frankl for sharing, and Theo Solomon for your narration. Rest in peace.

Profound and inspiring

This book should be required reading for all humans on planet Earth. It is one of the most inspiring books I will probably ever read.

A Must Read For All

This is one of those books that you don’t just read once. You read it, then read it again, and then continue reading it, living it, and studying it.

So much to learn for this man’s life and life’s work. His purpose was and still is to teach people how to find their purpose. Thank you Viktor Frankl for this wonderful gift.