by Caroline Dalzell

Created on: March 01, 2009

A tale of finding hope from the Holocaust, this inspirational book tells of Victor E Frankl's time in Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps. You will be exhilarated by the end of the book and in awe of Frankl's inner strength in times of unknown horrors. Told with unbelievable honesty, Man's Search for Meaning is a book divided in two: the first half is Frankl's description of life in concentration camps and his unwavering conviction not to give up hope; the second is about his philosophy on life, teaching us ways we too can endure any hardship.

Simply told, the horrors of the Holocaust are all the more vividly brought to life: the desperation, the not knowing whether today you would be sent to the gas chamber, not knowing if your truck would in fact end up at the work camp as you were led to believe, the beatings, the surviving on watery soup, the sickness, the coldness, the sheer hopelessness. Frankl did remain hopeful, though, despite all that surrounded him. Despite death staring him in the face every waking minute, lurking behind every corner and claiming the lives of his comrades, Frankl refused to be defeated by the awfulness of his situation. Even though he was physically weak, utterly exhausted, and cruelly driven to the end of his existence by the guards, he remained mentally robust. The thought of seeing his family, of returning to his former life, kept him alive: he had something to live for.

Frankl believes in meaning, and agrees with Nietzsche: "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." It is truly remarkable that he can suffer so much, lose so much, see so much, and still have hope, because he has a meaning, a purpose. Frankl believes that if you have something to live for, you can endure any situation. And how can you possibly argue with that, when presented with possibly the most potent evidence ever? If one man can retain hope in Auschwitz, there truly must be some hope for humanity.

Man's Search for Meaning will leave you exhilarated. Before its conclusion, however, you will be only half-exhilarated; the other half of you will be in despair at mankind: that man can create the Holocaust on the one hand, surely one of our darkest hours throughout the entirety of our bloody history on earth, and yet endure it with hope, on the other, is truly remarkable. A startling and inspiring book, everyone should read Man's Search for Meaning.

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