Man's Search for Meaning

The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life

This is an excellent book that continues to impact and influence a new generation of readers. Frankl's account of his time in Nazi death camps where he experienced the death of his pregnant wife, parents, and brother as well as other horrors placed Frankl in a position of real authority to share wise counsel in this area. His experiences and observations, ultimately leading to an incredible understanding of human nature.

Though he experienced unimaginable tragedy and adversity, he nontheless realized great truth. After reading and even re-reading his story, it is hard to imagine he authored these famous words, "The one thing you can't take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one's freedoms is to choose ones attitude in any given circumstance."

This message is a profound reminder to all of us who, in our more routine lives, may, from time to time, forget that regardless of what is going on around us, we can maintain control of what is going on within us.

This is a "TOP TEN" classic and should become a part of your self-growth library.

Highly Recommended!

As many stories introduce themselves, there are many times a main character who plays a strong influence in the books' effect on the person reading it. The reader will often be able to connect to the main character through similarities that they share. It could also be the willpower or determined personality that lure the reader closer to the main character. In the case of Man's Search for Meaning, this was exactly what happened to me. I was hooked by the first page. The author really allowed me to think about for who and what I am living for. If I were to put myself in his optimistic shoes, I would realize that there is no way I could have gone through what he did with the positive attitude that he had. Not only were his personality traits shining through the cover of the book into my mind, but alson adding to the books' real meaning.
My favorite personality trait would be Viktor's inspirational glow on life. His powerful quotes fill the magical pages with truth and acceptance to his new life in the camps. He teaches us that we need to sit back and just think about the true meaning in our lives. He is sure that he will get out of the camps alive and be able to share his story with the world. He overall just believed in what he said and was confident that everything would turn out okay.
Throughout Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor's personality traits shined out to me like a lightning bug in a dark night sky. In the camps he had a way of helping other prisoners get their hopes up and many others to find their meaning in life. It was his personality that pulled him through all his hardships.

Man's Search for Meaning One of the most important books I will ever read. Life transforming. Unable to put it down. And, at the end of the day, spiritually uplifting.

Let me share part of the first paragraph of Harold S Kushner's introduction:

"Typically, if a book has one passage, one idea with the power to change a person's life, that alone justifies reading it, rereading it, and finding room for it on one's shelves. This book has several such passages."

There's nothing more to add to that, really. You can read the other reviews to get an indication of why I say that passage is accurate, but it most assuredly is. Maybe I should've bought the hardback...

There are few men that can absolutely compare to Viktor Frankl when it comes to groundbreaking thoughts on the human experience. His ideas on the existential vacuum and its effects are simply amazing. He paints a picture of his time in a concentration camp that is simply spell binding to say the least. If this weren't enough he goes on to show how that singualar moment in his life has impacted his work. Absolutely a tour de force do yourself a favor and read this book when you can. The Kindle edition is formatted a bit awkwardly but not unreadable.