Viktor Frankl was an Austrian, Jewish psychiatrist who pioneered logotherapy, a form of existential analysis focused on finding meaning in life.
Man’sViktor Frankl was an Austrian, Jewish psychiatrist who pioneered logotherapy, a form of existential analysis focused on finding meaning in life.
Man’s Search for Meaning is a two-part account: the first half discusses Frankl’s experience at the concentration camps, and the second half is comprised of universally applicable lessons gleaned from Frank’s struggle.
This book contains a rawness, an open display of the writer’s deepest emotions, that keeps author up at night wondering if they can emulate. This book is not just his magnum opus, nor his legacy, but his very reason for life itself. The lessons contained within the pages cannot be condensed to a few bullet points because it is the experiences of the author which give him the authority, which justify, his right to speak with such candour on these topics. This book is that powerful, and powerful to such a wide range of people that anyone can find something which resonates with them. It is truly telling that, when I have searched on google for “best Man’s Search for Meaning quotes” or something similar, my personal favorite quote doesn’t appear until the third page of some lists. Frankl reveals more of himself than some do in their entire lives. So many pages contain insight and knowledge in its purest form that I had to force myself to stop the audiobook and just think about it. I haven’t read every piece of Holocaust literature ever written, but I have read a decent number of them. This is the only work which contains the suffering, the randomness of life and death, the horror these prisoners experienced, and a sense of hope and beauty within one volume. This book, even if you disagree with it, deserves and demands your time. I’m tempted to end this with a quote,
"So live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!"...more
Heather Morris has captured the true story of Lale, a Slovakian Jew caught up in the atrocities of AuschwiThe Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Heather Morris has captured the true story of Lale, a Slovakian Jew caught up in the atrocities of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in the April of 1942. He is assigned the task of inscribing prisoner with numbers on their arms. During which he met love of his life, Gita, a fellow inmate.
Can their love sustain the brutality inside the camps? Lale, a true chivalrous gentleman. He uses his knowledge and charm in setting up a barter system with the construction labors. He smuggles out gems and currency in exchange of food and medicines for him, Gita and her friends. Lale's gesture towards Gita made me go awe at times. Lale's strong spirit and survival instinct is commendable.
Gita is a contrasting character. She is always on the look out for any horrific events happening. On the unexpressive note, she shares her last name only after they are once out of the camp.
Can I tag this as a work of fiction and also a memoir?
Heather Morris has described the horrific events in passing. There is killing, people dying of starvation and of typhis, dead bodies are piled up in the Gas Chambers, SS rogues harassing women. The inhumanity of human beings towards other humans knows no bounds.
Lale's story has a tad bit of Hope and love, like a beautiful flower making its way to bloom in a nasty gutter. There were moments in this story where I felt privileged to not have led such torturous life. . This is a good book, not a great one. At times I felt disconnected with the characters. Scenes change abruptly and dialogue often seems broken. I wish the characters were more expressive and descriptive. If you would want to get insights of life in concentration camps, go for this....more
Not many are privileged to own books, read and cherish them. And the one who is, do they make effort to do so? Often we are lead by our own judgementsNot many are privileged to own books, read and cherish them. And the one who is, do they make effort to do so? Often we are lead by our own judgements and prejudices to be indulged into activities that have no incentive.
Having read and loved many reviews of this book, I found the author received poignant accolades for his unique style of writing, bringing in a narrator we all wished for but never acknowledged – Death. “When death has story to tell, you must listen.” Find me a review without this quote.
What can I add more to it? I usually avoid reviewing books of its par excellence. Hands down this is the best historical fiction anyone will ever write or will ever read. I root for the reading characters, Anne Frank from Diary of a young girl, Hazel Grace from The fault in our stars, Charlie from Perks of being a wallflower or be it Toru Watanabe from Norwegian wood. Authors always create reading characters; I can say it is some kind of pattern I found after reading books. Chronologically placing the character by their reading passion, Liesel Meminger(The Book Thief) would bag the first place. I dote for her dogged determination in reading books. Zusak has written a book nobody can forget and a character that no writer can match. It is Liesel who taught me to be grateful for having books by my side always. It is she who taught me what it feels to have that yearning passion for reading and for books and how privileged we must be to having found books and a beautiful community that rejoices reading as much as she did. Despite the grim surrounding, Liesel found her hope, her strength in words, which bound her to Max, which sought her comfort in peril war scenes by reading it to everyone in basement. And I found comfort in discovering yet another reading character Liesel....more