Man's Search For Meaning

The moving true story of psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl's time as a prisoner in Auschwitz and what we can learn from his experience. OVER 16 MILLION COPIES SOLD 'A book to read, to cherish, to debate, and one that will ultimately keep the memories of the victims alive' John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas 'Every human being should read this book' Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why In 1942, just months after marrying his wife, Viktor Frankl and his family were sent, first to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, and then to Auschwitz. A prominent Viennese psychiatrist before the war, Frankl was uniquely able to observe the way that he and other inmates coped with the experience of being in in the notorious concentration camp. During his time in the camps, he noticed that those who comforted others and gave away their last piece of bread often survived the longest. He saw that the kind of person a prisoner became depended, not just the influence of the camp, but on an inner decision. Those who let go of their moral and spiritual selves eventually fell victim to the camp's degrading effects; those who resisted were able to turn their suffering into a kind of inner triumph. For Frankl, his experience was proof that everything can be taken from us except the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. From this, he came to believe that our deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. One of the seminal pieces of literature to emerge from World War 2, this powerful and inspiring book offers us all a way to transcend suffering and find meaning in the art of living. Praise for Man's Search for Meaning: 'Remarkable...It changed my life and became a part of all that I live and all that I teach.' Susan Jeffers, bestselling author of Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway 'An enduring work of survival literature.' New York Times 'Every human being should read it.' Simon Sinek, bestselling author of Start With Why 'One of the moral heroes of the 20th century...His works are essential reading for those who seek to understand the human condition.' Chief Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks 'If you read but one book this year, Dr Frankl's book should be that one.' Los Angeles Times

Viktor Frankl was born in Vienna in 1905 and was Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School. His wife, father, mother and brother all died in Nazi concentration camps, only he and his sister survived, but he never lost the qualities of compassion, loyalty, undaunted spirit and thirst for life (earning his pilot's licence aged 67). He died in Vienna in 1997.