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  • Viktor Frankl: A Life Worth Living
  • Hope Morrison
Redsand, Anna Viktor Frankl: A Life Worth Living. Clarion, 2006150p illus. with photographs ISBN 0-618-72343-9$19.00 Ad Gr. 10 up

Considered one of the most influential books of the twentieth century, Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, which recounts Frankl's first-hand experiences during the Holocaust and his development of the principle of logotherapy, is required reading at many high schools and colleges. This in-depth biography offers additional details on the man behind this groundbreaking volume, from his childhood in Vienna, to his practice as a doctor before the war, to graphic accounts of his experiences in four different concentration camps, to the years following liberation when he worked to heal himself and share his ideas on logotherapy with the world. The basic principle of logotherapy is that finding meaning in life can enable a person to survive, even in the worst conditions. Frankl taught logotherapy long before his own first-hand experiences with suffering, working as a young medical student with suicidal patients in Vienna hospitals before the war, but it is his application of the principles of logotherapy to his experiences in the concentration camps that is most remembered. Unlike many well-known Holocaust survivors, Frankl was a figure of prominence, most notably in the areas of psychology, social psychology, and psychoanalysis, long before the war, and these areas are explored in some depth in the earlier part of the book. Unfortunately, the writing is stodgy, the narrative sometimes disjointed, and the explorations of Frank's work densely written, making this tough going for the average high-school reader. Nonetheless, those particularly interested in Frankl's unusual character character will find this worth pursuing. Of special interest to readers will be the section which explores both positive and negative reception of Frankl and Man's Search for Meaning. Though Frankl is not a biographical figure sought out by many, those already interested in the man and his writing will find more context and information here. Archival photographs, including images of the Holocaust and Frankl family photos, and maps are included, as are an author's note, source notes (which disappointingly fail to provide page citations), a bibliography, recommended reading, and an index.

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