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rat_on_wheels's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Antisemitism, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation
brittanylee0302's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Genocide, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
ac_rva's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Murder, and War
mdwsn27's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
spooderman's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug use, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Forced institutionalization
tmickey's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Suicide attempt, and Murder
gheddi's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Murder, and War
cdomonoske's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Death, Genocide, and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
annadrinksmilk's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, and Suicide attempt
samdalefox's review against another edition
5.0
The book was recommended by my mental health counsellor, highlighting Frankl's finding and assertion that the only thing a person has control over, is their attitude to their circumstances. This aspect has certainly helped me in my own mental health work.
Unlike some of the other reviews, I enjoyed the second part of the book as much as the first. (I read the 80's edition). This may be because of my medical science background and interest in psychiatry. I found Frankl's way of describing his personal experiences almost objectively, quite comforting and appealed to my natural way of thinking. Although the field has developed since his writing, I found it very interesting learning about logotherapy and found it complemented my interest in existentialism. I do think some of the observations he makes are still very relevant today, especially his comments relating to existential boredom.
The first part of the book where he describes his experiences in concentration camps was, of course, difficult to read. However this is the first time I've 'enjoyed' (for lack of a better word) reading about the Holocaust. Previous historical iterations from secondary sources always had the whiff of political war propaganda to me. Frankl's lived experience retelling has no such endorsement of war. What was significant for me, was he not only described his and other's various suffering, but attempted to explain it too. E.g. Why the prisoners and guards reacted in the ways they did. How their psychology and identity was affected as well as their physical health. Frankl goes through each stage of the prisoner's psychological response to his trauma.
Overall, a harrowing, but important read. I think it has the potential to help many people. Maybe be more compassionate to others, maybe employ some logotherapy principles to their own life, maybe become more consciously opposed to war.
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Murder, and War
Holocaust