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A review by lilitherary
Man's Search for Meaning by Gordon W. Allport, Viktor E. Frankl
Need to get a physical copy of this to annotate because there is just so much to look back on.
I’ve learned of the horrors of the Nazi Camps and regime as I studied it in my History A levels which only really focused on the “overall effects” it had, but this is my first time reading a personal recounting/memoir of it. The first half is haunting, he doesn’t just tell us about his observations on how meaning was found in the face of unimaginable torment but also about structures within the camp and how they operated.
He offers a lot of insight as a psychologist and in a very accessible way. The 2nd half of the book was a lot slower as they were more “academic”(still quite understandable but did get technical at times) as he tells us about “logotherapy” a school of psychotherapy pioneered by him. I am not a psychologist nor anyone with much knowledge in this field, so I can’t offer much in terms of criticism(if there is any to be had) but I still do think there is a lot to be able to take away from it as the everyday person. Might not be “life changing” but it will definitely help me see things in a different light and learn more about others.
I would strongly recommend reading at least the first part if not all of it! I know the second half might not be what everyone was looking for. I listened to it as an Audiobook so it probably aided me in getting through it more than it would have had I just read it.
I’ve learned of the horrors of the Nazi Camps and regime as I studied it in my History A levels which only really focused on the “overall effects” it had, but this is my first time reading a personal recounting/memoir of it. The first half is haunting, he doesn’t just tell us about his observations on how meaning was found in the face of unimaginable torment but also about structures within the camp and how they operated.
He offers a lot of insight as a psychologist and in a very accessible way. The 2nd half of the book was a lot slower as they were more “academic”(still quite understandable but did get technical at times) as he tells us about “logotherapy” a school of psychotherapy pioneered by him. I am not a psychologist nor anyone with much knowledge in this field, so I can’t offer much in terms of criticism(if there is any to be had) but I still do think there is a lot to be able to take away from it as the everyday person. Might not be “life changing” but it will definitely help me see things in a different light and learn more about others.
I would strongly recommend reading at least the first part if not all of it! I know the second half might not be what everyone was looking for. I listened to it as an Audiobook so it probably aided me in getting through it more than it would have had I just read it.