Viktor Frankl: A Life Worth Living

Monday, January 7, 2008

Viktor Frankl: A Life Worth Living

Author: Anna Redsand

First line: The icy wind whistled at the prisoner's backs, pushing through the threadbare rags their captors called clothing.

Why you should read this book: Viktor Frankl led a remarkable life, but more importantly, he contributed to the sum of human knowledge a remarkable theory: logotherapy, which teaches that human beings must create their own meaning in life. Although he lost his wife and parents in the Holocaust and was himself a survivor of Auschwitz, Frankl taught that a positive attitude is the salvation of mankind, saved countless people from taking their own lives in desperation and pain, and brought meaning to the human condition. Anna Redsand's brilliant biography is written with the young reader in mind, but nevertheless covers, with sensitivity and depth, the often tragic conditions that forged Viktor Frankl, the first therapist to suggest focusing on the positive in treating mental conditions.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Since this is a young adult biography, older readers may find more of interest in Frankl's own Man's Search for Meaning or one of the many other books written by or about the subject.

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Dragon's Library

Monday, January 7, 2008