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jataraxia's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, and Deportation
Moderate: Child death and Deportation
Minor: Excrement and Cannibalism
ghostycell's review against another edition
4.5
The audiobook experience was decent. I think everyone should give this book a go, at the very least.
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, and War
Moderate: Suicide, Torture, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Child death and Cannibalism
emerentina's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and War
brittany_jean's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
noonanjohnc's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Torture, Death of parent, War, and Deportation
iuniper's review against another edition
5.0
Contrary to popular belief, this memoir is not about the atrocities that took place in the concentration camps of WWII, even if they are an integral part of the book. Viktor Frankl doesn't question the whys and the hows of such actions, and as he states later in the book, he firmly believes even the murderers and the criminals are humans at their core and that enables them to transcend their evil and become better through their responsible choices.
This book written in merely nine days is about what it means to lead a life full of meaning in the face of suffering, whatever that may be. It takes a good amount of responsibility for one's own life and trajectory in life, and more importantly, it is the conscious decisions one makes in the face of suffering: you have the freedom to choose how to respond to it. And by doing this, you take or give power to your oppressor. It is through this belief, paired with a fair share of good luck, manipulation and the kindness of others that Viktor Frankl survived four concentration camps when others didn't. And it is through this belief (and I would also call it practice) that he survived what came after he was released from the camp too.
But he doesn't only speak about himself. He writes the stories of his patients as well, from the camp and after the liberation when he continued his work as a psychiatrist. And in writing these stories he gives us plenty of evidence that it is possible to find meaning even in suffering and that wherever we are, whoever we are, can find our purpose. We can let life break us as if we're mere spectators, or we can start being responsible for our existence.
Moderate: Child death, Death, and War
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
exlibrary_gabbie's review against another edition
3.0
A few things still stuck and I feel were important at least for me.
"therefore the meaning of life, differ from man to man, and from moment to moment. Thus it is impossible to define the meaning of life in a general way."
"Questions about the meaning of life can never be answered by sweeping questions. "Life" does not mean something vague, but something very real and concrete"
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Genocide
pluviophile's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Antisemitism
rhecht's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Torture, and Antisemitism