Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

39 reviews

netaliv3's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and War

rat_on_wheels's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

This book definitely seems less pedantic and condescending than many which try to tackle the issues of depression and hopelessness in people with logic and grace. Through detailing memorable instances of events throughout his trials in the concentration camps of the Third Reich, he gives reasoning behind people’s need for purpose and motivation, and does so in a way that can relate to victims of such horrific atrocities just as easily as to young children suffering some of the first minor complications they’ve ever had. 

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Content Warnings

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

dark reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

Frankl literally states in this book that he thought about publishing anonymously. He claims that people wouldn't care if they didn't have a name to put with the story. While I think it's important to have any kind of history of the Holocaust, it's a billion times more important to put a name with the story. I applaud Frankl for being comfortable enough to publish under his name & giving insight into his story. 

I listened to the audio & the narrator Simon Vance did a fantastic job with the book. My only complaint is that the book could have been broken up better, into smaller parts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

ac_rva's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Murder, and War

pandaorb's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

2.0

I did not enjoy this in the slightest, but it was a book club selection so I powered through. To start with, I have an incredibly difficult time digesting Holocaust literature. I have been exposed to the horrors that humanity is capable of and dwelling on it any longer does me no good, thus Part 1 of this book was an extremely painful read.
Part 2 was written so differently (and in fact was not added until long after the initial publication) that it may as well have been a different book. The switch in tone and topic was jarring, and from my reading could essentially be summed up as "find religion or at least something to do". The postscript ended up being the most palatable section for me.
Frankl wrote the first draft for Part 1 in 9 days. I wish he had taken more time and integrated the information from Part 2 into Part 1 in order to illustrate any cases of logotherapy at work in concentration camps. 
I don't begrudge the man for sharing his story, and I'm grateful that he found peace before passing, but this particular work did not do for me what it seems to have done for so many others. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide

Minor: Cannibalism

mathildemroy's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Suicide, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War

tctimlin's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

3.0

Part One, where Frankl describes his concentration camp experiences is moving and devastating.  Part Two, where he describes his therapeutic philosophy, is dry and frustrating (I am not at all convinced that just flipping the script for a depressed or ill person is going to magically solve their issues).  He ignores biology in favor of just mentally changing one’s attitude.  The Afterword actually does a better job of explaining his philosophy and showing the optimism behind Frankl’s approach.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and War

meenalgarg's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism

blueberry0531's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, and Physical abuse

cassidyzang's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and War