Viktor Frankl: A Life Worth Living
Grade 8 Up–When Frankl was a child in Vienna, his dream was to be a doctor. While pursuing that goal, he became intrigued with Sigmund Freud and eventually moved into psychiatry, developing his own theory of logotherapy, a way to encourage patients to live fully by looking to the future rather than reliving the past. Frankl's professional plans were interrupted by the events of the Holocaust, with his arrest and imprisonment in four different concentration camps over a two-and-a-half-year period. Faced with the unimaginable, he applied his theory of logotherapy and helped many of his fellow camp victims to survive. When the war ended and Frankl returned to Vienna, he learned of the deaths of his beloved wife and parents in the camps. Years of his own depression were countered with encouragement from colleagues and a new relationship and marriage. He began to write about his experiences from a psychological viewpoint. The result was his widely read and acclaimed bookMan's Search for Meaning. Redsand has written an intriguing biography of a man who made a huge impact on the lives of many. His story presents a valued and readable look at one man's life.–Rita Soltan, Youth Services Consultant, West Bloomfield, MICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.