Publishers Weekly
★ 03/30/2020
Based on three public lectures delivered in Vienna in 1946, this slim, powerful collection from Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist Frankl (Man’s Search for Meaning) attests to life’s meaning, even in desperate circumstances. Coming less than a year after Frankl’s liberation from Auschwitz, Frankl’s writings address a postwar “spiritually bombed out” audience that knows the evils of which humanity is capable. Frankl (1905–1997) claims that it is not humanity’s role to question life’s meaning, but rather it’s life that demands people reflect on their purpose. Frankl posits three ways in which humans find meaning: through work; through experiencing nature, art, or love; and through how they accept unwelcome circumstances. He offers an example of a patient of his who lived a meaningful life: a graphic designer who had fallen ill and, no longer able to work, enjoyed reading and music; when dying, he asked for his final morphine shot at the doctor’s convenience, thus thinking of others at his last hour. An afterward by Frank Vesely, Frankl’s son-in-law, attests to how Frankl’s own sense of purpose helped him survive both the Holocaust and subsequent losses. This lovely work transcends its original context, offering wisdom and guidance. (May)
From the Publisher
This slim, powerful collection from Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist Frankl (Man’s Search for Meaning) attests to life’s meaning, even in desperate circumstances...This lovely work transcends its original context, offering wisdom and guidance.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“The case studies are relatable and the overall viewpoint convincing. More than 70 years later, Frankl’s philosophy still inspires.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Frankl’s ideas bear particular consideration right now.”
—Washington Post
“Yes to Life is a provocative invitation to think about what you believe and what you can do to get through tough times. Its brevity invites you to linger on phrases or re-read pages that interest you. In your pursuit of providing compassionate care under trying conditions, you may find just what you need in a phrase, an insight, or this poem by Rabindranath Tagore: I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was duty. I worked—and behold. Duty was joy.”
—Oncology Times
Praise for Man’s Search for Meaning
“An enduring work of survival literature.”
—The New York Times
“[Man’s Search for Meaning] might well be prescribed for everyone who would understand our time.”
—Journal of Individual Psychology
“An inspiring document of an amazing man who was able to garner some good from an experience so abysmally bad . . . Highly recommended.”
—Library Journal
“This is a book I try to read every couple of years. It’s one of the most inspirational books ever written. What is the meaning of life? What do you have when you think you have nothing? Amazing and heartbreaking stories. This is a book that should be in everyone’s library.”
—Jimmy Fallon
“This is a book I reread a lot . . . it gives me hope . . . it gives me a sense of strength.”
—Anderson Cooper, Anderson Cooper 360/CNN
Kirkus Reviews
2020-02-05
Published for the first time in English translation, these speeches introduce the Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor’s belief in the essential meaningfulness of life.
Frankl gave these three lectures in Vienna in 1946, just nine months after his liberation from a concentration camp. Together, they offer a condensed primer to his best-known work, Man’s Search for Meaning (1946). Known as “logotherapy,” Frankl’s approach aimed to help suicidal people find meaning through creativity, love, and suffering. This was no mere intellectual construct but a pattern he observed in his patients and manifested in his own life. Fatalism is overcome, Frankl insists, by individuals creating meaning. However, this is more complicated than achieving contentment, for in a “balance sheet” view of life, bad moments outweigh good ones. Therefore, happiness cannot be the goal, he argues. Instead of asking “What can I expect from life?” he advocates flipping the question to “What does life expect of me?” Joy comes from fulfilling that duty. He gives the real-life example of a man being sent away for a life sentence: Frankl expects the prisoner would then have deemed his existence meaningless, yet when fire broke out on the prison ship, he saved 10 lives. From this, the author concludes that “none of us knows what is waiting for us” and so suicide is “the one thing that is certainly senseless.” Furthermore, illness and suffering offer opportunities for spiritual growth, whether through resistance or—if death is inevitable—acceptance. Frankl cites a terminally ill patient who could no longer work but found meaning in reading, music, and conversation. To modern readers, many of the sentences may seem convoluted while the oral format accounts for slight repetition. However, the case studies are relatable and the overall viewpoint convincing. Psychologist Daniel Goleman’s introduction, though overlong, gives useful context.
More than 70 years later, Frankl’s philosophy still inspires.
