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Imagine a group of creatures, barely recognizable as men, exhausted and starved, lying listlessly in the darkness of a cold room in the worst of the concentration camps. They have chosen, yes chosen, to fast, to imperil their lives even further, rather than betray one of their members who has been guilty of a minor infraction of one of the many inhuman rules of the camp. One of the prisoners addresses the others in simple phrases, recounting some meaningful experiences from his past life and from his long study of psychology, philosophy, and religion. He speaks to them of hope and dignity; about the meaning of living and dying; about “suffering proudly.” He tells these men, who have no expectation of surviving their brutal experience, that they must stop asking the meaning of life and instead must think of themselves as those who are being questioned by life. He quotes Rilke: “How much suffering there is to get through.” He tells each of them that his unique opportunity lies in the way he bears his burden. And he reminds them of why they cling to life. One must live because a child is waiting for him, a child for whom he is irreplaceable. Another because a scientific work must be finished. Each of them must fulfill the unique tasks which life demands from him.
His listeners are apathetic men. They have long before learned not to respond to the daily abuse and beatings of the Capos, or trustees. They have deadened their feeling so much that seeing the dead body of a companion, dragged by the heels, does not even cause them to pause in eating their daily ration of bread. Yet, when the quiet but impassioned voice stops, these men come to him with tears in their eyes and thank him.
This voice was that of the author, Viktor Frankl, and what he experienced and said to them is said to us in this small book, which is so deeply moving and inspiring to read. For anyone who has been reading theoretical and tightly reasoned psychoanalytical and philosophical tomes, this small boo