Viktor Frankl, like anyone who endured the atrocities of the Holocaust, is someone I don't have the vocabulary to describe. I'm in awe of the resilience and oftentimes almost unfathomable positivity of anyone who has lived through experiences I can't even imagine. What's even more extraordinary is that the lectures Frankl gave, which are the basis of this book, were presented only nine months after his liberation from his final concentration camp.

With an introduction by Daniel Goleman and afterward by Franz Vesely, Viktor's son-in-law, this book comprises three of Frankl's lectures:

• On the Meaning and Value of Life
• On the Meaning and Value of Life II
• Experimentum Crucis.

These lectures focus on suicide, forced annihilation and concentration camps respectively. With such difficult content I had expected this read to be quite depressing, but there's hope running through even the darkest of themes. Given the author's belief that we can find meaning regardless of our circumstances, this hope felt particularly appropriate.

It can be tempting, when someone talks about the importance of your attitude or finding meaning in suffering, to get into 'yeah, but'. Yeah, but how would they feel if they were in my situation? Yeah, but what qualifies them to speak to me about suffering? It's hard to 'yeah, but' when the person you're hearing it from is Viktor Frankl.

Content warnings are included in my Goodreads review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Rider, an imprint of Ebury Publishing, Penguin Random House UK, for the opportunity to read this book.

The book is excellent for anyone searching for answers to the meaning of life. Written by a man who suffered terribly in WW11 and learned to understand more about people within the most terrible circumstances. The fact that he survived atrocities and was able to help others afterwards is a testament of the human spirit to both survive, but also to thrive, even through the darkest of times. A book well worth reading in troubled times.

This, along with the previous book 'Man's Search for Meaning' are not really the types of books you're going to seek out because they lighthearted or humourous. The level of brutality, suffering and loss that are described in each are difficult to comprehend and it can be really difficult to try and image the horrors that the author endured throughout WWII. That said, the intent behind them is not to make us feel but, but to inspire us towards resilience. In that capacity, they're both very good books. This one is a series of seminars, so it reads a bit easier than the first. In light of current events around the globe, it does put things into perspective. Although you're not always going to "feel good" as you're reading them, they do make you feel a renewed sense of purpose after the fact. His argument about finding meaning and purpose is particularly valuable at this time - as his notion of being thankful for what you have in each moment.

The book is in great condition and so is its dustcover. As to the text, Frankl, a Nazi holocaust survivor, has a message written for the 21st century. This book would be a great source of advice and hope for today's young people, who are often seen as depressed and without purpose.