Recently I got to know about the book 'Man's Search For Meaning' which is written by 'Victor E Frankl'. According to the description or review of the book it sound classic and interesting to me to read a story of a Holocaust Survivor. So I decided to buy and give it a shot. This blog is just a part of summary of the book till i read.
It is a story about the time of World War-1 in Europe(Poland). It is a narration of the stories that he felt and experienced during the time when he was locked up in the concentration camp of Auschwitz and ultimately he got freed. It was his struggle and love for his family that gave him strength to make it out alive whatsoever he was weak mentally and physically.
He describes about the three phases : First one is when he enters the concentration camp. Second one is when he gets used to the daily life routine in the concentration camp. Third one is that when he got the freedom from the camp and left to live his life as he wants.
Now the author talks about his new starting of his life in the camp. His luggage was taken already and made to stand in a queue and queue was examined by the guards as if it the person has to be sent to right or left. If the person is chosen left that means he is weak and sent to the gas chambers to die. If luckily right according to the strength composition you will work for them. And author was chosen to the right side and here we get to note that the author was keen scientific reader so much so that he took a page of manuscript from a scientific book to his pocket when coming from home.
Further they were told to get naked and shaved and given soaps to get bathed. After that they were given some clothes to wear. The day ends and they were shown bunks to sleep for whatever time they allow. It was very cold at that time and made to sleep with 8 inmates with just 2 blankets. Anyhow they get to sleep and relieved for the time being.
While working, after sometime he met with a guard who used to tell his story of love life and author used to solve his problem with the wisdom in Psychiatry. That guard saved him a lot of time by the wrath of the officers and even in the food distribution. A lot of people in the camp started to get sick. Some of them died and others thought themselves of being the next. People started becoming weak because of lack of nutrition. Whenever they get time they used to do gossip around delicious food, that sometimes becomes a distraction from the hell of the camp. After 6 months they were moving to another camp while travelling he watches his childhood area through the window. Somewhere officers said something about wives, that was the first time author started to dream about her and the good old days he spent.
...(TO BE CONTINUED)