Book Assignment

         In my childhood my favorite books were the Harry Potter series. Now, my favorite book is a Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. In the Harry Potter series, Harry starts out as an orphan boy who is abused and neglected by his aunt, uncle, and cousin. On his twelfth birthday he finds out that he is actually a wizard, and he escapes from his relatives and goes to Hogwarts, a magical school for witches and wizard teens. In a Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor, a holocaust survivor, gives a cleaver retelling of his time in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. Viktor gives many flashback type vignettes of his experience and the things he’s learned from life since. It is a chilling tail that really makes you think about the meaning of life, and the human experience.

            Both books are on the top of my lists for several reasons. When Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone came out, I was the same age as Harry and his friends in the book, which made it relatable to me. In my small school, I was considered a class-A nerd, so naturally, Hermione Granger was my heroine. I read and read and read those books, like no other book I had ever read before. I loved the series so much; I didn’t think that any other book would ever tickle my fancy. I was wrong of course, but there was something about escaping through a book, into a whole new world that was just fascinating and exhilarating to me. Plus, as an eleven year-old, I secretly had a crush on Harry Potter. (What 11 year-old girl wouldn't love this dreamy little guy, right?)

Altogether, I think the biggest impact these books had on me, was that they made me even more of a nerd than I was before reading- which I am so geekily grateful for. Wanting to be like Hermione Granger, propelled me to excel in school and get good grades.

            Now my favorite book is a very somber one. A Man’s Search for Meaning is very deep, and it isn’t what you would call light reading in terms of content. I think part of the reason why I love Frankl’s book so much, is because he suffered more than man should ever have to suffer, and yet he made it through. To me that one simple fact is simply inspiring. Though we all face challenges in life, sometimes we face challenges that we truly believe will break us- yet, as we are pushed beyond our limits we tend to find that we are stronger than we previously thought. Throughout his book he also gave many insights into life that I had never heard before that really made me think and value everything I have, especially my relationships.