Victor Frankl survived the unspeakable in Nazi concentration camps. What he learned through that process resonates with countless other serving life sentences in California.

Victor Frankl was an Austrian, Jewish psychiatrist and survivor of four different Nazi concentration camps. After miraculously surviving the horrific conditions and escaping the crematoria, Frankl went on to tell his story in “Man’s Search For Meaning.” Originally published in 1946, the book has sold more than 16 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 50 languages in the years since.

I first came across Man’s “Search for Meaning” during my 23rd year of incarceration while serving a life without parole (LWOP) sentence. The year was 2018. I was in the infant stage of turning my life around and my cellmate at the time, Luis G., recommended I read it. 

Luis was one of those guys who had been in and out of prison most of his adulthood. He was hitting 40 and realized prison life was getting old. Lucky for him, this fourth term was just a turn around— five years, with luck 2.5 on good behavior. I had been attending self help classes and applying what I learned in these groups in my daily life. Luis noticed my positive attitude. He found it amazing how, regardless of an LWOP sentence, I could carry on as I did. A lot of our conversations revolved around changing our lives and how it might be attainable. “Man’s Search For Meaning” came up in this context. I guess he had noticed I was in search of something. I had never heard of the book before; he had read it in county jail. 

The book explains how Frankl found purpose in life, regardless of his circumstances. Frankl wrote about keeping hope alive. He shows how he kept his dignity, not succumbing to his cruel environment. Frankl explains that “[m]an’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life and not a secondary rationalization of instinctual drive. This meaning is unique and specific in that it must and can be fulfilled by him alone: only then does it achieve a significance which will satisfy his own will to meaning.”

I was immediately interested in the book’s title. It spoke to me and said, ‘you might want to read me if you want to find what you’re searching for.’ The old me had no meaning. So I had my wife send it to me. I was in High Desert State Prison. I remember receiving the book from Receiving & Release and as I crossed the yard, one of the fellas pulled me over to check out the book. He read the title and jokingly said, “if you haven’t found meaning yet, you never will.” 

I took that to heart and was motivated even more to read the book. I have to say, it was the best thing I could have done for myself. “Man’s Search For Meaning” resonates with me because of why and how Frankl survived. He explained the importance of finding inner freedom regardless of the circumstances and gave me insight into what my life was and is today.

Now, in many ways concentration camps are not like state prisons. The state prison system can work for people incarcerated there. There are programs in place today that help us become successful in our rehabilitation. There are dedicated staff—free staff and incarcerated individuals—whose goal is to prepare us to reenter society, to become productive law-abiding citizens. In concentration camps, those in charge were trying to exterminate the imprisoned. Still, all prisons are callous. They are warehouses of lost souls. Lost souls with distorted belief systems, as I once had, which made us believe we should not care for the next man. This is a cold combination, a recipe that stirs up strife, hatred and animosity amongst each other.

One scene that particularly resonated with me was one that describes the way people responded to death in the camp. Frankl writes, 

 “I watched without any emotional upset the scene that followed, which was repeated over and over again with each death. One by one the prisoners approached the still warm body. One grabbed the remains of the messy meal of potatoes; another decided that the corpse’s wooden shoes were an improvement on his own and exchanged them. A third man did the same with the dead man’s coat and another was glad to be able to secure some – just imagine – genuine string… Two hours before I had spoken to that man. Now I continued sipping my soup.”

This part in the book inspired me to take a mental inventory of what I felt during my childhood. My mind was in prison long before my physical body. Violence in our household was a regular thing, beatings from siblings and other traumatic events took a toll on my young mind. I felt fear in the beginning but after a while the abnormal became normal. A detachment occurred and as I grew older I felt a lack of emotion towards others. My behavior progressed from fist fights, to stabbing, then eventually murder. Value toward human beings had been chipped away, value for my life included.

‘Man’s Search For Meaning’ resonates with me because of why and how Frankl survived. He explained the importance of finding inner freedom regardless of the circumstances and gave me insight into what my life was and is today.

I became the plaything of circumstances. I gave up my inner freedom for I believed I had no future to look forward to. I basically ran amuck. I hated my life, and this way of thinking ate at me in a way that I really wanted it to end. It got worse when I was finally arrested for the crime I committed. It’s as if I had been given a license to really turn it up. My county and prison records show brutality against others, prisoners and staff. I had it in my head this was my life. Not one time did I stop and think: it doesn’t have to be this way.

Frankl’s experiences in the camp forced him to wonder whether humans are “completely and unavoidably influenced by his surroundings” but eventually went on to write that ” there were always choices to make. Every day, every hour offered the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which threatened to rob your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or not you become the plaything of circumstance, renouncing freedom and dignity to become molded into the form of the typical inmate.” 

With the loss of choice comes a loss of faith in the future, and, as Frankl says, “the prisoner who had lost faith in the future – his future was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and become subject to mental physical decay. “

That’s common around here in prison. You can’t see a future for yourself in ten years, five years, next week or tomorrow. Some guys can’t see past the moment they’re living in. It’s why books like “Man’s Search For Meaning” are powerful. It teaches you to self exam yourself, ask yourself the tough question. We’re valuable human beings but our warped belief system has us believing that we’re damaged and doomed. 

Frankl’s description of what inner freedom feels like is sprinkled throughout the book; he had humor, inner strength, spirituality, and dignity through his morals. Importantly, he realized that “love is as strong as death. ”

One choice Frankl made to keep his inner freedom was to accept his suffering, to look towards it as a task and realize its hidden opportunities. This was an eye opener and led me to follow his lead. I quit giving in to my suffering and instead I faced it head on. I started bettering my circumstances with education. I had been illiterate most of my life. So, I enrolled in GED classes and earned my GED. I became a certified paralegal through a correspondence course. I enrolled into college and as of today am on the verge of earning a AA degree in Liberal Arts. 

I also started attending self-help groups. I went from quietly sitting in the back seat to participating and eventually facilitating groups such as Alcohol Anonymous and Criminal Gang Anonymous. I took charge of my life and took advantage of those hidden opportunities. I choose to become a better man because of it. My meaning in life is deeply connected to being of service to others who have experienced suffering as I did and have yet to see that there is a better tomorrow. Sharing my knowledge and testimony with others here in prison and on the street, that yes, change is possible … I can make a difference. By helping even just one person find himself, imagine how many people would be affected by his change. 

Since I read the book, I have met other men who have found it to be a treasure trove of wisdom. My neighbor Leonardo Cisneros, who was recently sent to Wasco State Prison from San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, is fond of the book too. What he got out of reading the book was “to believe in something other than yourself wholeheartedly gives you meaning.” 

Mark A. Montoya, a guy I know from the yard, told me “Man’s Search For Meaning” was the first motivational book he had read. “It made me realize if you have a “WHY” the “HOW” is not a problem,” he said. He even wrote it on a Post-It note: “Live for your WHY.” It’s what he sees when he opens his eyes every morning.

“Its message of resilience and perseverance is still alive today, almost 100 years later,” Montoya added. Since man is still in search of his meaning. “No matter what we face or how dark the road seems – don’t ever forget your ‘WHY,’” he made sure I added.

I lend out my personal copy of the book numerous times throughout the years, always with the hope that the reader will take from it as much as I did. Young or old, I let these guys know, it’s a good book; you could learn a lot from it.

And I take my book to the groups I facilitate and share snippets of the writing. I incorporate it into the group lessons, and the guys are blown away by Frankl’s perspective. Sadly, I’ve never heard of the book being taught in a prison class. I’m not confident it’s available in many libraries. After talking to our prison librarian, it seems the facility doesn’t have a copy of “Man’s Search for Meaning.” Hopefully that will change—it is a must-read when searching for meaning in life, hopefully one day will be a staple in all prison libraries. 

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Jose Chavez writes from Wasco State Prison in Wasco, California.