lightning strikes twice

by Viktor Frankl

In this book, Frankl outlines his theory that man is adaptable to anything, and that man is not simply a product of his urges and instincts, but is capable of moulding his responses, especially when he has meaning in his life.

He has developed his theorys on meaning into a psychiatric discipline known as ‘logotherapy’, derived from the greek word ‘logos’ (in english: meaning).

The first part of the book details his experiences in German concentration camps during the second World War.  Here he determined that if a man has meaning, he is more likely to be able to withstand a massive amount of suffering.

The second part of the book examines the psychiatric ramifications of his theory.  It also goes on to say that meaning is personal, that there is no one meaning in life.

by Sloan Wilson

Written in the early 50s, this is a classic tale of America after the second world war. Tom Rath is a man who wants the best for his family, but feels the only way he can achieve this is going to ruin any joy in his life, and force him into the life of a work-a-holic. He also harbours a secret about an illegitimate son he fathered during the second world war. His wife is a faithful and strong woman who tries to enliven passion and ambition in him, and by the latter stages has helped him realise what is important and how he can manage his own expectations as well as his family’s. Overall, it is too sentimental and has a rosy vision of the future that you can’t imagine these days (with cynicism being all the rage), but nevertheless an important indicator of the times, and probably reflective of Australia as well as America.
7/10

starring Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger

The story of James J Braddock, an Irishman from New Jersey who was in the last throes of a promising but stunted career.  It speaks volumes about Russell Crowe’s acting abilities that he can take a standard story “down on luck man overcomes odds to beat villain” and make it scintillating.  I’d heard the boxing scenes were a bit stunted, but they seemed pretty good to me.  Definitely better fight scenes than Raging Bull, though Raging Bull may have had more of a interesting and involving cinematic story.
8/10