Logotherapy Resources: What to Read and Watch
Author: Nadiia Yurieva
From the first issue of “Time of Logotherapy”, 2025.
The book quotations below have been translated from the Ukrainian quotations reproduced in the original journal; they have not been verified against English-language editions.
Top 5 Films about the Defiant Power of the Human Spirit
Viktor Frankl, who developed the concept of the defiant power of the human spirit, speaks of it in two respects. First, he describes it as a spiritual power capable of challenging powerful human psychophysical counterforces that seek to prevent the actualisation of the will to meaning.
Second, Frankl describes the defiant power of the human spirit as a person’s ability to take their destiny into their own hands despite adverse external conditions and circumstances, while also growing as a person beyond their previous capacities.
Below is a selection of very different films united by one thing: their protagonists exemplify the defiant power of the human spirit. Their stories can help us find the strength to live through major upheavals, inspire us and offer role models.
1. Unbroken
A 2014 film about the life of the well-known American athlete Louis Zamperini. The film is based on real events. During the Second World War, Zamperini arrives in Tokyo not as an Olympic competitor, as he had dreamed, but as a prisoner of the Japanese.
There, the protagonist suffers abuse and torture. Watanabe, a guard at the prisoner-of-war camp, destroys his body but can do nothing to Zamperini’s spirit. He remains unbroken and defiant, demonstrating the spiritual freedom that remains to him and continuing to resist psychological and physical counterforces.
Promotional image for Unbroken, reproduced from the original publication.
2. Carol of the Bells
A profound and multifaceted film from 2023. About humanity, values worth fighting for, national identity, love and the defiant power of the human spirit. The protagonist, Sofiia, is a singing teacher and a woman with a big heart who risks her life during and after the Second World War, trying to save first Jewish girls, then a Polish girl and a German boy. A film about people of light and strength in dark times.
Promotional image for Carol of the Bells, reproduced from the original publication.
3. NYAD (2023)
Another powerful film about the defiant power of the human spirit, belief in oneself, support and the ability to keep going. And about the idea that age-related limitations are in our minds. The outstanding swimmer Diana Nyad had decided to retire from professional sport, but in 2013, at the age of 64, she accomplished what she had been unable to achieve throughout her previous career. (Editor’s note)
Promotional image for NYAD, reproduced from the original publication.
4. Father Stu
A 2022 film. The life story of Stuart Long, a boxer who became a priest and, despite his own struggle with an incurable illness, inspired countless people to follow a path from self-destruction to redemption.
Promotional image for Father Stu, reproduced from the original publication.
5. Hacksaw Ridge
A 2016 film. The true story of a military medic who rescued 75 people from the battlefield during the Second World War. Because of his religious beliefs, he did not take up arms. Yet he was certainly no coward and continued rescuing soldiers even after being wounded. The film is a vivid example of the defiant power of the human spirit and the steadfast values a person is prepared to defend.
Promotional image for Hacksaw Ridge, reproduced from the original publication.
Top 5 Books about the Defiant Power of the Human Spirit
A book can become a friend, a source of support and a means of self-help. The stories of people who have demonstrated the defiant power of the human spirit and challenged their circumstances in difficult times can inspire us and help us find the strength to keep living.
Viktor Frankl — Man’s Search for Meaning
In this book, the Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, philosopher and founder of the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy, Viktor Frankl, describes his experience of surviving in a concentration camp, as well as the power of the spirit that continues to resist circumstances despite bodily weakness and turmoil in the soul.
“A person can be deprived of everything except one thing: the last freedom — to choose their own attitude in any given circumstances, to choose their own path.”
Ukrainian cover of Viktor Frankl’s book, reproduced from the original publication.
Edith Eva Eger — The Choice
The story of psychotherapist Edith Eva Eger’s imprisonment in a concentration camp and her self-healing after liberation. She was sent to Auschwitz at the age of 16 and lost her parents there. A book about choice, a life filled with meaning and helping others.
“Here you are! In the sacred present. I cannot heal you — or anyone else — but I can celebrate your choice to dismantle the prison in your mind, brick by brick. You cannot change what happened, what you did or what was done to you. But you can choose life now!”
Ukrainian cover of The Choice, reproduced from the original publication.
Edith Eva Eger — The Gift
A practical guide, a collection of advice on caring for your mental health and avoiding becoming stuck in traumatic experience. A book written at the request of readers of the bestseller The Choice.
“The worst prison is the one you build in your own mind. But the key to it is in your pocket.”
Ukrainian cover of The Gift, reproduced from the original publication.
Steven M. Southwick and Dennis S. Charney — Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges
Professors Southwick and Charney explore resilience in the light of recent scientific advances. The information in the book is presented through the true stories of remarkable people who demonstrate pronounced resilience. The book will be useful both to psychologists and to every Ukrainian going through difficult times today.
“When something bad happens, instead of asking myself how to fix it or how to make sure it never happens again, I recognise that suffering and pain have a place in life. Yet I do not remain stuck in the experience of pain.”
“People can demonstrate resilience simply by not losing their minds after experiencing unprecedented horror, ordeal or contempt.”
Ukrainian cover of Resilience, reproduced from the original publication.
Eddie Jaku — The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor
Another recommended book about the defiant power of the human spirit. It tells the life story of Eddie Jaku, who survived the Holocaust and reached an advanced age while remaining extraordinarily positive and optimistic. A book that reminds us that, in such difficult days, we must be courageous more than ever and seek the strength to keep fighting.
“I believe that when you have strength of spirit, when you do not lose hope, the body is capable of remarkable things. Tomorrow will come. If you are dead, you are dead, but while there is life, there is hope. Why not leave yourself some hope? It costs nothing!”
Ukrainian cover of Eddie Jaku’s book, reproduced from the original publication.
Source for the Editorial Clarification
DiLillo, J. (2023, November 3). All your burning ‘NYAD’ questions, answered. Netflix Tudum. https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/nyad-questions-answered