There's more to life than being happy

In 1942, Viktor Frankl, a Jewish psychiatrist in Vienna, was transported to a Nazi concentration camp. Man’s Search For Meaning, based off of his experiences during the Holocaust, is about how to find meaning amid suffering. He paraphrases Nietzsche in the book: He who knows the “why” for his existence can withstand almost any "how." This is a classic work that shows why human beings have such a powerful need for meaning.

A lot of young adults think that the key to leading a meaningful life is changing the world in some grand way—like by curing some disease or launching the next big company. And that’s basically what Dorothea Brooke and Tertius Lydgate think, too. These two young adults yearn for meaning and want to lead epic lives. But as the novel progresses, their hopes and dreams are dashed. Even so, Eliot wants us to see that a meaningful life doesn’t have to be extraordinary or epic. Ordinary lives are also full of meaning, too.

This novel tells the story of a teenage boy named Pi, who, in the aftermath of a shipwreck that has killed his family, finds himself aboard a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. Pi’s story of resilience and growth in the face of tragedy is incredible once you realize what really happened on board the lifeboat. Though what really happened is tragic, Pi chooses to tell a different story. His story parallels what truly happened, but is hopeful and redemptive rather than bleak and nihilistic. The novel is a beautiful illustration of how storytelling helps us make sense of our lives, especially in times of trouble.

Many people believe that if they chase career success, material wealth, and status, they will find happiness and fulfillment. In this novella, Tolstoy shatters those assumptions. Ivan Ilyich is a judge who leads a superficial life devoted to climbing the social ladder. Then, one day, he falls and is terminally injured. As a result of dying, he comes to the devastating realization that his life was false and meaningless. But he also comes to see where meaning in life truly lies.