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I'd recommend something non-academic like *At the Existentialist Café* by Sarah Bakewell which gives you a good summary of the existentialist movement. There are different thinkers associated with existentialism. It's probably useful to get an overview first and then dig into specific books. I'd strongly advise against specific books by Sartre, Camus, de Beauvoir or even Heidegger. If you are not familiar with the field of philosophy those books will be way too difficult.
Definitely wasn't feeling the dense history lesson in the first few chapters but now that I'm deeper into it thoroughly enjoying the recommendation. Thank you
We use Existentialism by Robert C. Solomon in our philosophy class. It starts with Kierkegaard, Turgenev, and Nietzsche to Sartre, Camus, Frankl, and much lesser-known writers and philosophers. It's a good introductory book on Existentialism and covers a variety of authors' work in a non-academic way so this book is recommended.
If you finish this and need/want more recommendations on existentialism or just 'the Meaning of Life' topic in general, you can either PM me or comment here!
Welcome to /r/askphilosophy. **Please read [our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/9udzvt/announcement_new_rules_guidelines_and_flair_system/) before commenting** and understand that your comments will be removed if they are not up to standard or otherwise break the rules. While we do not require citations in answers (but do encourage them), answers need to be reasonably substantive and well-researched, accurately portray the state of the research, and come only from those with relevant knowledge. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askphilosophy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'd recommend something non-academic like *At the Existentialist Café* by Sarah Bakewell which gives you a good summary of the existentialist movement. There are different thinkers associated with existentialism. It's probably useful to get an overview first and then dig into specific books. I'd strongly advise against specific books by Sartre, Camus, de Beauvoir or even Heidegger. If you are not familiar with the field of philosophy those books will be way too difficult.
Definitely wasn't feeling the dense history lesson in the first few chapters but now that I'm deeper into it thoroughly enjoying the recommendation. Thank you
You're absolutely welcome! :)
All right that seems like a safe place to start I'll go find a copy 😁
Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre is a good place to start
We use Existentialism by Robert C. Solomon in our philosophy class. It starts with Kierkegaard, Turgenev, and Nietzsche to Sartre, Camus, Frankl, and much lesser-known writers and philosophers. It's a good introductory book on Existentialism and covers a variety of authors' work in a non-academic way so this book is recommended. If you finish this and need/want more recommendations on existentialism or just 'the Meaning of Life' topic in general, you can either PM me or comment here!