The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor

Written by Eddie Jaku

Narrated by Raphael Corkhill

A New York Times Bestseller

In this uplifting memoir in the vein of The Last Lecture and Man’s Search for Meaning, a Holocaust survivor pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom, and living his best possible life.

Born in Leipzig, Germany, into a Jewish family, Eddie Jaku was a teenager when his world was turned upside-down. On November 9, 1938, during the terrifying violence of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, Eddie was beaten by SS thugs, arrested, and sent to a concentration camp with thousands of other Jews across Germany. Every day of the next seven years of his life, Eddie faced unimaginable horrors in Buchenwald, Auschwitz, and finally on a forced death march during the Third Reich’s final days. The Nazis took everything from Eddie—his family, his friends, and his country. But they did not break his spirit.

Against unbelievable odds, Eddie found the will to survive. Overwhelming grateful, he made a promise: he would smile every day in thanks for the precious gift he was given and to honor the six million Jews murdered by Hitler. Today, at 100 years of age, despite all he suffered, Eddie calls himself the “happiest man on earth.” In his remarkable memoir, this born storyteller shares his wisdom and reflects on how he has led his best possible life, talking warmly and openly about the power of gratitude, tolerance, and kindness. Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. With The Happiest Man on Earth, Eddie shows us how. 

Filled with his insights on friendship, family, health, ethics, love, and hatred, and the simple beliefs that have shaped him, The Happiest Man on Earth offers timeless lessons for readers of all ages, especially for young people today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: May 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063097711

Eddie Jaku

Eddie Jaku OAM was born Abraham Jakubowicz in Germany in 1920. In World War Two, Eddie was imprisoned in Buchenwald and Auschwitz concentration camps. In 1945, he was sent on a 'death march' but escaped. Finally he was rescued by Allied soldiers. In 1950 he moved with family to Australia where he lived for over sixty years. Eddie was married to his wife Flore for 75 years and they had two sons, four grandchildren and five great grandchildren. He died peacefully in October 2021, at the age of 101.  

Reviews for The Happiest Man on Earth

[Martha Weeks Green · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Eddy has done the impossible - his story of surviving the holocaust is deceptively light and positive. His spirit, hope and positive look at life helped him survive. The lessons he so gently teaches will impact the way I see the world for the rest of my life.

[clamato_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Eddie passed away in October 2021 at the age of 101 which is an incredible feat in itself but the fact that he survived the war and the Holocaust is more than a miracle! His words read like he is sitting with you and telling you his stories face to face. He endured so much pain, loss and fear yet had the strength and courage to survive and we are all better off for it - a remarkable man and a remarkable life.

[thebacklistbook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Eddie (pronounced Addie) Jaku (jay-koo) takes us through his experience of the Holocaust. He shares loss, love, and joy of life. Please read this book. It is educational and poignant.

[Hollee Fawcett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I haunting tragic story that everyone should read. Makes you learn and think.

[Dawn Schuler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic, heart-wrenching narrative about the holocaust written by an Auschwitz survivor. This story will at first break your heart. But, it is not only a factual account of this beautiful survivor’s experience, but an emotional, uplifting story of humanity. Our new friend Eddie encourages everyone to treat others with kindness and live every day to its fullest, choosing happiness always. Eddie reminds us that life doesn’t always hand us the best of circumstances, but each of us always has to play the hand we were dealt to the best of our ability. I was so touched by this audiobook that I listened to it two times back to back, and now I want a physical copy so that I can mark certain passages that really spoke to my heart. This review really does not do this beautiful book justice. Please listen to it and encourage everyone you know to do the same.

[Amy Homan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book! Eddie is wonderful! Please listen, you won't be disappointed!

[Amanda Hixson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

????????? ??????

??? ???????? ??? ?? ?????: The beautiful life of an Auschwitz Survivor
??: Eddie Jaku
????????: Raphael Corkhill ( @rcorkhill )
?????: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir
?????????: @harperaudio
????????? ??: July 28th 2020
@????????? ?????: 4.66
?? ?????: ????? / Happiest On Earth Emoji’s

“Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. It is up to you.” ― Eddie Jaku, ??? ???????? ??? ?? ?????

I have a new friend and his name is Eddie. Eddie Jaku who was born Abraham Salomon Jakubowicz was born 14 April 1920 and it saddens me to say he has passed away on October 12th 2021. It breaks my heart that I did not read/listen to this book sooner. Eddie never planned on writing this book. But it was people around him that made him take it on. He decided to do so at the grand age of 100 in 2020. The following year he died. It really breaks my heart but I am so happy he got to tell his story to the world. Although he was telling it to thousands of people around the world already. I loved this memoir so much and will definitely be listening to it again in the future. I feel like I really got to know Eddie and I his words really touched something with me. I highly recommend this memoir and if you do decide on it I highly recommend the audio version Raphael Corkhill does a fantastic job.

Eddie Jaku always considered himself a German first, a Jew second. He was proud of his country. But all of that changed in November 1938, when he was beaten, arrested and taken to a concentration camp. Over the next seven years, Eddie faced unimaginable horrors every day, first in Buchenwald, then in Auschwitz, then on a Nazi death march. He lost family, friends, his country. Because he survived, Eddie made the vow to smile every day. He pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom and living his best possible life. He now believes he is the ‘???????? ??? ?? ?????.’

Published as Eddie turns 100, this is a powerful, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful memoir of how happiness can be found even in the darkest of times.

“It is never too late to be kind, polite, and a loving human being.” Eddie Jaku, ??? ???????? ??? ?? ?????

[rebecca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

To believe so deeply that there is good left in this world after such atrocities, is refreshing and inspirational. Thank you for sharing your story and for showing that despite the trials in life, hope can be found!

[sadia siddiqua · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

absolutely love the cover, amazing narration full of emotion. it was very simple yet profound and very cohesive. how the chapters began and ended on the same note, perfect.

[Joseph Gomez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a great book very inspiring I recommend it to all my family and friends

[Jenni · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just brilliant! Everyone needs to read or listen to this book!

[Matt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a beautiful book. There’s pain, healing, and hope. I will listen to it again and force my kids to listen to it.

[Rozann Lamberto · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

EXCELLENT! A must read for everyone! The only way we can be assured that this horrible part of our history will not repeat itself.

[jd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

You’re a hero Eddie. You make me want to be a better man. Thank you for giving me great perspective on my life for how good I have it, and showing me that no matter how tough life gets, there are always things to be grateful and hopeful for.

[David McClelland · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an excellent read. And the narrator reading the book did a perfect job.

[Jahel Corbán Caldera · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such an important story to hear/read. It’s simple, easy and compelling. Make yourself a favor and check it out.

[Margaret · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow!!! What a living testimony. I just wish everyone could read/hear this. To have come through so much & lost so much & to then be able to live his best life possible & what a life, with such kindness & love & generosity and all with a smile. That is truly the best way otherwise all those evil Nazis would have won & all the suffering & loss would have been for nothing. What an amazing man & so brave to tell his story. Not an easy thing. Thank God he & so many others have told the truth about the Holocaust.

[Sunny Walia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This audio book has changed a part of my life I never knew was possible. Thank you Eddie for sharing your story.

[David Weil · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great story one that will bring you to tears and laughter. A story that we should never forget.

[Elle Lindblom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Worth every min of your time! Such an inspiration yet painful and at times seems so unrealistic that others could dream of, let alone do such to their fellow man.

[Fran Dufficy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I want to cry but I can’t stop smiling. What an amazing human. I wish I could have met Eddie.

I think it’s a must read for all!!!

[Nora Tribble · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I will pass this on! The greatest compliment and thanks I can give! Thank you Eddie Jaku!

[Alin Airinei · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A must read! I'm so lucky to have met my new friend, Eddie, who taught me to let go of hate, through his memoir. The world is a better place because he existed.

[James Gillespie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an amazing life Eddie lived. To experience all that suffering and live to have such a rich life. I was saddened to learn Eddie had died last year. But I still feel that I did gain a friend from listening to his life. I will take his story and lessons with me.

[suzywells · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good book! Interesting & lots of lessons to apply to our lives!!!

[Jennifer Blauer Barron · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an inspiring story…one of living through the darkest darkness but subsequently living life embracing the light.

[Amy Hagberg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. It is up to you.” Eddie Jaku, The Happiest Man on Earth.

In this uplifting memoir in the vein of The Last Lecture and Man’s Search for Meaning, a Holocaust survivor pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom, and living his best life possible.

Eddie Jaku was born in Leipzig, Germany, into a prosperous Jewish family. He was proud to be German. When Hitler came to power, he expelled all Jewish students from school. Since Eddie was a talented student, his father used his influence to get his son false papers so he could enroll in an elite engineering school on the other side of the country. But on Kristallnacht, November 9, 1938, the SS deported teenaged Eddie to Buchenwald concentration camp.

Over the next seven years, Eddie faced unimaginable horrors, first in Buchenwald, then in a French labor camp, then in Auschwitz, and finally on a Nazi death march during the last days of the Third Reich. Despite the horror he experienced, he maintained a positive attitude. He lost family, friends, and the country he had so loved, yet survived through determination, cooperation with a friend, and his engineering skills. “Without friendship, a human being is lost. A friend is someone who reminds you to feel alive.”

After the war, he moved to Australia, where he prospered. He was awarded the Order of Australia, which recognizes Australians who have demonstrated outstanding service or exceptional achievement.

The Happiest Man on Earth was published as Eddie turned 100 years old! It won the Australian Book Industry Awards prize for Biography of the Year in 2021. It’s a moving, and uplifting memoir of a man whose sense of gratitude changed the course of his life, and that of countless others. 4.5 stars.

[kevinkessel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an amazing man who has overcome so much!! Thank you for sharing your story of hope and resilience!!

[theyodamom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Audiobook read by EddieHow do you review a mans life story, and this such an epic one. Eddie is a hero, a real life human hero. He is all that is good, all that we should all strive to be. Imagine a world with more Eddies.The horrors done to him and so many others, I have no words for such a nightmare. He kept his humanity, his kindness, his love for others, always. He took what was taken from him, all that he had and he still gave. I thought this book would have me crying and it did, but mostly if left me feeling hope. Hope is the lifeline that Eddie never lost and he gifted it to me with his words. We must never forget, always fight against hate and fear.Hug your mother

[mercef_9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What an amazing story. Simply told, yet very powerful. Author Eddie Jaku, survivor of WW2 concentration camps and their unfathomable tragedies, was 100 years old when this book was published. Even though I have read much about the Holocaust, this memoir was still shocking. Eddie’s recount of the brutal treatment of the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis is definitely worth reading.