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54 pages 1 hour read

Eddie Jaku

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

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2020

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Before You Read

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Super Short Summary

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku is a 2020 nonfiction memoir recounting Eddie's journey from an idyllic childhood in Leipzig, Germany, through the horrors of Auschwitz, and ultimately to his survival and liberation in 1945. Using resilience, shrewdness, and luck, Eddie loses most of his family to the Holocaust but emerges with a message of hope, believing that happiness is the best revenge. The book discusses genocide, torture, murder, forced starvation, mass extermination, and suicidal ideation.

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

Eddie Jaku's The Happiest Man On Earth offers a poignant and inspirational memoir highlighting resilience and optimism. Praised for its heartfelt storytelling and life-affirming messages, it occasionally attracts criticism for its simplistic narrative style. Overall, it's a moving testament to the human spirit, resonating deeply with readers seeking hope.

Who should read this

Who Should Read The Happiest Man On Earth?

Readers who would appreciate The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku are those drawn to poignant, inspirational memoirs with historical contexts. Fans of Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning and Elie Wiesel's Night would find comparable themes of resilience, hope, and human spirit in Jaku's narrative.

Book Details
Pages

208

Format

Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction

Setting

Germany • 1930s

Publication Year

2020

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

13+ years

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