The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku - A Review

How often do you read a book in one sitting? 

The last time that happened to me was in high school, and the book was Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

Over 5o years later, I watched a TED Talk by Eddie Jaku. It motivated me to read his book, The Happiest Man on Earth. And once I started turning the pages, I couldn't put it down.

As a young boy, growing up in Germany, Jaku's life was idyllic. He came from a loving family that was rock-solidly secure.

But that changed on November 9, 1938, the night known as Kristallnacht. Jaku traveled back home from the town where he was attending school, to find no one there except the family dog. He was worried about his family, but fell asleep. 

He woke up when the Nazis broke down the door. They found Jaku, severely beat him and killed the dog.

This was the start of years of turmoil and unbelievable evil taking place in Germany - a country that Jaku had loved.

Photo Credit: Detroit Jewish News

"It wasn't just Nazi soldiers and fascist thugs who turned against us (Jews). Ordinary citizens, our friends and neighbors since before I was born, joined in the violence and the looting. When the mob was done destroying property, they rounded up Jewish people - many of them young children - and threw them into the river that I used to skate on as a child. The ice was thin and the water freezing. Men and women I'd grown up with stood on the riverbanks, spitting and jeering as people struggled. 

"'Shoot them!' they cried. 'Shoot the Jewish dogs!'"

Jaku asked the question: "What had happened to my German friends that they became murderers? How is it possible to create enemies from friends, to create such hate?"

He goes on to make some poignant points: "Otherwise civilized people lost all ability to tell right from wrong. They committed terrible atrocities, and worse, they enjoyed it. They thought they were doing the right thing. And even those who could not fool themselves that we Jews were the enemy did nothing to stop the mob."

Jaku sums up: "If enough people had stood up then, on Kristallnacht, and said 'Enough! What are you doing? What is wrong with you?' then the course of history would have been different. But they did not. They were scared. They were weak. And their weakness allowed them to be manipulated into hatred."

Photo Credit: Sydney Jewish Museum

Of course, Jaku's description of his own Holocaust experience is powerful enough. But he intersperses this narrative with insights into life that are extremely powerful.

Like when he writes about the formation of a relationship with a friend, Kurt, who shares much of this experience, including life in a concentration camp, with Jaku.

"This is the most important thing I have ever learned: the greatest thing you will ever do is be loved by another person."

Jaku isn't talking about romantic love, but love as evidenced by commitment and looking out for another human being's welfare.

Says Jaku of this reality: "Auschwitz was about survival, but it would not have been possible to survive without a good friend. Without the kindness and friendship of other people who went out of their way to help me, I would not have lasted a month."

As The Happiest Man on Earth progresses, Jaku takes an increasingly positive note: "[W]hen there are no miracles, you can make them happen. With a simple act of kindness, you can save another person from despair, and that might just save their life. And this is the greatest miracle of all."

About the subject of happiness, Jaku says, "Happiness comes from inside yourself and from the people you love. And if you are healthy and happy, you are a millionaire."

And how about this for a cliffhanger of insight into the human condition: "I do not ask my fellow survivors to forgive the German people. I could not do this myself. But I have been lucky enough and had enough love and friendship in my life that I have been able to release the anger I felt towards them. It does no good to hold onto anger. Anger leads to fear, which leads to hate, which leads to death."

To Jaku giving back to others is a key to living a fulfilled and happy life. "Kindness is the greatest wealth of all. Small acts of kindness last longer than a lifetime. This lesson, that kindness and generosity and faith in your fellow man are more important than money, is the first and greatest lesson my father ever taught me."

Well said Eddie! Thank you for being a living example of a happy life.

Eddie Jaku's The Happiest Man on Earth was published when he was 100 years old. He died on October 21, 2021 at 101 years of age.

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The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor
by Eddie Jaku
HarperCollins Publishers, 2021

To view Eddie Jaku's TED Talk, click here