The Happiest Man On Earth (Eddie Jaku) - Book Review

Published: Feb. 13, 2021, 12:05 p.m.

What circumstances would drive someone to voluntary smuggle themselves back into a concentration camp? 'The Happiest Man On Earth' by Eddie Jaku is the memoir of a man who endured tremendous suffering, managing to survive through the holocaust. The book starts with life before WWII, his subsequent experiences in the concentration camps before moving away from Belgium/Germany and emigrating to Australia. There are some intense and amazing stories from his time in the camps, including his daring escape from Auschwitz and need to return by smuggling himself back in.

Juan summarised the book as follows. "I thought I would get quite used to reading those Holocaust books but I didn't with this one. It was a really enjoyable read because of the way it is just so succinctly broken up into the various chapters, it will keep you coming back for more. The perspective that these books provide are what I always gain as a pragmatic takeaway. As Eddie says 'life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. It is up to you.'"

As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!

Timeline:
(0:00) - Synopsis
(1:53) - General Thoughts
(4:00) - Smuggling Himself Back Into Auschwitz
(6:05) - Key Principles
(9:26) - Final Thoughts

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