BOOK REVIEW

BILL MCCARTHY GOOD luck, bad luck, frying pan, fire. These oscillations of fortune seem to rule young Eddie Jaku’s life from 1933 when his father enrolled him, with a false ID as a gentile, in a school which would not accept Jews. His subsequent exposure, capture, escape to Belgium then France, recapture, escape again and then finally recaptured for good makeS a harrowing story. He was finally sent to Auschwitz knowing that all his family, except for a sister, had been murdered by the Nazis. His life depended on his skill as a technician and his very strong will to survive. He survived the hell, left the fire and lived from 1950 in Australia, a successful and happy man. An inspiration for everyone and reminder that bad things happen when good people do nothing. MARY BARBER EDDIE Jaku was 13 years old when Hitler came to power in 1933. His family were proud Germans but that did not matter. They were Jews. Eddie’s family sent him away to study engineering under another name and hopefully a safer identity. This story is well worth reading. It is factual and told in neat historical order. This happened and then this happened. There’s no need for bold adjectives. The story speaks of horror without embellishment.

Eddie Jaku OAM turned 100 in 2020. His book is an important contribution to the historical record of the Nazi years.

SUZI HIRST THE Happiest Man on Earth is an engaging read from the first page to the last. I would love to be able to sit with Eddie and just chat. The book is a very quick read, very sad, often brutal, thought-provoking and in all, a lesson on how to live your life from one day to the next and be happy no matter what.

The treatment of the Jews by the Germans is well-covered by the history books but as we get further along in years from World War II, the survivors are few and their stories will be lost.

Eddie was a gentleman, a clever man, and had a strong will to live and forget, but maybe never forgive. 10/10

THE HAPPIEST THEHAPPIEST MAN ON EARTH By Eddie Jaku

Eddie Jaku 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.

Finally, he was released by the Allies and in 1950 moved to Australia.

Grateful for his survival, Eddie vowed to smile every day.

Published on his 100th birthday last year, this is a powerful memoir of how happiness can be found even in the darkest of times.

TONY HARRINGTON THIS simply written biography describes the hardships and horror of the Nazi regime on the Jewish population of Europe in the 1930s and 1940s.

Emerging from incredible suffering in Auschwitz, Eddie’s determination to not only survive but also help his fellow victims, demonstrates his decency and humanity contrasting with that of his oppressors.

The themes of this book are survival against incredible odds and the importance of goodwill, love of family, friends and mankind. In his own words:

“May you always have lots of love to share, lots of good health to spare, and lots of good friends who care.” 7/10

JOHN KLEINSCHMIDT AS A young man Eddie Jaku, at his father’s insistence, completed an apprenticeship in precision engineering. It was before his arrest as a Jew and being sent to Nazi concentration camps. Eddie was very skilled and was valuable to the German war effort. He was sent to various locations to utilise his talents.

This may have contributed to his determination to survive the horror of day-to-day existence in the concentration camps. I have read other holocaust survivor stories that follow a similar pattern.

Holocaust survival is often described as a “miracle” but in this case, Eddie’s belief in humanity during his darkest days and life after the war have made him the happiest man on earth.

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JO BOURKE THIS book depicts the holocaust in all its horror and cruelty and is well worth the five stars accorded by most, if not all, internet reviewers. More than any other story it exemplifies the power of the human spirit and the will to survive. Eddie Jaku has risen to well-deserved prominence with his television appearances and his work with the Sydney Jewish Museum.

His most powerful presentation is his TED talk lasting just 11.53 minutes. I urge everyone to take that tiny amount of time from the day to watch the YouTube video of Eddie talking simply from his heart and urging each of us to realise that “happiness does not fall from the skies … it is in your hands” and “if you are happy and healthy you are a millionaire!”

One of the most powerful books I have read and one I will be buying for my friends in the future, especially teenage ones!

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