The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie JakuMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I feel very uncomfortable.
A book written by a very honest and good person. A book describing how to turn each bad experience into something good. A book with lots of wise advice.
How can a sensible person say anything critical about such a book?
I do not pretend to be a very sensible person so I will mention some disappointments.
Eddie Jaku was born in Germany, in a Jewish family, which felt completely assimilated into German society.
So it was a terrible shock to them, that in 1933, after A. Hitler won the election, everyone around turned against Jews.
Father arranged false identity documents for his son and sent him to a good technical school away from home.
5 years passed - in the book there is absolutely no mention what happened in these 5 years. Just click and Eddie lands in concentration camp in Buchenwald.
Next 5 years are filled with numerous arrests and escapes until landing in Auschwitz where he managed to survive till the end of the war.
I read number of relations of Auschwitz survivors, I met few personally, but I never read or heard so dispassionate relation.
I do not know whether it was matter of age (Eddie was 99 when he started to work on this book) or time passed since things happened or a deliberate move to put more emphasis on the positive side of the experience, but for me it deprived story of any emotions.
Then, about a quarter of the book is filled with a lecture how much better it is to be good.
I agree with Eddie and with his message. I have great respect for his character and achievements, but my reception of this book was lukewarm.
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