'Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. It is up to you. Eddie Jaku always considered himself a German first, a Jew second. He was proud of his country. But all of that changed on 9 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 the Nazi death march. He lost family, friends, his country. Because he survived, Eddie made the vow to smile every day. He pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom and living his best possible life. He now believes he is the 'happiest man on earth'. Published as Eddie turns 100, this is a powerful, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful memoir of how happiness can be found even in the darkest of times.' (Publication summary)
The Happiest Boy on Earth
Nathaniel Eckstrom
(illustrator),
Sydney
:
Macmillan Australia
,
2022
25374059
2022
single work
picture book
children's
'Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. It is up to you.
'Eddie lived with his family and adorable dachshund, Lulu, in the beautiful city of Leipzig in Germany. But one day, into the sunshine of his childhood crept a dark, heavy cloud. Not a rain cloud. Much worse than that. Adolf Hitler came to power.
'When Eddie was 18, he was sent to a concentration camp.
'A picture book adaptation for older readers (8+ years) based on the extraordinary, the bestselling adult title THE HAPPIEST MAN ON EARTH.
'The story is framed as a conversation between 101-year-old Eddie and his great grandchildren - who are bursting with questions about the life of their Pépé.
'The story of Eddie's life unfolds beautifully, sensitively, heartbreakingly through his words, and exquisite illustrations by Nathaniel Eckstrom.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
'Eddie Jaku looks out benevolently from his memoir’s cover, signs of living etched across his face. The dapper centenarian displays another mark, one distinctly at odds with his beatific expression and the title’s claim: the tattoo on his forearm from Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Less discernible is the badge affixed to his lapel bearing the Hebrew word zachor; ‘remember’. The Happiest Man on Earth blazes with the pursuit of memory, of bearing witness, but it is also determinedly oriented towards the future, its dedication inscribed to ‘future generations’.' (Introduction)
'Eddie Jaku looks out benevolently from his memoir’s cover, signs of living etched across his face. The dapper centenarian displays another mark, one distinctly at odds with his beatific expression and the title’s claim: the tattoo on his forearm from Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Less discernible is the badge affixed to his lapel bearing the Hebrew word zachor; ‘remember’. The Happiest Man on Earth blazes with the pursuit of memory, of bearing witness, but it is also determinedly oriented towards the future, its dedication inscribed to ‘future generations’.' (Introduction)
