The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of racism, religious discrimination, and death.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The title The Happiest Man on Earth might seem paradoxical given Eddie Jaku’s experiences. How did this apparent contradiction shape your initial reaction to the memoir? Compare this approach to other Holocaust memoirs you may have read, such as Elie Wiesel’s Night.

2. Jaku wrote this memoir at age 100, looking back on experiences from decades earlier. How do you think this temporal distance affects the way he tells his story and the lessons he draws from it?

3. What impact does Jaku’s engineering background have on how he observes and describes his experiences throughout the memoir?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Jaku emphasizes that happiness is a choice we make. Do you agree? Have you ever consciously chosen happiness in the face of adversity? How does your experience relate to Jaku’s philosophy?

2. Throughout the memoir, Jaku highlights the importance of family bonds.