The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku wins ABIA Biography Book of the Year
We are proud to announce that The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku has won the 2021 Biography Book of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA). The award winners were selected by the ABIA Academy, which comprises more than 250 industry representatives.
This accolade was presented, virtually, by international superstar Matthew McConaughey on the night.
This win for Eddie comes shortly after his 101st birthday on 14 April and follows The Happiest Man on Earth being shortlisted for the Indie Book Awards 2021 and longlisted for The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year 2021. The rights for this book has been sold in 27 international territories, meaning Eddie’s message of happiness and kindness is making its way around the world.
You can watch the special moment when Matthew McConaughey presented the award here…
ABOUT THE BOOK
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 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.
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 turned 100, this is a powerful, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful memoir of how happiness can be found even in the darkest of times.