The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness

I got this book as a gift. I sat down in my favorite chair on a warm afternoon and started reading and reading and reading. This thing is so damn addictive I couldn't stop! I ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting and it felt like I was only reading for an hour. That was a couple of months ago. I've started reading it again this week and it's just as fun the second time around. There are many little life lessons weaved throughout that made me ponder my own existence but with a great sense of humor about it all. This is LAUGH OUT LOUD funny. What a great little gem of a book. I've bought copies for several of my friends and they've all had the same experience I did. I couldn't give it a higher rating. This is a MUST READ for anyone who thinks about life and who loves to laugh about life's little twists.

EXTRAORDINARY, A ONE-IN-A-MILLION EXCEPTIONAL BOOK, A MUST READ, PACKED WITH WISDOM. You will not want to put this book down. Joel Ben Izzy is a professional storyteller who, because of a mindboggling twist of fate, loses his voice and is no longer able to perform. Months and months pass and there is no sign that his voice will return. How does a person let go and redefine one's hopes and dreams? Ben Izzy utilizes the tales he was once able to tell and applies their lessons to his own life. But perhaps the greatest benefactors of his experience are the readers who take to heart what he learned about the "secret of happiness."

THE BEGGAR KING AND THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS was by far one of the best books I have read in the last five years. Always on the search for that perfect novel that takes the reader through a wide range of real emotions and teaches something wise and profound with out being 'preachy,' Joel ben Izzy's book fit that criteria and so much more. I laughed, cried, sniffled, giggled and smiled my way from opening to final sentence. This would be an excellent gift book this holiday season and a welcome addition to your own personal bookshelf. I know you'll love it.

I've read this book over and over, and each reading reveals deeper meaning, more humor, more sadness, and more wisdom. Joel ben Izzy's stories (which I've enjoyed for many years) are a wonder, but the way he weaves the stories he tells with the story of his life is unique and powerful. This is, by far, the best book I've read in years. I will give it for holiday gifts to friends and family, to my corporate clients, and to just about everyone else I can think of. Most important, I will keep reading it. This is the sort of book to treasure every time life throws you a curve, every time something goes wrong, and every time something goes right.

I started reading "The Beggar King" on a flight from San Diego to San Francisco. When the pilot announce that we were about to land, I found myself reading faster and faster. I just didn't want to put this book down! Ben Izzy is a masterful storyteller and the way he weaves ancient tales from around the world into his own personal (and authentic) story is fascinating. I found myself going from laughing out loud to getting choked up and teary-eyed, and then back to laughing out loud again. For me, that's one of the best gifts from a book like this -- bringing out our emotions and leaving us on a high. I know what I'm giving to my clients as holiday gifts this year! Definitely a great read with powerful lessons that I'll reflect upon for a long, long time.