The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness Audiobook By Joel ben Izzy cover art

The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness

A True Story

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The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness

By: Joel ben Izzy
Narrated by: Joel ben Izzy
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When a storyteller loses his voice, he believes he's lost everything. In fact, he's been given a great gift.

Once upon a time, a successful storyteller lost his voice to throat cancer. Deprived of the instrument of his art and his livelihood, he retreated into dark, sullen silence and depression. While searching for a spiritual explanation, he encountered his former mentor, a cantankerous and often drunken old man. Their meetings began a journey into the timeless wisdom of ancient tales: of beggars and kings, monks and tigers, lost horses, buried treasures, and ultimately the secret of happiness.

In this altogether original book, Joel ben Izzy shares his personal account of surviving loss, gaining wisdom, and rediscovering one's true purpose. Weaving in tales he's collected over the years from Sufi, Muslim, Chinese, Jewish, Iraqi, Zen Buddhist, Italian, and Indian cultures, he passes along the lessons he has learned. As we travel with ben Izzy from tragedy back into light and sound, we are encouraged to see our own lives as stories, and to open our own hearts to happiness.

©2003 Joel ben Izzy (P)2007 HighBridge Company Personal Development Personal Success Middle East Mental Health Heartfelt Witty

Critic reviews

"His memoir shines with brisk suspense as well as his unerring, precise eye for including only the elements of his hard-won wisdom that matter the most." ( Publishers Weekly)
Inspiring Storytelling • Powerful Life Story • Timeless Wisdom Tales • Engaging Personal Journey
Highly rated for:
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Worth listening
Excellent narration and story
Touched my heart and engaged my brain
Thanks for a great book

Touched my heart and engaged my mind

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Joel’s mixture FOLKLORE, Jokes, Philosophy, History and Biography is FACILITATING, EXHILARATING and COMPELLING! I give The Beggar King my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!

Wit and Wisdom, Tragedy and Triumph all told with Gentle Humor

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Great story, well told by the author, lots to learn about life, loss and the secret of happiness. Love it

Amazing listen!

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I listened twice. Great personal story told with a dozen traditional tales woven in. Similar to Joel's live style. Most powerful to have him use his voice for the Audio book .

Every Storyteller should hear this story.

He Answered my Question from his Performance

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What did you love best about The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness?

its' profound meaning for me

What did you like best about this story?

it gave me a feeling of framing my own story

Which character – as performed by Joel ben Izzy – was your favorite?

the story about truth

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

both

a rare book with wisdom and humor

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This audio book is Sweet. You can feel the love and preciousness that went into formulating it. It is easily enjoyable, for any age.

Short and Sweet

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Powerful story of loss, trial, perspective and gaining true wisdom. Looking forward to adding this to my annual listening library

Stories Upon Stories

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This is a great story told by a great storyteller. The near ration is great really enjoyed it. I hope to read more by Joel Izzy.

Great story

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I loved this book. We first found out about Joel Ben Izzy at a music camp where he was an instructor. He is a wonderful storyteller and this is a great book for someone struggling with an illness. It is very insightful and entertaining.

wonderful story

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Entertaining and thought-provoking. I enjoyed it very much and will recommend it to my friends and am going to try more of Izzy's stories.

Great way to spend the afternoon!

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