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Joel ben Izzy
Read by Joel ben Izzy

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 drunk 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.


"It's really the only important story there is—a story about finding light within darkness. That Joel ben Izzy is fantastic! What a gift, what a blessing, funny, brilliant, wise."
     —Anne Lamott

"I love this book. I love this book. I love this book."
     —Detroit Free Press

"Who knew people like Joel ben Izzy existed in today's world? He deploys ancient stories gracefully to illuminate his own story."
     —Ira Glass, host of This American Life

"This is a beautiful book full of old tales—from China, India, Persia, Jerusalem—that help storyteller Joel ben Izzy through the dark times of silence back into light and sound once more. Wonderful!"
     —Grace Paley

"One of the book's tacit ironies is that after losing his voice, ben Izzy told a tale that might be heard by his widest audience yet; they would be wise to pick up the book and listen."
     —San Francisco Chronicle

"A timeless tale . . . . this story will speak to the humanity of the reader."
     —Jewish Book World

"Storyteller Joel ben Izzy brings us a powerful message. . . . Be prepared to open your heart and let your secret of happiness move in."
     —Dorothy Law Nolte, co-author of Children Learn What They Live


Audiobook     Unabridged; 5 hours on 4 CDs
978-1-59887-514-0 (CD) The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness by Joel ben Izzy

JOEL BEN IZZY tells stories at festivals throughout the world and has written and produced six CDs, which have won awards from the American Library Association and the Parents’ Choice Foundation. He’s been a storytelling consultant to various companies, including Hewlett-Packard, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and Pixar Animation Studios. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife and two children.