Inspiring stories of people’s happiest moments from every country in the world, showing the many forms that happiness takes and what we have in common with people across borders and from all walks of life

From the shores of the island nation of Tuvalu to the icy mountains of Nepal to the barbed-wire gates of North Korea, Michael Angelo Zervos had just one question for the people he met on his mission to visit every country in the world: “What is the happiest moment of your life?” As he spoke with thousands of people from all different cultures and walks of life, he realized he could find happiness in places he hadn’t even considered—not just the pure happiness of a child’s birth but also the bittersweet happiness of a lost youth or the unexpected happiness of the end of a relationship. The hundreds of stories in this book remind us of the transformative power of happiness in our lives: how it fulfills us, guides us forward, expands our potential for love, and transcends borders. Here is hope that happiness is possible, wherever and whoever you are.