Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl By Anne Frank

To me, this book became one of the most insightful, witty, well written and interesting books that I have ever read! It is almost unbelievable that the author, who possessed such a poignant mind with a very fine sense of humour, and a tremendous literary talent, was a girl of only 13-14 years of age! Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who, in 1942, together with her family and another family, went into a hiding in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation of Holland. She had written most of this diary while they stayed there (and not in the camps, as usually thought of). Two years later they were found out and arrested by the Nazi police and transported to the labor camps, where almost everyone was eventually killed or died, including Anne. The only survivor was her father. Anne's diary was rescued by their Dutch friends just before the Nazi returned after their arrest to clean that hiding. After the war, with her father's consent and help, Anne's diary was published and became one of the most well known books in the world. I had not heard much about it before I started to read it, and so had no particular expectations of what it will be. Quite unlike the popular image of this book, which is usually presented as the description of the suffering of the Jews during the WWII, the horrors of labor camps, etc., it is an optimistic and highly entertaining read about the life of this teenage (13-14) girl, mostly concerned with the grown ups around her and their social behaviour in that hide; her relationships with them and her innermost feelings and anxieties; her first and second love; her self exploration during those 25 months there and the hopes and dreams that she entertained for after the war is over, when they can return to a normal life; and much, much more. Although the struggles of the war and their frequent fears in hiding are also addressed, her writing mostly remains a humorous, witty, very touching and super addictive read! So I am a little bit perplexed why so many 5* reviews here emphasise so much the terrible fortune of the many Jews during the WWII and the tragic end of Anne Frank and most of her family. Whereas these are undoubtedly the shocking facts (well described in _another_ book, "Anne Frank Remembered"), they happened after this diary was completed by Anne and thus did not influence neither the spirit nor the content of it. This book is an important read for every parent because not only does it show what an early teenager anticipates, wants and needs to see in her parents, but also describes very well on how particular character traits of the parents and other grown ups, which we as adults stop even noticing because they're all so common, how these are perceived by children and how they form their opinions, and then of course their attitudes, towards us & life. I think it will be quite clear to everyone who reads the book that the parents-kids misunderstanding symptom, recurring in every generation, must be due not so much to the change of circumstances / technologies / opportunities / values, etc., but because too many of us, when we grow up and become parents, tend to do exactly the same things for our kids and become exactly the same characters which we ourselves despised while being young. No other book which I have read describes the yearnings and the needs of an adolescent so well and can offer so much practical insight for parents and kids alike as this one! I do not intend to repeat what is already written in some other reviews here, but to give you just one example where this book really struck me by the depth of Anne's thought and feelings: how well (at the age of 14!) she defined what love is and what it is not. What does it mean to love someone? In one place she writes: "Love is understanding someone, caring for him, sharing his joys and sorrows". And then few months later she adds: "To love someone, I have to admire and respect that person". Until I read her diary I thought that the best definition of what love is was given by a renowned psychologist Erich Fromm (who actually wrote it when Anne was no more): "Love... always implies certain basic elements, common to all forms of love. These are care, responsibility, respect and knowledge". But if you pause and slowly repeat and compare these definitions, how much more precise and resonating is this word that Anne used, "to admire" (the same word in the Russian translation)! Aren't we all really longing for a partner, for friends and parents whom we would not only know and respect, but admire? Does not each of us yearn to live a life that is worth not only of respect, but admiration? Sometimes it happens that just one or few precise words open up the new depths of understanding and meaning. For Leo Tolstoy, a famous Russian author, 8 words spoken in the Sermon on the Mount: "Do not resist the one who is evil" (only 3 words in Russian actually) opened up the understanding of the teachings of the Gospels. As for me, this one verb, in the context of Anne's writing about love, - to admire (not in the modern, superficial sense of admiring what is on the outside, but subtle admiration of the person's character), - enriched my understanding of love. This is just one example which is most vivid in my memory from this book, but the truth is that at no moment I was willing to speed up my reading, or to skip any paragraph or part of it, because everything she wrote is really so captivating! P.S. Few words on the English translation. This English text is beautifully written, maybe even a bit too beautiful, too stylized compared to the original. I actually cannot compare it to the original in Dutch, but when I looked at the Russian translation, some written thoughts sounded a little less accurately formulated there; somehow it felt more believable to be closer to the writing of a 14 year old girl. Yet I did preferred to read the English version, since as long as this is a translation, I think it is alright to make it more natural & harmonious in the final language, rather than trying to find ways to retain the slight unpolished-ness of the original. Besides, English is more of a kindred language with Dutch.

A classic, real view of war, antisemitism, and prejudice. A must read. Never forget. "At any time of night and day, poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. They’re allowed to take only a knapsack and a little cash with them, and even then, they’re robbed of these possessions on the way. Families are torn apart; men, women and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared. Women return from shopping to find their houses sealed, their families gone. The Christians in Holland are also living in fear because their sons are being sent to Germany. Everyone is scared." "Ordinary people don’t know how much books can mean to someone who’s cooped up. Our only diversions are reading, studying and listening to the radio." "I believe that in the course of the next century the notion that it’s a woman’s duty to have children will change and make way for the respect and admiration of all women, who bear their burdens without complaint or a lot of pompous words!" "The world’s been turned upside down. The most decent people are being sent to concentration camps, prisons and lonely cells, while the lowest of the low rule over young and old, rich and poor. One gets caught for black marketeering, another for hiding Jews or other unfortunate souls. Unless you’re a Nazi, you don’t know what’s going to happen to you from one day to the next."

“Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. It's utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquillity will return once more. ” This is my first time reading The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, but I’m sure it won’t be my last. I thought going in that this would be a tough read but it was completely the opposite. I thought that this book, in addition to the overwhelming feeling of the inevitable, was funny. It was funny and relatable. I didn’t think that I would have anything in common with this young girl whose life has been completely upended, but there were so many different moments where I felt tied to this stranger by our shared experiences. Anne Frank finds ways to connect with her readers through her opinions and feelings in a way that is uncanny. We all know what it is like to have friends, fight with our mothers, question our sexualities, worry for our futures, hope for a fulfilling career, plan our first kiss, worry about our cats, go through puberty, and bicker with our roommates. Anne highlights her humanity even with the horrors of Hilter’s war raging around her, driving her to hiding and coming closer every day. It’s amazing to read—even know she could be caught any day, she gave herself the hope and optimism she needed to continue on. “On the contrary, beauty remains, even in misfortune. If you just look for it, you discover more and more happiness and regain your balance. A person who's happy will make others happy; a person who has courage and faith will never die in misery!” I bought this on kindle but I am going already planning on buying a physical copy so that I can annotate my favorite quotes and showcase Anne’s personality. After all, according to Anne: “I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I've never met. I want to go on living even after my death!”

I could not put this book down. I have been to numerous Holocaust memorials and museum around the world, and met descendants of victims of the Holocaust. All have affected me to a degree, but none like the innocent voice of this young girl. There are three reasons for the strong impact: She writes about what is happening to Jews during the Holocaust in such a matter of fact manner, she did not labour over the injustice of the situation or dwell extensively on it. The innocence of this young girl is unintentionally juxtaposed with the brutality of the Nazi regime. This understated way of telling the story left a huge impact on me. She spends a huge amount of time talking about her boy troubles and her treatment by the adults in the hideout. The arguments they have are so trivial compared to the fate that awaits them and the rest of the Holocaust victims that you get the sense that they do not understand the extent of the trouble they are in. [example of argument]. Telling the story this way worked extremely well in building up tension for the reader, as the days and months rolled on and the end drew closer. She is full of hope. Just three months before the household was caught and taken captive, she speaks about her hope that she will be able to go back to school within that time. The fact that I knew how the book ended made every word she wrote gut wrenching to read. This is such a wonderful book about the strength of the human spirit. Not only from Anne but from all the members of the household. There were 7 members in hiding, and while Anne alluded to running out of food and the constant fighting from the tension that builds up when people live in close quarters 24/7, they found room in their heart to compassionately take in another friend, to share their space and food and increase the chances of them getting caught. While in hiding they also managed to buy each other gifts for their birthdays. Lots of generous gifts at that. It is easy to dismiss such behaviour as non-essential and a waste of money in times when necessities such as food are hard to come by, but it must have been essential to the members of that household to have something to look forward to. Otherwise they might have gone insane. This is an important book and a great read for lovers of memoirs and history. www.11hackney.com

Anne Frank foi uma menina alemã de origem judaica, com uma capacidade de escrita fora de série, através de ótimas descrições e dissertações manteve um diário no qual retrata sua transição para a adolescência. Através da escrita ela consegue de maneira incrível descrever seus sentimentos, as suas transformações e percepções, em um ambiente de 2º Guerra e perseguição judia. Anne se refugia juntamente com sua família e mais quatro pessoas no escritório de seu pai, onde permanece escondida por mais de dois anos, até ser descoberta pelas autoridades e enviada para campos de concentração, onde infelizmente morre aos 15 anos de idade. Uma linda e comovente história que virou retrato do holocausto, mais de 35 milhões de cópias vendidas, leitura indispensável desde seu lançamento em 1947.

Informative. Should teach everyone to be compassionate and kind to everyone regardless of race, religion so that history will not keep on repeating itself.

Fully good

Great book. To be used for year 9 English for homeschooling. Quick and easy delivery