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Suzanne
Rating:
 
Review
Who in the United States or Europe has not heard of Anne Frank and her famous diary? This is the very personal journal of her Jewish family's life in hiding during the Nazi occupation of Holland. They and four other non-family members spent over two years(!) indoors, in the "secret annex" of a building in Amsterdam. Without a doubt the diary is a valuable historical resource. I enjoyed reading it, but not quite as much as I thought I would, probably because I've heard so much about it over the years that it was built up too much in my mind. Also the fact that it's a journal of daily life, unlike a fictional novel with a plot, makes the reading not especially gripping. I read the 1993 edition of her story, which includes material that had been edited out by her father in the original 1940's edition. Anne is a very vivacious personality, and that really shines through in her writing. The most striking and impressive part is how much she seems like many young teenagers, struggling to throw off the control of her parents and other adults and discover who she really is as an individual, in spite of her unusual circumstances and deprivations.
Best Line:
"Oh, those stupid grownups, they'd do better to start learning themselves, before they have so much to say to the younger generation!" (pg. 235)
Kim
Rating:
Review
This review refers to The Definitive Edition. Most people know of Anne Frank's diary by having read it in school at some point. I was not so fortunate, and I'm glad for that. I would not have been mature enough then to appreciate Anne's incredible sense of self-worth, her inner strength and out right pluckiness during the two years she spent in hiding from Nazis with seven other people from 1942 to 1944. Going underground when she was 13 years old, Anne continued her school studies, read every book she could, and came into those trying times of puberty confined to the top floors of a spice factory in downtown Amsterdam. There is an overall sadness to this book, but Anne's writing is so candid and pure that I felt she could have been sitting across a table from me, telling me her story. The Definitive Edition has pictures of Anne and her family, along with the other people of the Secret Annex, including the four Dutch heroes directly responsible for keeping them hidden for so long. I often gazed at their photos, trying to place Anne's words and descriptions with their faces, which is why I found this book very personal. Anne's words are far better and much more profound when they are not required reading. Choose to read this one.
Best Line:
"I sometimes wonder if anyone will ever understand what I mean, if anyone will ever overlook my ingratitude and not worry about whether or not I'm Jewish and merely see me as a teenager badly in need of some good plain fun."
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