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We have all heard about or read this book. I remember reading it in high-school as a project. And since I never had written a proper book review, I decided to read it again.

I went to the library, and they only had the short Penguin version, with the most important diary entries of Anne Frank. It is only 65 pages. So, I decided to also grab another book – The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank by Willy Lindwer, so I can write a full overview.

This is a diary of a young girl, and she was writing these stories during two years of hiding. Anne Frank and her family are Jews and they live in The Netherlands. After the Germans invade, many people are captured and go to designated camps. A few manage to escape and go into hiding. Anne’s family hides in her father’s office.

If you are reading this diary, without knowing anything about history – this could be a happy story. These diary entries are filled with love and hope, dreams of a young girl, beliefs, opinions, descriptions of her first crush and planning a future.

n  But this is not a happy story. This girl doesn’t get the chance to grow up. This girl doesn’t get the chance to experience freedom, and live to get to know her grandchildren. This is a sad story of not just Anne Frank, but all these people that have gone through that painful journey.n

While this book deserves to be read by every person, and this history needs to keep being told many years after us, I feel the need to make a proper book review.

This is not a well-written book, with a great plot and amazing description. So based on that, this doesn’t stand up to the standards. But this book has a meaning that makes up for all the amateur writing. After all, this was a teenager writing it, without even knowing this will someday be shared with the world.

To all of you that haven’t read it yet – I highly recommend it. If you don’t want to go with the long version, read the short Penguin one, like I did.

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ای خدا:) نمیدونم از زیباییِ تفکرات و بزرگی شخصیت این دختر بگم یا شدت غمی که سرنوشتش در جنگ جهانی داشت.
من فقط برام خیلی ارزشمند و باورنکردنیه که آدم تو زیرزمین وسط جنگ زندگی کنه و این همه آرزو و امید و بحث‌های جذاب با دفترخاطراتش داشته باشه! چقدر تلخ و شیرین بود و چقدر در طول خوندنش یاد نوجوونی خودم میفتادم.جوری که مدام از بیشتر فهمیدنش از بزرگسال ها در عذاب بود و نسبت به دخترای دیگه بی باک تر و بلندپرواز بود اونم با اون همه عقاید بزرگونه‌ی شخصی.ای جانم آخه دختر تو اگه میموندی یه نویسنده یا گزارشگر یا فمنیست قهار میشدی. اما همین الانشم خوبه مگه نه؟ آرزو داشتی فراموش نشی و نشدی. کار مفیدی کردی دخترک، دفترخاطراتت تو اون دوره ی تاریک و اون عشق جوونی که تو دلت جوونه زده بود از خیلی از کتابای امروزی پرمحتوا تر و ارزشمندتره.
لعنت به جنگ.

This is a powerful must read. It makes me wonder how many other diaries like this were written during the war that were lost during the holocaust, destruction of cities, purging of Jewish living spaces, etc. It is amazing that this narrative on life in hiding made it through and can represent all those who were in hiding and whose voices were never heard.

I knew the story of Anne Frank before reading this book. In fact, I may have read some or all of it back in high school, but I cannot remember for sure. Back around 2006 or 2007 I took a trip to Europe and had a chance to visit the Anne Frank House. Unless you get a chance to visit in person, it is hard to understand exactly what the conditions were like and the size of the space. Anne Frank did a good job describing, but seeing is believing!

Another interesting thing about reading this now is that we are in the middle of the Coronavirus quarantine. While many of us get a bit of cabin fever being asked to stay home, reading Anne Frank’s words about being trapped in a small space for two years because of fear of death if found really puts it into perspective. But, at the same time, this might be a good time to revisit or read it for the first time because her frustrations with her family and situation may be a bit more understandable for those who have barely left the house in months.

When the book first started, I wondered how accurate Anne’s descriptions were. She was an angsty and outspoken teenager which made me wonder what was true and what was just her perspective. For example, the first few chapters are mainly her complaining about her parents, other adults, and people she did not like from school. However, I think this part of the diary is important because it shows her growth throughout the story as the situation becomes more dire and she is forced to mature before her time.

I cannot say that this book will be enjoyed by everyone – especially if biographies are not your thing. Also, the subject matter and the situation the Frank’s are in may be difficult for some to handle. But, it is an important document from World War II history and is worth reading no matter who you are.

I read this book in school many years ago and read it again with my boys. We love history and Anne F tells the story of a very important for the world.

Of course I knew what was going to happen. We all did.

And yet, even when I wasn’t 20 pages through it, I already felt like crying.

And yet, even after looking some stuff up, I am still destroyed.

I need a moment to think about everything.

I looked around Goodreads before posting this review to make sure I wouldn’t get yelled at.

This book is worth reading, but not for the reasons you might think. Alex is correct in that Night is a better book in terms of its representation of the horrors of Holocaust Centers, but what makes this such an interesting read is precisely that it isn’t about those horrors, or at least not directly. This is a voyeuristic look into the psyche of a bright and socially observant teenage girl who—even admist the horrors of gas chambers and concentration camp internments that were taking place offscreen—was still but a teenage girl with day-to-day insecurities which often took precedence over the imminent physical dangers that she and her family were subject to the entire time the diary was being composed. The dichotomy of these two concepts is where the true horrors lay, in my opinion.

n  n  
n

I was also reminded, as I neared the end of the diary, a remark David used occasionally to make about abandoned internet blogs in that they’re a bit depressing. One moment the author is blogging away, sharing his opinions and ideas (as dumb as they may be) with no intimation that the end is nigh. In another moment it’s over—no closure, no explanation of why the blog was abandoned, and certainly no ‘Where Are They Now?’ VH1 follow-up special. Reading Anne’s diary was a lot like this. We all know what happens/happened to her, and yet there it is again—that discomforting ‘found footage’ feeling of knowing that it’s over because, well, it ended. For real.

Don’t read this book to try to gain an understanding of the genocide that occurred throughout Western Europe in the 1940s. Read it because often times the scariest thing about life is that you can never entirely hide from its terrors, even when you lock yourself away in an attic for two years.

Mi mette in imbarazzo sedermi davanti al computer a scrivere un commento su un libro come questo: come fare a mettere in fila le parole per dire qualcosa che non sia stato già detto sulla terribile ed effimera storia di questa bambina olandese? Su una ragazzina costretta ad una prigionia che fà violenza alla sua natura, e costretta vieppiù a considerarsi fortunata di non subire violenze ben più disumane (che puntualmente arriveranno invece), e rigraziarne tra le pagine di questo diario che è il suo unico amico?
E invece la storia dell' ebrea Anna Frank, che morirà a sedici anni nel campo di concentramento di Bergen Belsen dopo un anno di clandestinità, è riuscita a stupirmi perchè mi ha restituito pensieri diversi rispetto a quelli che mi aspettavo.
Tutto sommato sul dramma della Shoah rimane poco: è molto di più la storia di una ragazzina costretta ad affrontare i travagli della difficile età dell'adolescenza, ad affrontarli in maniera assai più amara in quanto inaspriti dalla prigionia e dalla convivenza forzata proprio con quegli adulti con cui deve ricostruire un rapporto, ora che le strutture sentimentali dell'infanzia alll'improvviso non funzionano più.
E troviamo la sua sofferenza per il difficile rapporto coi genitori, la sua sofferenza di sentirsi incompresa; ma anche la fatica di affrontare sbalzi d'umore continui ed imprevisti, conseguenza di passioni nuove e sconosciute che Anna ancora non sa affrontare. Il lettore sprovveduto potrebbe sentirsi tradito dalla petulanza capricciosa della ragazzina che non sa rendersi conto della situazione che la sua famiglia sta attraversando: ma in realtà essa è la testimonianza più umana e più vera della difesa disperata di Anna da un mondo che la respinge; del suo sforzo di sopravvivere alla sfida congiunta della shoah e dell'adolescenza che incombe, sfida che sembra essere troppo grande per lei.
Le bellissime pagine che consegna a quel diario che sembra essere il suo unico amico (con che dolcezza lo personifica!) sono una testimonianza preziosa delle passioni e dei pensieri dei nostri ragazzi, che forse i quarantenni hanno dimenticato. Non posso non accorgermi inoltre della qualità della scrittura, sia come periodare che come lessico: i nostri quindicenni drogati di social network che leggono un libro l'anno, sarebbero stati in grado di scrivere il diario di Anna Frank? Il legittimo dubbio diventa anche paura per il progressivo deterioramento dello spessore culturale della nostra società.
Ma intorno alla guerra interiore di Anna, che tutti noi abbiamo passato sia pure in condizioni assai più favorevoli, c'è la guerra vera, che Anna se la porterà via all'improvviso. C'è il terrore di essere scoperti che attanaglia le viscere, c'è il dolore di poter vedere il cielo solo da un piccolo specchio.
Ma il sangue che la storia ci racconta, tra queste pagine non lo vediamo. Le battaglie sono un brontolio lontano e rimangono le gracchianti frasi che escono dalla radio clandestina.
E da qui nasce il pensiero che è la seconda testimonianza che ci lascia la piccola Anna nel suo diario. Una testimonianza che è anche una coltellata nella schiena di tutti i giustificazionisti, di tutti revisionisti, di tutti quelli che cercano un spiegazione che riduca l'enorme portata morale dell'olocausto. Se una quindicenne rinchiusa in un rifugio segreto conosceva così bene le sorti della guerra (al punto da citare con precisione battaglie del lontanissimo fronte orientaale come l'offensiva Dnepr-carpatica o l'offensiva Lvov-Sandomierz) e ancora meglio le sorti dei suoi fratelli ebrei, nessuno poteva non sapere. Non si può mettere avanti lo scudo dell'ignoranza contro la colpa del campo di concentramento e di sterminio: se l'eco di quel grido di dolore è arrivato talmente forte da penetrare le pareti di un rifugio chiuso, come mani nessuno ha sentito nulla? Come mai nessuno ha fatto nulla?
E questo dito puntato contro i fascisti di oggi che negano tutto e invece potendo ricomincerebebro domattina, contro gli antifascisti di allora che hanno anteposto considerazioni strategiche diverse alla necessità di fermare tutto questo, contro le potenze alleate che si sono permesse di giocare con la vita di milioni di persone sulla base di strampalati calcoli geopolitici, è il miracolo più grande che la povera Anna ha operato per sè, per il suo popolo e per il mondo prima di morire di tifo nell'inferno di Bergen Belsen.
Continuiamo a far leggere quuesto libro, perchè sono troppe ormai le persone che vogliono negare per ricominciare.

If only every teenager would read and embrace this story, I wonder if it would change the instant-gratification, me-me-me society that has evolved over the last 50 years? Of course, this novel is a staple in any Holocaust lesson planning. In a world in which so few teenagers (or adults, for that matter) seem to stop and give thanks for what they have (instead chirping about what they want or complaining about what they don't have), Anne Frank faced the most unfair of cruelties with a certain strength and grace that crushes nearly any "problem" kids or adults face. Many Holocaust books or movies make you think, "Why?! Why did this happen?!" This story makes me think, "How? How did Anne Frank find the strength to keep her head and record her thoughts during such an unbelievably difficult time?" In a world desperate for heroes and tired (though indelibly enamored by) spoiled athletes, stories like this are once-in-a-lifetime. Hats off to Anne Frank. She had dreams of becoming famous and, although it was for reasons she never would have imagined, at least that part of her dream became true. I appreciate how this story makes my students of all learning levels and backgrounds rethink what they thought they knew about sacrifices and challenges, and even gets some students thinking about how they can use their lives to make a positive difference for others.

My reasons for not liking the book. I know many people feel that this is more like a life altering book for them. But that's truly not the same in my case.

1. The book is more like hardcore history which has never been my choice of subject

2. I personally did find the book rather dry as it's major gossip written by a girl whose family is in hiding during World War II

3. I'm 22 and I guess I've grown over a book like this


Although i do agree, some (I REPEAT SOME) parts of the book make you smile, but if you ask me I wouldn't suggest this one as it's not one amongst books of my choice/ reading preference.

I have read a few books in my life about this horrible time in history but I never got around to this book.

I thought Anne was sweet and I was so happy for her and her little diary. But, the end is just so very sad. Anne's family and the other family that were in hiding with them for two ish years were caught. The things Anne had to see before she wasn't any more. Well, yeah, I cried. I mean she doesn't mention this as she left her diary when they were seized of course. There is some documented things at the end of the book. The only one to survive was Anne's father

What do I take from this, be happy for what you have, it could be so much worse. And though I am home bound for reasons and only get out when mom takes me to all the doctors and we manage a store in the same day, I want to live my inside life the best I can. I don't have the fear of being dragged out of my house and possibly killed because of some deranged people :-( So here's to you Anne and all the others like you. Love, Mel

I really wish I had a different translation of this book because this one lacks a lot of the personality and ease compared to the audiobook version I partially listened to. But this book should definitely be one of the books you read before you die because it is so tragic and enlightening. Nothing makes me angrier and sadder than seeing someone with so much potential and excitement rave about their passion for life, and in the end, never made it to accomplish their dreams, or see their work published. (this is also why This Star Won't Go Out made me sob.) Anne surprised me with how real and relatable she is, and she really seems to grow into her writing style and throughout the book you can note a change in her maturity and the way she describes and reflects on things. Had this book been easier to get through it would have been 5 stars, but some parts just dragged for me.

"أننا يهود..مقيدون في مكان واحد دون حقوق و بآلاف الواجبات..يجب أن نتحلي بالشجاعة والصبر ونثق في الرب..يوما ما ستنتهي هذه الحرب...يوماً ما نستطيع أن نكون آدمين وليس فقط يهوداً.."

أن فرانك ..الفتاة اليهودية التي أطلق اسمها علي شوارع ومدارس في أركان العالم ..
آن فرانك.. الفتاة التي تُرجمت يومياتها إلي أكثر من ٥٥ لغة و بيع منها أكثر من ٢٠ مليون نسخة حول العالم....
آن فرانك..الفتاة التي ظلت مختبئة مع عائلتها و عائلة يهودية أخري لمدة سنتين في مكتب والدها في هولندا خوفاً من إعتقالهم علي يد الألمان أثناء الحرب العالمية الثانية...

بدأت آن كتابة يومياتها في ١٢ يونيو ١٩٤٢ يوم بلوغها سن الثالثة عشر وكتبت فيها لآخر مرة يوم ١ أغسطس ١٩٤٤ ...
في ٤ أغسطس ١٩٤٤ جاء ثلاث هولنديين في خدمة الشرطة الألمانية أمام بناية برينسنغراخت ٢٦٣ وهي البناية التي يزورها الآن سنوياً أكثر من ٦٠٠ ألف شخص..تم إعتقال جميع من في المنزل و نقلهم إلي معسكرات الإبادة في أوشفيتز حيث توفت والدة آن من الجوع والإنهاك و توفت آن وأختها متأثرين بمرض التيفود ودفنوا في المقابر الجماعية في بيرغن ..أما أوتو فرانك والد آن،الوحيد من المختبئين الذي نجا من معسكرات الإعتقال بعد تحرير أوشفيتز من قبل الجيش الروسي و هو الذي قام بنشر يوميات ابنته...

الصراحة الكتاب جاء أقل من توقعاتي بكتير..
كنت أتوقع إنها حتتكلم عن معسكرات اليهود و تحكي تفاصيل أكتر عن الحرب ولكن للأسف كل اليوميات كانت معظمها تدور حول حياتهم وقت الأختباء و المشاجرات العائلية التي كانت تحدث بينهم والتغذية وانشغالات كل فرد و كان يوجد بعض التفاصيل عن قصة حب عاشتها آن مع بيتر الذي يبلغ من العمر ١٦ عاماً وكان مختبئ معهم في نفس المنزل...

إسلوب البنت طبعا بالنسبة لسنها يعتبر كويس جداً و كان فعلاً ممكن تكون كاتبة أو صحافية زي ما هي كانت بتتمني...

"عندما أكتب أتخلص من كل شئ ..يتبخر حزني تتجدد شجاعتي ولكن هذا هو السؤال الأساسي هل أستطيع يوماً ما كتابة شئ قيم؟ هل أصبح يوما ما صحافية وكاتبة؟"

تعرض الكتاب للهجوم مشككاً في أصالته والبعض أتهم والدها إنه هو الذي كتب اليوميات بس أنا شوفت إن إسلوب الكتابة مناسب لفتاة في مثل هذه السن باستثناء بعض المقاطع اللي فعلاً حتحس إن مستحيل بنت عندها ١٤ سنة تكون كتبتها...

أشتهرت هذه المذكرات -في رأيي- ليس بسبب ما تحتويه من أحداث ولكن بسبب البنت نفسها و حبها للحياة و موهبتها في الكتابة التي جعلتها إلي يومنا هذا رمز لمعاناة اليهود في العصر النازي...

"الأمل يجعلنا نحيا ..يمدنا بالشجاعة ..يمدنا بالقوة لأننا نحتاج للشجاعة لتحمل القلق،الحرمان والمعاناة.."