Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

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Summary: Anne Frank
Review: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is the autobiography of a young woman coming to terms with adolescence while hiding from the Nazis with other Jewish citizens throughout the early 1940s. The novel is made up of the fascinating diary of the fourteen year-old (Anne Frank), and takes the reader on a journey through her deepest ideas and thoughts on the every-day trials and tribulations of life throughout a most painstakingly difficult period in the 20th Century. Anne begins the story as a carefree schoolgirl and ends it as a wise and experienced young adult, giving the reader a sense of Annes remarkable character while living under the most fearfully uncomfortable conditions.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and after finishing it I have learned a lot about myself in the process. This is because, in Annes continual fight with her own emotions and feelings, (and tiring struggle to stay true to herself), I began to challenge myself with questions about the strengths and weaknesses of my own character. Since Anne's greatest quality is her awareness of her own self and her ability to know when she is being fair and when she being unreasonable, she also possesses the unique ability to reflect on these things with a profound sense of truth. This admirable discipline of ones own conscience and clear, determined course of thought is something I wish I had, but I feel I have become more aware of this near the end of the book.

(***) Through analyzing Anne's entries to "Kitty" (Annes imaginary name of whom she writes to in her diary) I have become a little more compassionate and understanding, because I realize how important it is to be thankful for life. So often I waste my time complaining about things, and little do I understand how well off I am in the big picture of the world. Annes positive outlook and noble courage has inspired me to become more optimistic, and as an exceptionally bright 15 year-old she serves as a great role model for the youth of our generation. I most definitely recommend this novel for mature teenage girls, it is most appropriate for 14 years of age and up.

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Summary: Worthy of the praise
Review: Anne Frank may well have become a successful author had her life not been cut tragically short. She is remarkably clear and effective in communicating an emotional sense of what it was like, at least from her point of view, to live an extended period in a severely restrictive environment. Anne's optimism and faith rings clear without being expressly stated. It is refreshing in that there is no hint of contrived drama or melodrama in her descriptions of everyday life suffused with internal and external stresses. This book reads as honest, direct and true as life gets.

This book is the literal diary of a Jewish teen hiding from the Nazis in Holland during World War Two. It covers the period in Anne's life from about thirteen to fifteen years old. She lives on the top floor of a warehouse with her immediate family (mother, father, and sister) as well as another family of three (the "Van Daan's" and their sixteen year old son) and an older dentist with whom she must share a room. The antics, conflicts and daily travails amidst food shortages, break-ins and a seemingly endless parade of small crises test the limits of the residents of the annex. One of the more revealing episodes involves a brief fling at romance with the sixteen-year-old son of the Van Daan's and Anne. It is a revealing look at adolescence and the process of maturity through a tightly focused lens. It is truly wrenching as you learn the fate of each of the residents. One is left with an unforgettable snapshot of humanity, its courage and its failings, in a time of deep crisis and almost unbelievable tragedy.

The Diary of Anne Frank is often taught at the middle school level. My sixth grade students expressed interest in the book, so I let them read as part of their reading curriculum. I found that while most had little trouble understanding the book (they were above average readers) they were too young to really grasp and appreciate the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle themes running through the book. They had no emotional sense of what these people's daily lives were like. There was nothing in their limited life experience to help them appreciate or understand what living in such conditions for an extended period would be like. Anne Frank would be better read at the high school level, or better yet, as a book read by choice.

A note on this edition: The Definitive edition includes much material that was excised from the original diary. Many of Anne's comments about her mother were less than flattering, and so her father (the only survivor in the book) sought to protect the memory of his wife. This is certainly understandable, but the Definitive edition more honestly reflects Anne's feelings at the time. I don't think there's too many people that would begrudge a teenager's rejection of their parents. It's only sad that she didn't live long enough to come through and see her mom through the eyes of an adult.

Rating:
Summary: An okay book...
Review: I think that this book is overrated in that it is not all that it was cut out to be. A diary of a young girl growing up in hiding during this time period should portray more than just her moods and her advanced vocabulary and how she has grown emotionally over the years she is secluded from the rest of the troubled world. Either it should have had more or what it did say should have been more captivating to the reader. It is very hard for me to give my opinion on a book that did not just come from a great amount of thought but from a young person's actual life. I sort of feel like I am not giving it a chance and I should research more into Anne's life before I say anything about her diary because I know she went through more than what the reader is able to know. I do know a couple people who have visited the "Secret Annexe" and from what they have said I think I would enjoy the book much more and understand everything she says a little better if I had a better idea of where she was and how everything happened.
The book would probably be much more moving and powerful to me if I saw where it took place. Since I have not been there yet all I can say is that this autobiography, describing several years of a young Jewish girl's life in hiding during the Holocaust, did not reach me the way I had expected it to and I did not get the same feeling that many of my peers and teachers did when they read it. Before reading the book I thought that I would be able to feel Anne's pain, that through her diary entries I would be able to almost relate to her, though not fully because obviously I have no idea exactly what it was like. In this way I was disappointed in the book although the way she wrote with such maturity really amazed me and how she could actually say that she was lucky compared to what other people that she once knew were going through despite how scared and bored she was really captured me and made me see parts of her personality that I doubt anyone who lived with her saw.

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Summary: Anne Frank
Review: The more I read, the more I enjoyed this book. Written by a young girl in hiding from Hitler and the Nazis during World War II, Anne's diary clearly depicts the incredible emotions of a teenager during this time period. I was amazed of how mature and intellectual Anne was as a writer. While reading this book you, as well, will feel the hardships and emotions a young girl of this time felt. Repeatedly in emotional limbo, Anne continues to shine a light by being positive about her situation, making the best of her teen life in hiding, and trying to get along with everyone as much as possible. By witnessing her first kiss, her devoted love towards her father, and the small joys she managed to find while in hiding, Anne truly shows us how valuable small things in life are. Reading Anne's diary gave me a glimpse of the suffering and emotional hell millions of people suffered during this period. Although not everyone affected by this tragedy kept a diary, everyone has a story and Anne shared hers with us with true humanity. I highly recommend this book.

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Summary: Incomparable immediacy
Review: Except for a book titled "I Survived Hitler's Ovens" which I read as a teen-ager in the fifties and have never since been able to locate, this book comes closest to conveying the effects of a genocidal war on non-combatants. I understand a new edition of this work with passages restored which Otto Frank originally omitted is due to be published. If anyone knows more about this edition and when it may be available, please post or email. Also, if this book intrigues you and you ever have a chance to attend the stageplay, don't miss it.

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Summary: Anne Frank A.W
Review: Hi i'm Austin. Today i'm going to tell you a true story about A young girl called Anne Frank.
Anne frank is a young girl who lives in Germany. She is very playful and likes to flirt. She had so much fun doing all of this. But Germany was no friendly place. It was in Poland in 1940. Hitler was ruling. For those of you who don't know who Hitler is, he was the leader of the all Nazis. They all hated jews. They hated them to the point of killing 6 million of them. What do you know Anne frank was a jew. It finally got so bad that her dad Otto Frank said that they must go into hiding. So they did. The very next morning Anne was awoken by her father and said pack your stuff, we are leaving. So she did. she put on as much clothes as possible and gathered some personel items and was off. they went into hiding in one of Mr.Otto's buildings (office) . They called it the secret annex. Time went on and finally they were caught by the gestapo(nazi police). They were all sent to concentration camps and only Otto survived. I think someone my age should read this book because it was interesting and told about the truelife situation of WWII.

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Summary: Wonderful
Review: The Diary of Anne Frank was a wonderful memoir of a girl's life. Narrated by a teenage girl, it was easy to relate to. The way Anne tells about her life brings on a new wave of thought. When Anne and her family go into hiding from the Nazis, at first Anne does not like her new home. But after living there for a long time with her friends and family, she adjusts to the new lifestyle very well. The murder story of an innocent teenage girl brightened my eyes to see the good, yet simple luxuries of normal life. Something that I used to take for granted was just sitting down with my family for dinner. In The Diary of Anne Frank, the families living together have to worry when they eat. Worry about being to loud and being heard, or worry about being discovered. While reading this book, Anne Frank takes you through many turns. I recommend this book to anyone! It was truly great!

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Summary: It was written as a diary...
Review: Many people who gave negative reviews to "The Diary of Anne Frank" on account of it being boring or dull seem to have forgotten that it was not originally written for the public as a captivating account of life during the Holocaust (even though, in my opinion, it succeeded in that respect as well.) It was written as a diary. Nothing more. Anyone who has ever kept a diary knows that it is a record of daily life, and in this case an outlet to a young girl's soul, where she could vent her fears, her anger, and her emotions without fear of embarrassment or retribution. To all future readers, keep in mind; it is a diary. Just that.

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Summary: With all due respect...
Review: I would never make light of something as horrific as the Holocaust, nor would I presume to to minimize the plight of its victims. However, that being said, this book was not... repeat... NOT an account of the Holocaust. What it was, with my apologies to all those who praised this book while laboring under the impression that it would be unconscionable to do otherwise, is the diary of a teenager. And, to be candid, a rather conceited, spoiled teenager at that. I have to admit that, though I tried repeatedly, I have never been able to get completely through this book. Anne's considerable - and rather highhanded - opinions of herself get to be too much and it is clear that she finds herself to be superior to others. Simply said, I didn't find a warm personality in those pages.... and I can't chalk it up to the situation in the attic. Even in the first pages of the diary she compares herself with her friends and finds her friends lacking. That doesn't change.
Incidentally, if you want an accounting of the Holocaust, read "Night" by Elie Wiesel... a vastly superior book

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Summary: A Tragedy with an Uplifting Heroine
Review: The story of Anne Frank is both extraordinary and ordinary. Anne was a hero who showed an attitude of hope even in the most appalling circumstances. Frank is ordinary, because I think nearly every girl can see herself as a young teenager through Anne. We can relate to Anne's interest in the opposite sex, her frustrations and joys as she becomes a young woman, her struggles to relate to the adults in her life. The reader will be ultimately uplifted by Anne's assertion "in spite of everything, I still believe people are good at heart." I carry this line within my heart, when I'm going through personal hardship and remember the heroism of a young girl in Holland.