I’ve always wanted to get around to reading this book. I finally did and finished in about three days. It was a difficult one – not because of the writing, but because of the subject. It’s hard to believe human beings had to go through what this poor girl and her family did. It pains me to know they had to hide away for 2 years to avoid concentration camps and death – stuck in an attic, unable to get fresh air and a lot of times, not having access to fresh food.
There were things in the diary that Anne wrote about that I could relate to – at the beginning she writes that she’s not sure why she’s keeping a diary. She can’t imagine anyone wanting to read her words about her life. Oh, Anne, the world has read them… it’s just tragic as to WHY. She states paper is patient – it is the best listener for anything a person needs to get out of their mind. Paper is patient – yeah, I really like that!
The diary starts right before they go into hiding. She receives the journal as a gift and contemplates her reasons to write about her life. She has dreams of becoming a published writer, and she has a knack for putting pen to paper, even at the young age of thirteen. She has normal situations – she gets frustrated with her older sister, clashes with her mother, and worries about her future. She even falls in love with a boy who is hiding in the attic with her family. She seems close to her father, who I have learned was the only survivor in the Frank family. He finds her diary after the war and years later, I believe in 1949, gets it edited and published, fulfilling Anne’s wish of getting published.
There are entries that were quite boring (I feel bad saying this, but that’s how most diaries are… daily life is mundane sometimes, especially when you’re hiding away in an attic, unable to make many sounds). Then there are entries that are captivating, gut-wrenching, and action-packed, especially when she updates the reader on what is going on with the war, Hitler, and invasions with other countries. She writes about air raids, right over the town where they are hiding and the fear they felt when there were people downstairs in the building where they were hiding. She states in several entries about things she can’t wait to accomplish after the war. She wants to go back to school. She wants to be around friends. She wants the sunlight on her face. The poor child was deprived of so many milestones and events a person her age should’ve been experiencing. And it hurts to know human beings were ever treated this way. And not even 100 years ago.
It was a powerful read that highlights the ups and downs of a terrified family hiding away to avoid capture, concentration camps, and horrible death. There isn’t a whole lot more to say about this. I’m glad I read it to really understand Anne and her honest account of her experiences during World War 2.
It was painful to read about how hopeful she was, knowing how it would all end. I think everyone needs to read this one to gain some perspective about their own lives.
FIVE STARS
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