The Diary of a Young Girl

By: Anne Frank, edited by Otto Frank

Reviewed By: Anna Shimova

The epistolary novel of Anne Frank will pull you into the mind of a teenage Jewish girl, living in hiding in the Secret Annex during World War II. Anne is facing the same struggles and doubts all kids –then and even now—face, aside from the constant fear of being found, killed, sent to jail or a concentration camp, and even gassed to death like some of her family’s dear friends.

This book is organized by dates in journal entries, to—or in—the diary she named “Kitty,” her only true friend, the only one she can open up to where she reveals her most deepest and darkest thoughts. “Paper is more patient then people,” she constantly explains to Kitty.

What is the Annex? Well, for the Frank faimly, Mr. and Mrs. Van Dan, Peter, and Dussel, it could have simply been just a secret attic hidden behind a bookshelf in a work office, in Holland. Where for two years straight, they had to tippy-toe around all day, trying their best not to be heard and blow their cover. Where it was lights out at eight o’clock daily. Where they had all been assigned times to use the can, flush, bathe, and if they didn’t get lucky enough, use a bucket stored under their bed for their personal needs. Where they fell asleep to the sound of bombs exploding on the streets, and were denied the right to interact with nature even from the other side of a closed window. Where breaking and entering burglars always stuck their noses and scared them half to death.

Where they lived off potatoes or rotten vegetables for weeks –soup if they got lucky—and living through each conversation over each meal, was even harder. Since they enjoyed each other’s company so much, each friendly discussion would turn into criticism, Anne always being the primary victim of this. But they were given a gift not many could have held in their hands: more time on God’s green earth.

For Anne, the Secret Annex is where she became the mother to herself that she never had. Where she inspected herself under a microscope, a time for self reflection, where she worked on modifying the flaws everyone picked on so badly, even if that resulted in crying herself to sleep night by night. “I wish God could just give me another personality…” she once said.

Each page of this definitive edition, previously unpublished material, coming of age, version of this diary left me sympathizing with the character, asking myself “How would I feel in her shoes locked up in a cramped space without any privacy? Surrounded by know-it-all adults filling me with nothing but unconstructive criticism, adding to my typical teenage uncertainties in myself?” The way Anne grows bit by bit as a person, teaches herself from the books she read, but Mr. Van Dan seems to be sure her inexperienced self “knows everything in theory, not in practice.”

Anne’s story was moving and inspirational, it is a for sure historical classic, must read. Yes, Hitler and all his Nazis’ taught her life wasn’t fair, but she taught herself how to grow into a new and improved beautiful young woman, who came to a very tragic end.

Lines we love:

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As longs as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles."