Book Review ~ The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Title:   The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Series:  The Definitive Edition

Pages:  380

Date Published:  

Publisher:  Bantam

 Blurb:

Anne Frank's extraordinary diary, written in the Amsterdam attic where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years, has become a world classic and a timeless testament to the human spirit. 

Now, in a new edition enriched by many passages originally withheld by her father, we meet an Anne more real, more human, and more vital than ever. Here she is first and foremost a teenage girl—stubbornly honest, touchingly vulnerable, in love with life. She imparts her deeply secret world of soul-searching and hungering for affection, rebellious clashes with her mother, romance and newly discovered sexuality, and wry, candid observations of her companions. 

Facing hunger, fear of discovery and death, and the petty frustrations of such confined quarters, Anne writes with adult wisdom and views beyond her years. Her story is that of every teenager, lived out in conditions few teenagers have ever known.

My Thoughts:

I originally read a version of this book in 7th Grade Reading Class with Mrs. Laird.  That would have been around 1989 so I'm not even sure if this version was in print at that time.  What I do know is that I learned so much more this time around!

At times, I forgot that a 14 year old girl was writing this book.  At other times, her immaturity shone through quite clearly.  I especially thought she was a bit harsh about her mother but that might be because I now have a 15 year old daughter and am the mother myself.

The closer I got to finishing the book, the more I was dreading the end because I knew what that meant for Anne and the rest of the Annex Eight.

I was glad that this edition had information at the end about what happened to those hiding and also the helpers who hid them.  It was very interesting to read.

I'm going to keep this review fairly short as I read this book as the May 2022 selection for the Kindred Readers Book Club.  We'd love for you to join in.  We'll be having discussion daily throughout May.  Just search for the group on facebook :)

Onto the next book :)