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.
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.
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.
8 thoughts on “The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank [BOOK REVIEW]”
I have read it many times and it always moves me beyond words. the rise of neo-fascism and racism and neo-nazi hate mongering both scares me and breaks my heart for so so many were murdered and forced to flee their homeland and like the Frank family hide and live through unimaginable pain – and here we are almost in 2019 and yet – and yet the hate rears its grotesque head and is promoted by politicians in so many places around the world. Thank you for posting this on the cusp of a new year – it moves and challenges us all to never forget and to fight and struggle so that such horrors are never again meted out against innocent women and men and children.
Thank you Afzal – I am glad you enjoyed my review. What happens to this world today is sad and beyond my words. People seem to have more hatred than ever, and that is not helping anyone. What I strongly believe is that individuals create the society, and I start with myself, with being a good person to myself and the people around me. I wish you a Happy New Year, full of wonderful things! 🙂
your words ring so true and yes it is us – all of us – as individuals who can make a difference by making a difference in our own small spaces – and as they say that every drop of water fills a bucket so too will every one of us making the changes in our lives and in the lives of those dear to us that will stem the proliferation of hate. I wish you and all those dear to you a happy new year with 2019 being one of peace and health and joy for you and yours. and for us all.
I have read it many times and it always moves me beyond words. the rise of neo-fascism and racism and neo-nazi hate mongering both scares me and breaks my heart for so so many were murdered and forced to flee their homeland and like the Frank family hide and live through unimaginable pain – and here we are almost in 2019 and yet – and yet the hate rears its grotesque head and is promoted by politicians in so many places around the world. Thank you for posting this on the cusp of a new year – it moves and challenges us all to never forget and to fight and struggle so that such horrors are never again meted out against innocent women and men and children.
Thank you Afzal – I am glad you enjoyed my review. What happens to this world today is sad and beyond my words. People seem to have more hatred than ever, and that is not helping anyone. What I strongly believe is that individuals create the society, and I start with myself, with being a good person to myself and the people around me. I wish you a Happy New Year, full of wonderful things! 🙂
your words ring so true and yes it is us – all of us – as individuals who can make a difference by making a difference in our own small spaces – and as they say that every drop of water fills a bucket so too will every one of us making the changes in our lives and in the lives of those dear to us that will stem the proliferation of hate. I wish you and all those dear to you a happy new year with 2019 being one of peace and health and joy for you and yours. and for us all.
Peace always ✌
Student last year: who wrote The Diary of Anne Frank?
hehehe awwwh that would have made me giggle so hard in class.
It was hard not to giggle as a teacher