Anne Frank House

This is a wonderful, easy to read and comprehend, straight-forward look at the rise of nazi fascism in Europe and how it not only effected the Frank family but also the world. It is a unique look back at a history that must be remembered. It is also frightening to see how much the current maga party has taken from the nazi playbook; and even more terrifying to see that it still works.

Like many of us, I read Anne Frank's diary when I was a teenager. My heart broke for this exquisitely curious and lively girl and the smart, sweet and cutting way that she wrote about her experience in the Secret Attic. I read everything I could about her and as a Jewish girl living in a neighborhood replete with survivors, I imagined what I would do in the same situation. As I got older I began to question some of the ways that her story was used to teach about the Holocaust. I began to show more chaff at the quote that is the most cited from her diary, "I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart." I thought of her lying on the ground dying with her dead sister next to her in Bergen-Belsen and wondered what she still thought about human nature and hated the whitewashing of the pain and horror of the Holocaust. Yet, for me Anne Frank and her story just cuts me to the core.

Anne Frank in the Secret Annex adds to what we know about Anne, the other seven people who hid in the attic and the helpers. It does this through photographs, maps timelines and additional readings. It deepens our understanding of the day to day life that she experienced and gives context to the diary as we learn more about her family's life before the war and how she came to the secret annex. I especially appreciated being able to gain a fuller understanding of the three families that hid together notably some of the adults who Anne wrote about her conflicts but little more. For example, I learned about Fritz Pfeffer and the woman he loved but could not marry because Jews and Non-Jews could not marry under the 1935 Nazi Nuremberg Laws. It also gives us vital and more complete information about the people who protected and loved them;how they worked together despite the danger and that several of them were sent to concentration camps when the Franks were discovered and so much more. The book feels gritty and raw in its factual presentation and that took me right into the book which I stayed up to finish. I would not read Anne Frank in the Secret Annex without first reading her diary, in conjunction or ideally, afterwards. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion. show less

Another biography about Anne Frank but this one is a little bit different. The outside has the feeling of a scrapbook and in addition to the usual information about Anne Frank, her family and their time in hiding during World War II, there are questions compiled by the Anne Frank Foundation which supports the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, asked by children and young people. These questions are inserted in the text throughout the book on smaller pages. Beside the questions, there are facts show more about World War II, which puts the information about Anne and her family in historical context.
The text is in short paragraphs with white space in between paragraphs. The text is accompanied by many photographs and illustrations which would make it attractive to elementary aged students. An updated addition to Anne Franks biographies in any library and could be interesting to middle school students..
Oral
R
3rd - 5th grade show less

As I was sitting at my desk I looked at the bookcase to my left and happened to see this book. It’s one of so many I hadn’t added to my Goodreads shelves and it reminds me of how traumatic it will be to have to give up most of my books. I should have spent the last more than 12 years on Goodreads adding more of my owned books.

This one is a gem. It’s a must read/view for readers interested in Anne Frank and/or the Holocaust. There are so many great photos. As the book title indicates, show more they’re of Anne and those she knew and of the world in general, what was happening as she grew up, not quite of course given that she died at only 15 years old. The accompanying text is also great. I just looked through the book a bit so I could write something down about the book and not only rate it.

Apparently I read it in conjunction with an exhibit by the same name, as I have brochures from an exhibit in Marin Country, just across the Golden Gate Bridge from where I live/lived in San Francisco. Books are great for keeping memories. I'll look through this more carefully before I give it up. show less