4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Diary of Anne Frank, Dec 15 2002
I recently read The Diary of Anne Frank: The Definitive Edition by Anne Frank. I told my parents that I was reading it and they told me it was a good book, but I never thought I would like it as much as I did. I liked this book so much because you got to know Anne, her family and the guests that were staying with them in the place they called the Secret Annex. Anne let you know exactly what was happening which made me feel like I had actually been there right by her side. What also made the writing of the book excellent in my opinion was that Anne was a very outgoing girl. She made the passages in her diary sound more exciting to make the reader want to read more. You also got to know Anne more mentally than any other person in the book. She shares her inner most thoughts and feelings with her diary, Kitty. I also thought it was very interesting to find out that all the members in the annex hid from the Nazis for a little over 2 months. This book has definitely changed my outlook on the Holocaust and life. I recommend it to anyone!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best edition of Anne Frank's Diary, May 31 2003
This complete edition of Anne's diary makes us realize how hard it was for Anne to live in her "Secret Annex", hiding from the Nazis. During the WWII, it wasn't easy for Jews to survive, so Anne, her family, and a couple of friends, decided to hide in a building, which they renamed the "Secret Annex". While the other editions omitted Anne's more private thoughts, this edition is more complete and Anne's private thoughts about sexuality are also included. Her fear about being caught by Nazis is overwhelming, however she soon ignores these fears and must face constant famine and the challenges of becoming a woman. Often disagreeing with her mother, she runs to Peter, a boy of her age, for advice. It is then that she slowly discovers she is having mixed feelings about this boy whom she rarely paid any attention to. She starts discovering what love is, but how can she continue her relationship with Peter when she hears Nazi airplanes throwing bombs in the city every night?
Anne was a very strong person and, day after day, was glad she was alive, even though things didn't always go her way. After a while, she got used to her routine and never thought the Germans would one day discover her secret hiding place. However, as the Nazis got stronger, they one day discovered the Frank's secret hiding place, and Otto, Anne's father, was the only one out of the eight people in the annex who survived the concentration camps. When he returned to the Secret Annex after his liberation, he found Anne's diary and passed on her message to the world. This book is a good way towards a better understanding of what Jews had to live through during the second World War.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A diary that truly depicted War..., Jun 14 2004
I earnestly almost cried after reading this book.I was 13,the same age as Anne's when she started writing her diary,whom she called "kitty".
For those who have no idea who Anne Frank is,she is a Jewish girl and the youngest of two girls.Her father was successful businessman...and the family led a happy and wonderful life after settling down in the bustling city of Amsterdam,that was until Adolf Hitler started the Nazis.The Nazis was an anti-Jew operation,where they would capture Jewish men and tortured them.The women and young and old were not let off either,many were sent to concentration camps,where living conditions there were so bad,many died of diseases rather than the slow torturings.
It was at this time that Mr Frank decided to go into hiding with his family.With some of his kind-hearted co-workers,they managed to perfect a secret hideout.Anne,her mother and sister Margot began moving into the hideout,which was located just behind the office.Joining them were the Van Dans (not sure if spelling is right)who had a son named Peter and a doctor.Life was very tough,for living behind the office with barely a bookshelf as a wall means not making loud noises.No one must know of their existense,so all everybody could do is to crept round their area softly,tip-toeing and even speaking in hush-whistle.
For almost 2 years,that's the life of Anne.A growing teenager,she could not go out to the streets to watch a movie,play with her friends or even talk to boys,for that means getting caught by the Nazis.It was also round this time that Anne had one true friend where she can confide everything to:kitty,her diary.
In her diary,she wrote of how talkative she was in class(she went to school before the hiding),how she hates her mother when the latter compared her to her sister Margot,how she detested Mrs Van Dam...and her deepest thoughts on growing up in a secret hideout.She also shared about her crush on Peter,who also liked her.
Anne,as we could see,was a normal girl,someone who detested writing,someone who likes a boy and someone who wants to grow up being an author.Well,you could say she is one now,with her diary published after the war, which was later translated to more than 50 languages and sold millions worldwide...but the young girl,unlike her diary,did not survived through the war,for she was captured from her hideout one fine day.Mrs Frank,Margot,the doctor,the Van Dams and Anne herself,all died.All except for Mr Frank himself,who survived...
By the way, a little unknown fact about her Anne:her real name is Annelies Marie Frank.
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