A classic coming-of-age memoir that was first published in 1991, is one that I have never read. But since I’m preparing for a trip to The Netherlands this month, and Amsterdam is a destination, I wanted to experience this story before I visit & tour Anne Frank House. I knew little about the book going in, other than it’s the diary of Anne Frank, a young teenager, who is in hiding with her family in a home to avoid being sent out of Amsterdam by the Nazis during WWII. What surprised me is how Anne tells her day to day story in a way that is endearing, yet provocative and sad. She does not shy away from sharing her sexual explorations, her feelings about her mother and father, her relationships, and her attitude towards what is happening both inside and outside of the Secret Annex. What you aren’t reminded of in this story are the vivid realities of Jews outside these Walls. Instead you are kept in Anne’s immediate world and you forget how dyer the Holocaust was for many. What I think is most poignant about this book is that the writing simply ends - as anyone’s writing would if they were here one day and gone the next. It’s extremely reflective of life in that way because even if her diary wasn’t full or her writing wasn’t finished, sometimes that decision is beyond our immediate control.
I feel this book is one of those “must reads”. It was averagely enjoyable and worth the read. And I do think it gave me the foundation of knowledge that I was hoping for!
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