Reviews

Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family by Alison Leslie Gold, Miep Gies

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nermrlib's review

5.0

I've been fascinated by the story of Anne Frank since reading her diary in middle school. This book tells "the rest of the story"--or the other side of this tragic story. Miep Gies, the most visible of the helpers who hid the Frank family, and the closest friend to them, tells what happened outside the four walls of the Annex. More than any other book I've read about the time period, this book made me feel as though I was there and really could understand what it was like to live in an occupied nation under Nazi rule. Instead of being dropped into the story in the middle (during the days of hiding), she does a good job of telling her life story and how they were going about their daily lives when these extraordinary events occurred. She pulls no punches about the decisions she and her husband made and what they had to do to survive and help their friends. Her courage and fortitude are incredible. I definitely recommend this book.

martinaferro's review

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Interesting account, Miep Gies is inspiring

kaylei721's review

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5.0

I have always wondered what I would have done if I had lived through the Nazi occupation during WWII but I don’t know that any of us can answer that without having experienced that. Miep is one of the few people who could say that she knows exactly what she would do, because she did it.

I have read Anne’s diary and I have even visited the annex in Amsterdam but my curiosity of the lives of those who helped hide the Frank’s and others in the annex was not sparked until I watched the new show “A Small Light.” After watching this incredible show I wanted to learn everything about those who exemplified incredible compassion, persistence, and bravery to save others. I was not disappointed reading this account of what it was like- this book is both fascinating and heartbreaking and I couldn’t put it down.

The one thing that Miep said more than anything in her 100 years on this earth is that she wasn’t a hero- she was an ordinary person who did what any ordinary person would do. She was a secretary and a housewife who just had to help people. I like to think this is true- but I will never negate the incredible character that was exemplified by her and so many others. This book is so important and it should be required reading in every school.

“But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.”

kaitokid's review

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5.0

Very sad but inspiring. I had read an exerpt from the 'play' back in eighth grade i could see how Anne acted and what she said but it this i hear her thoughts a feelings from another person. Another person who tells of other people around Anne and about the world during that time period.