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A review by iseefeelings
The Life of Anne Frank by Menno Metselaar
5.0
For whoever already read Anne Frank's diary, this book may complete your experience into the world she once lived in. Anne Frank - a young German girl who fled to the Netherlands with her family to find a hiding place from the Nazis yet was later murdered by them near the end of World War II - is the one who evokes my curiosity and an odd interest in the great war, especially the Holocaust. (I highly recommend the movie - Son of Saul (2015) - for this topic.)
This book describes really well the timeline of Anne's life with precious photos, extracting her moving words in the diary, such as these:
"We long for Saturdays because that means books (...) Ordinary people don't know how much books can mean to someone who's copped up. Our only diversions are reading, studying and listening to the wireless." (11 July 1943)
"When I write I can shake off all my cares. My sorrow disappears, my spirits are revived! But, and that's a big question, will I ever be able to write something great, will I ever become a journalist or writer? I hope so, oh, I hope so very much, because writing allows me to record everything, all my thoughts, ideals and fantasies." (5 April 1944)
"(...) Sleep makes the silence and the terrible fear go by more quickly, helps pass the time, since it's impossible to kill it." (29 October 1943)
Reading about Anne and other people in the Secret Annexe after being arrested broke my heart. They almost made it, almost had the freedom that they had always dreamt about. Just imagine that each of them was condemned to death hurts me truly. Only Otto Frank was 'lucky' enough to be alive but I don't know if it is the right word to say. Besides, I'm moved and inspired by everyone who helped those people in hiding, as how Anne Frank acknowledged the risks they may face,
"It's amazing how much these generous and unselfish people do, risking their own lives to help and to save others. The best example of this is our own helpers (...) Never have they uttered a single word about the burden we must be, never have they complained that we're too much trouble." (28 January 1944)
Lastly,
would it feel more intimate if I could read her diary in Dutch?
I wonder.
This book describes really well the timeline of Anne's life with precious photos, extracting her moving words in the diary, such as these:
"We long for Saturdays because that means books (...) Ordinary people don't know how much books can mean to someone who's copped up. Our only diversions are reading, studying and listening to the wireless." (11 July 1943)
"When I write I can shake off all my cares. My sorrow disappears, my spirits are revived! But, and that's a big question, will I ever be able to write something great, will I ever become a journalist or writer? I hope so, oh, I hope so very much, because writing allows me to record everything, all my thoughts, ideals and fantasies." (5 April 1944)
"(...) Sleep makes the silence and the terrible fear go by more quickly, helps pass the time, since it's impossible to kill it." (29 October 1943)
Reading about Anne and other people in the Secret Annexe after being arrested broke my heart. They almost made it, almost had the freedom that they had always dreamt about. Just imagine that each of them was condemned to death hurts me truly. Only Otto Frank was 'lucky' enough to be alive but I don't know if it is the right word to say. Besides, I'm moved and inspired by everyone who helped those people in hiding, as how Anne Frank acknowledged the risks they may face,
"It's amazing how much these generous and unselfish people do, risking their own lives to help and to save others. The best example of this is our own helpers (...) Never have they uttered a single word about the burden we must be, never have they complained that we're too much trouble." (28 January 1944)
Lastly,
would it feel more intimate if I could read her diary in Dutch?
I wonder.