Book Review: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

I couldn’t remember if I had read this as a child or not, but felt that regardless this book deserved a second, more mature read and now as an adult I can fully appreciate this beautiful diary.

It is a marvel to read, listening to a young girl’s thoughts and feelings, watching her not only grow up but also fall simultaneously, deep into a sense of loneliness and despair.  But her story is not a tragic one, but a voice given to the millions of people who suffered during the second world war. Her face has now become synonymous with freedom and it was the afterward of her diary that brought tears to my eyes. Anne Frank wanted to be a writer, she wanted to be remembered after her death, and now, as one of the most famous faces (and names) of the 20th Century she has outlived history and has become a symbol of hope and learning.

Many of us have read this book at school as children or young adults, I really urge you to re-read it because as life brings us knowledge and empathy I felt  during this second reading that I understood why this book is a piece of art in a terrible slice of history.

And now, I feel must pilgrimage to Amsterdam so that I can visit The Secret Annex, walk the same corridors and stand in her room, contemplate the fate of those unfortunate, innocent 8 people. Because in reading her diary you feel that you are with her and that as the diary comes to an abrupt end you too have suffered a loss.  But she has surpassed even her own dreams and become timeless, forever a young, hopeful girl WRITER!.

Related articles

• Frankly, I preferred Anne’s diary on paper (guardian.co.uk)
• Anne Frank, The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank (librarianheaven.com)
• The Diary of Young Girl by Anne Frank (rolipolli.wordpress.com)