Synopsis
In a groundbreaking work, acclaimed author Barry Denenberg explores the history of the Holocaust and the lives of Anne Frank and her family.
Denenberg presents the complete story of Anne Frank and her family's life, from Frankfurt, Germany, where Anne and Margot were born before the war, up through to their murders at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. When the Franks leave Frankfurt for Amsterdam, they are hoping to find a place where they can resume a normal life, but instead, the family's freedoms are taken away bit by bit. But it is when they see that other Jews are being taken away, and sent to so-called labor camps that the Franks realize they have no choice but to go into hiding; they live in fear for 2 years.
Reviews
Grade 5-9–Denenberg is clearly passionate about his subject. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm doesn't translate into a thoughtful, well-written biography. One problem is his audience: the introduction and bibliographical essay are directed at adults, while the text swings from upper elementary to high school (and back again). Second, the writing is often awkward and choppy, with an annoying use of sentence fragments. Third, there are many errors, omissions, and unanswered questions. Finally, the book's four sections are disjointed. "Living" is a straightforward narrative. In "Hiding," Denenberg covers the Franks' years in the Secret Annex through a fictional diary "written" by Anne's sister, Margot. In his introduction he claims that this made-up diary accomplishes six "important things," but it doesn't. There are a number of discrepancies between Margot's "diary" and Anne's. And, by not quoting any of Anne's entries, key insights into her personality, feelings and beliefs, and growing maturity are absent–from her own biography. "Dying" uses oral histories of concentration-camp survivors. "Surviving" is disappointingly brief and ends abruptly with the publication of Anne's diary. There is nothing about the play or movie/TV adaptations, nothing on the Anne Frank House or Foundation, nothing on the controversies that have arisen regarding the diary's authenticity (and how it was edited), and–most importantly–nothing about the diary's enormous impact. While not totally satisfactory, Susan Goldman Rubin's Searching for Anne Frank(Abrams, 2003) is both thorough and interesting.–Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
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*Starred Review* Gr. 6-10. Readers of Anne Frank's diary may think they know her story, but this thoroughly researched volume offers much more, throwing light on the lives of Anne and her family before, during, and after the years in the secret annex. The first section discusses the Franks' life in Germany when Hitler came to power, their move to Amsterdam, and their lives during the next nine years. The second section, a fictional diary in the voice of Anne's older sister Margot, offers a slightly different perspective on the time the family spent in hiding. Returning to nonfiction, the third and fourth sections recount what happened to the family members when they were discovered and sent to concentration camps, and describe Otto Frank's postwar efforts to find his daughters and the publication of Anne's diary. Inserting a fictional diary into a nonfiction work was an unusual choice, but the section effectively makes the people, their relationships, and their experiences more real. While Anne's diary is affecting in a way that no other version of her story could be, readers who hunger to know more will find this informative, involving book--with source notes, a detailed time line, a bibliographic essay, and lists of further resources--a great place to turn. Photos, not available prepublication, will be included. Carolyn Phelan
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