Anne Frank: A Hidden Life

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Anne Frank's diary gives readers an intimate portrait of her life in hiding. But what else do we know about Anne? What did others think of her? Here, surviving friends and neighbors describe Anne as a child, and the people who protected her during the war describe the Secret Annex. Sections from Anne's diary that were recently made public give readers a closer look at the girl who wrote, "I want to go on living even after my death!"

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More About This Book

Overview

Anne Frank's diary gives readers an intimate portrait of her life in hiding. But what else do we know about Anne? What did others think of her? Here, surviving friends and neighbors describe Anne as a child, and the people who protected her during the war describe the Secret Annex. Sections from Anne's diary that were recently made public give readers a closer look at the girl who wrote, "I want to go on living even after my death!"

"With balance and poignancy, Anne Frank: A Hidden Life succeeds in conveying both the individuality of the most famous Holocaust victim and the enormity of the tragedy that consumed her."
-The Horn Book

"This astonishing biography succeeds in delivering fresh and provocative insights. Incisive and vigorously imaginative..."
-Publisher's Weekly, starred review

Describes the background in which Anne Frank's life and diary were set as she hid in an attic in Nazi-occupied Holland for two years.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
While the tragically short life of Anne Frank has elsewhere been carefully documented and inventively researched, this astonishing biography succeeds in delivering fresh and provocative insights. Editor of the definitive edition of The Diary of a Young Girl and author of the novel Halinka, Pressler brings to her task a scholar's skill for textual analysis and a novelist's empathetic imagination. Pressler begins by inviting readers to imagine Otto Frank upon liberation in Auschwitz: the exercise reminds readers of what is obvious but easily forgotten, that history is a retrospective art, and that Anne Frank's death and the discovery of her diaries were by no means inevitable. From there, Pressler draws on eyewitness accounts as well as Anne Frank's diary to shape a remarkably clear-eyed portrait of the girl, ending with her death in Bergen-Belsen. Rather than highlighting Anne's idealism, the author examines the tensions in her diary, performing a critical reading of Anne's descriptions of herself and the others in hiding, and analyzing how Anne edited and reworked her diary in hopes of postwar publication. Incisive and vigorously imaginative in its interpretations, Pressler's work could serve as a model for how to read a subjective narrative. The writing is also very personal; Pressler freely shares her strong feelings, sympathies and antipathies ("What I do admit to finding rather hard to take is Anne's arrogance in making her demands on life "). Anne and the people surrounding her are clearly real to Pressler; she teases their lives out of the diaries and makes them real for readers. Photos not seen by PW. Ages 11-up. (Feb.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
VOYA
This fascinating biographical companion to Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl will impel the reader to reread the diary itself. Acknowledging the limitations of a conventional biography of a young woman who died before her sixteenth birthday, Pressler instead describes the history of the time, Anne's imaginative and analytical literary gifts, her family's story, and her last days in the BergenBelsen concentration camp. The author delves deeply into the lives, personalities, and relationships among the other occupants of the Secret Annex. Anne was a serious and committed writer who revised her work, used literary devices and viewpoints successfully, and, within the circumscribed life of a "hidden" Jew, offered to her diary observations and philosophical insights that still amaze. Anne changed in the course of two years, experiencing sexual awakening, her first romantic relationship, increased awareness of her parents' foibles, and new faith in the existence of God. She also could be petty, mocking, critical, and proud. To her credit, the author does not portray Anne as either perfect or mature. Pressler brings impeccable credentials as editor of Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition (Bantam, 1997). She is as intimately acquainted with Anne as any person can be fiftyfive years after Anne's death. Pressler's convincing conclusions about Anne's literary gifts are fascinating. She offers useful information about other inhabitants of the Annex and their interactions with Anne. Some conclusions are of necessity conjectural and open to debate, most notably that Anne experienced orgasm in her sexual relationship with Peter. For those readers interested in the girl behindthediary, this is an important book nonetheless. Source Notes. Biblio. Photos. Chronology. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2000, Dutton, Ages 13 to 18, 192p, $15.99. Reviewer: Heidi Borton
From The Critics
Anne Frank: A Hidden Life (published in Germany in 1992) answers questions students might have after reading Anne's original diary and/or the play based on her life's story. Miriam Pressler co-edited with Otto Frank the first critical edition of Anne's diary. Now, years later, she has written a wonderful companion piece, placing the Franks in a historical context. Ms. Pressler's work includes—description of the Frank's life prior to their 1942 move into the secret annex; analysis of the eight personalities who inhabited the 550 square foot hiding place for nearly two years; and profiles of the five brave souls who helped those in hiding. The work concludes with haunting stories of both Holocaust victims and survivors—underscoring how this unspeakable horror is still very alive. The crux of the book, though, is Anne's life. Pressler draws a complete portrait of this young woman—something that neither diary nor play can provide. From age 13 to 15, we watch Anne blossom into a mature, sensitive personality, filled with the insecurities and complexities that beset all teenagers. Suitable for class discussions and research projects, this fine addition to the life of Anne Frank ends with a helpful chronology of her life and the political times in which she lived—and died. Genre: Biography 2000, Dutton Children's Books, 176p
KLIATT
When a student finishes reading The Diary of Anne Frank for the first time, he or she closes the book with myriad questions. What would I have done in Anne's place? Would my family have planned and lived so secretly and safely for so long? Are Margot or Peter like siblings and friends of mine? How different is life just 60 years later? What else would Anne tell us if she had lived through the war? Pressler presents all readers of this classic diary with an excellent companion volume, a thoroughly engaging narrative filled with historical details, accurate insights and significant social context. Background data sets the political scene for Hitler's orders, allowing the reader to feel the speed at which life changed in these countries. A chronology is included. Everyday life is encapsulated in the character sketches of all those involved, from the Franks, the Van Pels and Albert Dussel to Miep Gies and all the helpers who risked their lives to protect the secret annex. Marvelous photographs are included. Extensive references to actual paragraphs in the diary continue to bring Anne's words and feelings closer, adding to "this picture of a girl, writing, often in desperation, to fend off loneliness and inhumanity." Complications of the liberation and the steps toward publishing the diary round out this readable text. Shelve this critical biography alongside the diary, for content, perspective, and for Anne, who "wanted to go on living after her death." KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 1999, Penguin Putnam, Puffin, 176p. illus. bibliog. notes. index., $7.99. Ages 13 to 18. Reviewer: Nancy Zachary; YA Libn., Scarsdale P.L., Scarsdale, NY, November 2001 (Vol. 35, No. 6)
Children's Literature - Children's Literature
For anyone intrigued by the singular person known as Anne Frank, here is a book that fills in many aspects of her brief but brilliant life. The author, who also edited the definitive edition of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and translated it from Dutch to German, fills in a good deal of background material to flesh out the story of the eight persons who hid in attic but were finally caught in the net of the Nazis and murdered. Only Anne's father survived, and he had a heavily edited version of her diary published under the name of The Diary of a Young Girl. Much missing from that and Pressler's subsequent edition is now available to the reader of this new book and it provides a much fuller picture of Anne and her longings, desires, talents, attitudes and writing promise. There were actually three different diaries and a number of loose sheets which Anne reworked and recopied, editing her own work. She intended it to become a novel called The Secret Annex and renamed all the characters, calling herself at first Anne Aulis but later Robin. Some of the most fascinating bits of her personality, her emerging sexuality and consciousness, including very frank conversations with Peter and uncomplimentary characterizations of her mother (which must have pained Otto Frank too much to include originally), and other pointed comments which he may have feared were libelous are printed here. It also contains accounts from camp survivors and thus gives us a look at the harrowing final days and months of these hidden Jews after their capture. The book makes fascinating reading and can't help but accentuate the reader's sadness over lives, especially this young life snuffed out sodeterminedly, so callously, so finally. 2000, Dutton, Ages 10 up, $15.99. Reviewer: Judy Chernak —Children's Literature
School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up-In The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition (Doubleday, 1995), Pressler sought to present Anne as "first and foremost a teenage girl, not a remote and flawless symbol." Here, she continues this quest. Utilizing exhaustive research, eyewitness accounts, and imaginative speculation, the author revisits the hidden world of her subject and voices questions and suppositions about her life. She begins with a heart-wrenching account of the liberation of Otto Frank from Auschwitz, his lonely journey back to Amsterdam, and the deliverance of Anne's writings into his hands. The history and content of the three versions of her diary are carefully explained. The author then turns to the world of the Secret Annex, where Anne's writing reflects not only her development as a young woman caught up in a drama both personal and historical, but also the nature of her relationships to those with whom she was confined. There is a frank and thought-provoking discussion of the adolescent's emotional, spiritual, and sexual development. Finally, the cruel reality of the arrest, deportation, and death is described through chilling firsthand accounts of survivors who knew her. A postscript regarding five previously unpublished pages of the diary is appended. For those readers to whom Anne Frank is more than an icon, more than a diarist, more like a friend, this is a worthwhile book.-Teri Markson, Stephen S. Wise Temple Elementary School, Los Angeles Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
Verity Ludgate-Fraser
This compelling book offers readers fresh insights into both diary and author and can best be used as a companion piece for young readers of Anne's diary, either as a sequential whole or, perhaps better, as individual chapters to parallel the original.
—The Christian Science Monitor
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780141312262
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
  • Publication date: 8/28/2001
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 192
  • Age range: 12 years
  • Product dimensions: 5.52 (w) x 8.46 (h) x 0.51 (d)

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Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 24, 2007

    Anne Frank: A Hidden Life

    What if there was a book that joined a classical novel with a pensive interpretation? The book Anne Frank: A Hidden Life, by Mijam Pressler is that precise book. I completed this descriptive and helpful book and I would most definitely recommend it. This book gives pers uading, thoughtful reflections on one of the potential best books of the world, Anne Frank. The book Anne Frank: A Hidden Life, is fantastic partially because of it¿s firm points, and excellent content. I ardently feel that a well write book is composed of content that is adamant. I believe that this book is so unique because it thoroughly explains topics that were, at first glance, difficult to comprehend. This book has a special way of including excerpts from Anne¿s diary, but mainly incorporating decisive interpretations of her opinions and thoughts. This assisted me to learn more readily about the challenging aspect that World War II was. Anne Frank: A Hidden Life also guided me to utterly formulate a much better and stronger opinion of the severe war that the Germans fought. After reading this book, I found that Anne Frank had a life more complex an interesting than I would ever have ever guessed. I was able to explore many reasons about her personal life and why she wrote a diary, for example. Anne believed that writing was a ¿girl¿s trait,¿ so she pursued what she thought was her future as a young lady. Anne Frank: A Hidden Life is a thorough book that brings the essence of the true Anne Frank out of the pages. I most certainly award this book with the highest of respect because of its intelligent organization and great content. I would greatly recommend Anne Frank: A Hidden Life to people of all ages.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 18, 2007

    Anne Frank: A Hidden Life

    What if there was a book that joined a classical novel with a pensive interpretation? The book Anne Frank: A Hidden Life, by Mijam Pressler is that precise book. I completed this descriptive and helpful book and I would most definitely recommend it. This book gives persuading, thoughtful reflections on one of the potential best books of the world, Anne Frank. The book Anne Frank: A Hidden Life, is fantastic partially because of it¿s firm points, and excellent content. I ardently feel that a well write book is composed of content that is adamant. I believe that this book is so unique because it thoroughly explains topics that were, at first glance, difficult to comprehend. This book has a special way of including excerpts from Anne¿s diary, but mainly incorporating decisive interpretations of her opinions and thoughts. This assisted me to learn more readily about the challenging aspect that World War II was. Anne Frank: A Hidden Life also guided me to utterly formulate a much better and stronger opinion of the severe war that the Germans fought. After reading this book, I found that Anne Frank had a life more complex an interesting than I would ever have ever guessed. I was able to explore many reasons about her personal life and why she wrote a diary, for example. Anne believed that writing was a ¿girl¿s trait,¿ so she pursued what she thought was her future as a young lady. Anne Frank: A Hidden Life is a thorough book that brings the essence of the true Anne Frank out of the pages. I most certainly award this book with the highest of respect because of its intelligent organization and great content. I would greatly recommend Anne Frank: A Hidden Life to people of all ages.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 16, 2002

    Anne Frank A hidden life is a great book!

    This is the best book in the world is a very good book you should read it you will not put it down.

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
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