How Anne Frank’s Words Continue to Inspire the World
Anne Frank, a young woman wise beyond her years, shaped my own young reading life, and her lessons remain as relevant and important as ever.
Hi Friday night readers,
This month, as we read nonfiction from the Gilmore Girls book list, I’m featuring one top pick: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. It’s one of the few books of 1,000+ I’ve read that shaped me as a reader (and a person), and it’s always a popular pick with our book club members every nonfiction November.
The Impact of a Young Girl’s Diary
(My Diary of Anne Frank review first appeared on the official Friday Night Readers website.)
Key Details
Genre: nonfiction
Sub-Genres: personal diary
Publication Date: 1947
Pages: 256
Themes: World War II, hope, coming-of-age, isolation
Accolades: translated into more than 70 languages and has sold over 35 million copies, making it one of the most widely read books in the world.
Description
“It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
The Diary of a Young Girl is the true account of a Jewish teenage girl who hides with her family (and a few others) in a secret annex in Amsterdam during World War II to escape Nazi persecution. Through her diary, Anne records her fears, hopes, and daily life in hiding.
My Thoughts
The Diary of a Young Girl is one of the most influential of all 1,000+ books I’ve read. In fact, when I first ventured into book blogging as a business, my mom said to me, “You have to write about Anne Frank.” This was the first book she associated with my reading life!
In Frank’s most intimate writings, this extraordinary teen shows wisdom far beyond her years that transcends time, even amid the worst of circumstances.
I’ve read it both as a child and as an adult. When I, too, was a child, her young voice made me feel present with her in learning about history. She didn’t feel like a fact from a faraway time and place, but rather someone quite like me. And, of course, her words resonated more deeply than a textbook.
Later, as an adult, I was blown away by how her circumstances shaped her worldview. I used to have this “quote of the day” calendar you tear off, and Anne’s perspective (cited above) is one of only two that I saved and kept on my desk for years afterward. I thought, if Anne could view such a dark world with so much hope, then so, too, can I.
She “[didn’t] think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.” There is no shortage of terrible things happening everywhere, all the time, most of which are out of our control. Of course, action can be powerful. But sometimes, this hope is what we have.
It’s emotional, philosophical, tender, tragic, and actually life-changing.
The Diary of a Young Girl is, maybe, the number one book that everyone should read. We can all learn many invaluable lessons from Anne Frank, who prophetically said, “I wish to go on living even after my death.” In her words, she certainly does.
Some Reading Tips
There are numerous ways to consume this content: the text, the audiobook narrated by actress Selma Blair, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, or the Academy Award-winning movie (based on the play, linked below). As a child, I consumed the play and movie in school. As an adult, I listened to the audiobook. I also maintain a copy of the text for easy reference.
Know that Anne calls her diary “Kitty,” and so it’s written like correspondence.
Tourists can visit the “Anne Frank House” both in Amsterdam and online, in video, 3D, and even VR. I tried several of these options and found them to be extremely interesting and helpful. I have linked one of their video tours of a day in Anne’s life below, but I also recommend trying some more interactive options.
Know that the suspect who likely outed the Frank family’s hiding spot was just identified in 2022: “A team including an ex-FBI agent said Arnold van den Bergh, a Jewish figure in Amsterdam, probably ‘gave up’ the Franks to save his own family.”
Why This Book Matters on Gilmore Girls
Our goal around here is to become as well-read as the Gilmore Girls.
In Season 4, Episode 1 (”Ballrooms and Biscotti”), Sookie asks if Lorelai and Rory visited the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam on their European trip.
She could have referenced any one of a zillion landmarks! This particular one shows that the women on Gilmore Girls are smart. The both learn about history and want to live it in real life. Let’s follow where they lead! 😉
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I haven't read this in a long time. You've convinced me to revisit it. I had not heard about the person who outed the family. Amazing the it was found only a few years ago
The ex-Fed snitched to save his family.