Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Diary of a Young Girl

by Anne Frank, Eleanor Roosevelt (Introduction), B.M. Mooyaart (Translation)

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 906,416 ratings · 10,621 reviews

Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank's remarkable diary has since become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.

In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two...more

Paperback, 283 pages

Published June 1st 1993 by Bantam (first published January 1st 1947)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Books That Everyone Should Read At Least Once

5th out of 8,130 books — 38,215 voters

Best Books of the 20th Century

7th out of 4,641 books — 31,462 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 03, 2013 ★ Jess rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, read-in-2010, 2-stars-average

Honestly, I just can't do it. I can't bring myself to finish the book.
Ive tried three times already, and each time I have been forced to put it aside.
I love books about the Holocaust, but not this one. I couldnt care less.
Maybe I will try again in a few years?

On the up side, I firmly believe that Anne Frank, if she survived the war, would have grown up to be a marvelous, best selling writer. At the age of 13 her words are better then that of many current, famous authors.

49 likes · like · see review

Apr 05, 2012 Nilesh Kashyap rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, translated

Why do we write reviews?
You have a lot of reasons I guess.

But for this review there is only one. I am writing this for my conscience.
Ever since I have rated this book, I always end up asking myself that, have I rated it with something it deserved or was it just out of sympathy (some call it pity vote)?

Reading other reviews (although most people just rate it and proceed) posed me with many other questions and also gave me idea of what people generally think about her and her diary.

So I’m going t...more

232 likes · like · see review

Mar 10, 2012 Varsha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-loved-but-cant-read-again, sent-a-chill-down-my-spine

My intention of writing a review for this book is to tell all the negative reviewers to SHUT UP! I am all for everyone's right to express their opinion but I read a few of the '1 star' reviews and I was shocked to read what a few people had to say about this book. Before making an opinion I suggest people to keep a few things in mind:

1. This is someone's DIARY not a book meant to entertain people. If you think it was boring then answer me, how many interesting things can you possibly do locked u...more

314 likes · like · see review

Jan 28, 2012 Whitney rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, favorite, own

For her 13th birthday Anne Frank received a diary she dubbed Kitty. Shortly after her birthday with the fear that her older sister, Margo may be taken by the Nazis the Franks disappear into the night and go into hiding. It is through Kitty that Anne records her thoughts and daily life living behind a bookcase in the secret annex.

When I was younger I went through a "holocaust" phase before moving on to Harriet Tubman and slavery. The funny thing is that Anne Frank's Diary was not the first Holoca...more

65 likes · like · see review

Jan 22, 2008 Brenda rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

I confess to feeling slightly voyeuristic while reading this. It was constantly in the back of my mind that this was no ordinary novel, or even a true-to-life account. This was someone’s diary. Every page written in confidence, each word revealing the thoughts closest to the heart of this young girl. As a journal-keeper myself, I sometimes find myself wondering, “What if someone else were to read this?” which causes me to wonder how much to filter my words. But then, isn’t the purpose of a diary...more I confess to feeling slightly voyeuristic while reading this. It was constantly in the back of my mind that this was no ordinary novel, or even a true-to-life account. This was someone’s diary. Every page written in confidence, each word revealing the thoughts closest to the heart of this young girl. As a journal-keeper myself, I sometimes find myself wondering, “What if someone else were to read this?” which causes me to wonder how much to filter my words. But then, isn’t the purpose of a diary or journal just the opposite? To record one’s honest and unfiltered thoughts? While reading Anne Frank – The Diary of a Young Girl I do not get the sense that there is any such ‘filtering’ going on. From the ages of 12-15 Anne lived an extraordinary life, and quickly grew far beyond her years in her understanding and handling of a horrendous situation.

There are surprises in this book. No matter how broad or limited your understanding of the world events that threw Anne and her family into a life in hiding, I had – before reading this – held the general assumption that, “Well, it was wartime. They were in hiding for their lives. They must have been miserable all the time. Who could possibly find anything good or redeeming in the confines of such a life?” In hindsight, of course, I have had to reconsider. I found bits of beauty, kindness, and even humour popping up in the most unexpected places. And why shouldn’t I? Aren’t our lives much the same? Oh – we’re not dodging bombs and trying to sleep to the sound of gunfire (at least not in Canada). But we, each of us, are often faced with some sort of tragedy or travesty. Sometimes we may have an entire ‘bad year’, or longer. And yet, doesn’t the buoyancy of the human spirit always shine through? It is really tough work to be miserable 24 hours a day. No matter how difficult or challenged our day-to-day life, we all have those little pockets of joy that arise, and sometimes it is those tiny occurrences that make the rest of it bearable.

On a personal level, I found myself comparing Anne’s childhood to that of my parents. After all, she was only a year younger than my Mom and Dad. I think back to stories they’ve told from their teen years, and it boggles the mind to think that at the exact moment my Dad and his brothers were tipping a cow, Anne was in hiding on the other side of the world. At a time when my mother was discovering make-up, Anne was realizing that life would never again be so youthful, so joyous and carefree as before the war. A generation was losing its innocence, but in very different ways.

I would recommend Anne Frank – The Diary of a Young Girl to absolutely everyone, for I believe that it holds some truth or enlightenment for everyone. I do not own this copy – it was borrowed from my daughter’s school library. She will be reading it next. She is 10. And you can bet that before long I will purchase my own copy, for I will be reading it again someday soon.
(less)

139 likes · like · see review

Feb 17, 2010 Pollopicu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, biographies

I'm really surprised by the number of people who thought this book was boring.
I could understand how an adult man might find the musings of a young girl rather dull, but how can people in general not find this journal utterly fascinating? Here is a teenage girl who up until the end wrote with the same emotional consistency as when she began. Whoever thinks this books is boring is because they simply fail to realize, or even imagine the conditions in which this diary was written under. To think...more I'm really surprised by the number of people who thought this book was boring.
I could understand how an adult man might find the musings of a young girl rather dull, but how can people in general not find this journal utterly fascinating? Here is a teenage girl who up until the end wrote with the same emotional consistency as when she began. Whoever thinks this books is boring is because they simply fail to realize, or even imagine the conditions in which this diary was written under. To think how this young girls personal life continued beyond the details of the war is rather remarkable.
What would anyone else have written about in their diary as young boy or girl in the same predicament as the Franks?
Anne is surprisingly strong and mature for her age, impressively intelligent, and although there was a World War going on, her own particular world never abated. Her personal life was just as important, if not necessary in order for her to survive the day to day living conditions at the Annex.
Yes, there were brief moments of panic, but she had to live life, even if her living space was limited. She carried on as if being in hiding was a mere temporary inconvenience. She wasn't going to let that rob of her of her right to claim her passage into womanhood..her God given right to experience puberty, moodiness, emotions, and even love.

Here I thought I was about to read the semi-interesting scribbles of a blooming young lady, with ambiguous references to the war. But there is nothing cryptic about her diary. She shoots straight from the hip in this incredibly and shockingly honest account of what life was like for her and her family living in hiding during the WW. It's not what I expected. I expected something rather tame, but it's far from it. This young girl was very interesting and quite special.

You can't read this journal and think it's just an ordinary diary of a young girl, because it's not. Anne's diary is a representation of how other Jewish families lived and coped during the Nazi war. That's really powerful. Many people don't realize how fortunate we are (thanks to Anne Frank, her Father Otto Frank and Miep Gies) to have some insight on how it must have been for the Jews to coexist this way. Because of Anne, we can have some sort of idea of how it was like to live under floorboards, in between walls, and behind bookshelves. This diary humanizes and brings back to life the Jewish people who mysteriously disappeared but who had not yet died.
I love this diary and I'm so grateful to have read it.

It must have been extremely difficult for her father Otto Frank, to read his daughters diary after her death.
(less)

28 likes · like · see review

Sep 03, 2007 HRH rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Thinkers

I first read this book in the eighth grade. Our junior high school simultaneously did a preformance of the play. I remember that I enjoyed both the book and the play. I think I liked the love story aspect most of all -- what 13 year-old wouldn't? But I don't think I really "got" the book.
For her 13th birthday the German-born Anne Frank received a diary which she named Kitty. About a month after her birthday, her older sister, Margot, at the time just 16 years old, was "called up." For some time...more I first read this book in the eighth grade. Our junior high school simultaneously did a preformance of the play. I remember that I enjoyed both the book and the play. I think I liked the love story aspect most of all -- what 13 year-old wouldn't? But I don't think I really "got" the book.
For her 13th birthday the German-born Anne Frank received a diary which she named Kitty. About a month after her birthday, her older sister, Margot, at the time just 16 years old, was "called up." For some time Otto Frank, Anne's father, had been preparing a hiding place for his family in a part of his business warehouse. With Margot's letter, the family left within 24 hours, strewing everything about and leaving a note with an address in Maastrich (hometown of musician Andre Reiu) to throw off officials. The family -- Anne's parents and her sister -- shared the secret hiding place with family friends and business partners, the Van Daan's, as Anne calls them though their real name was Van Pels, and the couple's 16 year-old son Peter. A couple months later a dentist, Mr. Dussel (really Pfeffer), joined the group and actually shared a room with Anne. Anne writes of the 25 months in hiding before being discovered in August 1944. Anne Frank died of typhus at Bergen-Belsen in early 1945, just months before the camp's liberation.
Anne is an incredible writer. She uses conversation to describe anecdotes, involving body positions, voice tone, etc. just like a novel. She is also intensely thoughtful. She had insight and wisdom beyond her years. Check out this excerpt written only three weeks before the families were betrayed.

"It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.
It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more"
- July 15, 1944

I think she may have gone to her diary most often when she was depressed (there are several very mournful entries) and a few times when she was overjoyed (as in when she got her first kiss). She flutuates often between opinions -- I hate my mother, I love my mother and I am hopeful, I am hopeless. I can relate to her changeability. She tells hilarious stories describing the events and worries of the secret annex -- especially entertaining is Mrs. Van Daan. Anne's attention to detail is so helpful in understanding the position of those in hiding. It makes me want to do better in keeping my own personal history. Each character is described so well and maintains his or her character, in a way type-cast in specific way. It would be interesting to hear how those 25 months passed from everyone else's perspective.

This book is so well written it is crazy and it is simultaneously entertaining and wise.(less)

39 likes · like · see review

Jul 22, 2012 Ðɑηηɑ rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Every woman !

Shelves: non-fiction, young-adult, classics, 3-stars, female-author, netherlands, hebrew, hardcover, has-a-movie, bestseller, own, shortly-reviewed, pub-1920s, female-protagonist, rgc-finished, award-winning, jew, watched-the-movie

This is not just a classic book to me. It is not a tale in the age of crazy writers. It is a collection of memories, of thoughts of a young, yet real, girl. Woman. Human. Jewish.
The book presents a tough point of view about everything, Anne had the most strong opinions I have ever read. Perhaps because she did not know that some one would read her words and feel so close, so in love with the mentality and beauty of Anne.
I have read painful stories in my life, but I feel as if this one is the wor...more

24 likes · like · see review

Feb 17, 2008 Monica Edinger rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

45 likes · like · see review

May 10, 2013 Dina Nabil marked it as to-read · review of another edition

شكرا لكل اللى ساعدنى فى انى احصل عليها بى دى اف مترجمة

و اخيرا
http://www.mediafire.com/?7bz5dk9oycb...

8 likes · like · see review

Apr 25, 2012 Jason Koivu rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

Ya gotta hand it to this teen girl who was writing about her life with such clarity and eloquence when her life was hanging by a thread.

I've read reviews of The Diary of a Young Girl that complained about how Frank ignored the bigger picture of the war and that her subject matter was trite, whiny and insular. What else could it be, this diary of a teen secreted away in the compact environs of an attic with the same people for years learning little-to-no outside information?

From the pure standpoi...more

34 likes · like · see review

Jan 18, 2008 Jodi Lu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

come ON, how can anyone give ANNE FRANK a rating other than "it was amazing"??? some of these reviews cracked me up. it's certainly not my favorite book, but i definitely won't say it's a pity vote either. although i'll say this: i was recently at her house and was SHOCKED that it's HUGE. i mean, the diary makes it sound like they're living in a matchbox when even the hideaway part is two stories and far bigger than anywhere i've ever lived--FRANKly (HA!) i don't know how it took anyone that lon...more

38 likes · like · see review

Jun 30, 2008 David rated it 1 of 5 stars

While her story is sad, the naked Emperor cult around this book is unmerited.

The key quotation about people being basically good at heart is absurd in the light of the story, and from a theological perspective, just plain wrong.

39 likes · like · see review

view all 45 comments

Irene My "What??" Comment was intended for David, it just posted way dowwn on the comment string. I cannot believe that David and a few others are so critic...more
May 23, 2013 08:20pm

Irene One more thing, David, not every book is written or published for purpose of critics' reviews. Sometimes, probably most times, they are written becaus...more
May 23, 2013 08:29pm

Jan 19, 2009 Mr. Z rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-classroom-library, holocaust, biography-autobiography-memoirs, historical-fiction-war

If only every teenager would read and embrace this story, I wonder if it would change the instant-gratification, me-me-me society that has evolved over the last 50 years? Of course, this novel is a staple in any Holocaust lesson planning. In a world in which so few teenagers (or adults, for that matter) seem to stop and give thanks for what they have (instead chirping about what they want or complaining about what they don't have), Anne Frank faced the most unfair of cruelties with a certain str...more

43 likes · like · see review

Aug 25, 2008 Brian Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

I went to the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. which left me overwhelmed and sick, like I had just finished a terrible bout with the flu or something. In the museum, a lot of the exhibits depict what Jewish life was like before the war (mainly in Lithuania, where a lot of photos and testimonials were recovered). I thought of Anne Frank immediately, and the fact that I'd never read her diary. It was a good follow up to the museum, being a very personal story as well as a clear, well-articulate...more

21 likes · like · see review

Jul 01, 2008 Abigail rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Readers Interested in Holocaust Memoirs

Shelves: biography-memoir, holocaust-studies, human-rights, judaica

Review Temporarily Removed.

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 13, 2011 nat rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sepenting apakah catatan harian seorang remaja putri berusia 13 tahun ?
Pernahkah kau membayangkan diary yang kau tulis pada usia belasan, tiba-tiba mendapatkan perhatian dari seluruh dunia, ironisnya saat dirimu sudah meninggal ?

Anne Frank adalah remaja putri biasa berkebangsaan Belanda keturunan Yahudi. Ia mulai menulis diarynya pada ulang tahun ke-13, dan mengakhirinya pada usia 15 tahun. Diary yang disebutnya dengan “Kitty” ini adalah hadiah ulang tahun dari keluarganya saat itu, dan mulai di...more

6 likes · like · see review

Feb 26, 2011 mirela Darau rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, biographies-autobiographies, nonfiction

Beautiful style, beatiful story! I many times forgot it was written by a 14-yeaer old, on the other hand remembered many of my thoughts and inner life of that time. Indeed, a teenager lives deeper than adults normally imagine. I hope to keep that in mind for some time now...

Especially enjoyed the dynamics of the book and the intertwinements of inner emotions and thoughts, daily activities, war facts, description of the place, encounters and facts about the other people she came in contact with.

I...more Beautiful style, beatiful story! I many times forgot it was written by a 14-yeaer old, on the other hand remembered many of my thoughts and inner life of that time. Indeed, a teenager lives deeper than adults normally imagine. I hope to keep that in mind for some time now...

Especially enjoyed the dynamics of the book and the intertwinements of inner emotions and thoughts, daily activities, war facts, description of the place, encounters and facts about the other people she came in contact with.

I liked her humour and very visual comparisons
Mrs. Van Daan was scarlet by this time, Mummy calm and cool as a cucumber. pg 39

I'm gradually getting to know all the women at a glance[..]. Their faces either look grim or kind - depending on their husnabds' dispositions. pg 61 - enjoyed her words of wisdom, and observation of the world.

Kitty, I'm just like someone in love who can only talk about her darling. And Peter is a darling. pg 142

And in the evening when I lie down and end my prayers with the words, "I thank you, God, for all that is good and dear and beautiful," I am filled with joy. Then I think about "the good" of going into hiding, of my health and with my whole being of the "dearness" of Peter [..] and of "the beauty" which exists in the world; the world, nature, beauty and all, all that is exquisite and fine. pg 145-146

I found it difficult to answer all Mummy's questons and think of some little excuse to tell Daddy as an explanation for my long sleep. I resorted to a "headache", which wasn't a lie, as I had one... but inside! pg 147

Is there anything more beautiful in the world than to sit before an open window and enjoy nature, to listen to the birds singing, feel the sun on your cheeks and have a darling boy in your arms? It is so soothing and peaceful to feel his arms around me, to know that he is close by and yet to remain silent, it can't be bad, for this tranquillity is good. Wednesday 19th April 1944

Quite honestly, I can't imagine how anyone can say: "I'm weak," and then remain so. After all, if you know it, why not fight against it, why not try to train your character? The answer was: "Because it's so much easier not to!" This reply rather discouraged me. Easy? Does that mean that a lazy deceitful life is an easy life? Oh no, that can't be true, people can so easily be tempted by slackness ... and by money. pg 211

As an overall, I loved it!(less)

7 likes · like · see review

Jun 18, 2008 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

From my spring/summer, indelibly written in my consciousness, of Life In DC, Walking to the Metro Listening to In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. So Neutral Milk Hotel got me to read it. The shocking part is how normal and boring the diary is ... until it ends. And it does just that. Writing a diary myself, it horrifies me that one day I will have an entry that will be my last. Of course the cataclysm happens in the last three pages where everything goes to literal hell and you just finish the book,...more

12 likes · like · see review

Sep 16, 2010 notgettingenough rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sociology

Not enough sex.

------------------------------------

This was about my first review on goodreads.

So, I'm a bit irritated now. It turns out that if I'd written:

NOT ENOUGH SEX

and timed it for when it was suddenly trendy to review like that, I would have gotten a whole heap of votes and everybody would have thought I was REALLY CLEVER.

Shit.

24 likes · like · see review

Feb 01, 2013 ميّ أحمد rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: سير-ذاتية

آن فرانك هي طفلة يهودية من أصل ألماني عاشت في زمن ألمانيا النازية ارتحل والدها أوتو فرانك لهولندا معتقدا أنه سيجد الأمان من إضطهاد النازية لكن الظروف ساءت حين غزت ألمانيا هولندا واضطرت الأسرة للإختباء مع عوائل يهودية أخرى في ملحق لمكتب والدها وفي هذه المذكرات تكتب آن يومياتها في تلك الفترة التي حاصرهم بها الخوف
المذكرات لا تقتصر على الحالة النفسية التي عاشتها آن تحت وطأة ذلك الخوف وفي ظل الظروف القاسية ولكنها تبدو رحلة تحول للكثير من الإنفعالات والتقلبات التي تمر بها أية مراهقة غير أن ظروف الحصا...more

آن فرانك هي طفلة يهودية من أصل ألماني عاشت في زمن ألمانيا النازية ارتحل والدها أوتو فرانك لهولندا معتقدا أنه سيجد الأمان من إضطهاد النازية لكن الظروف ساءت حين غزت ألمانيا هولندا واضطرت الأسرة للإختباء مع عوائل يهودية أخرى في ملحق لمكتب والدها وفي هذه المذكرات تكتب آن يومياتها في تلك الفترة التي حاصرهم بها الخوف
المذكرات لا تقتصر على الحالة النفسية التي عاشتها آن تحت وطأة ذلك الخوف وفي ظل الظروف القاسية ولكنها تبدو رحلة تحول للكثير من الإنفعالات والتقلبات التي تمر بها أية مراهقة غير أن ظروف الحصار جعلت تلك الإنفعالات مختلفة حادة أحيانا وقاسية على من عاشوا معها وحنونة في أحيان أخرى شاعرة بالذنب وراغبة في الحب والتفهم لمشاعر من حولها ..

عاشت آن قصة حب مراهقة لفتى جمعتها به ظروف الحصار وفي صفحات كثيرة كانت آن تحكي مشاعرها تجاه بيتر وهي مترددة ما بين أن تكون تلك العلاقة هي صداقة أم علاقة حب .. في نفس الوقت عانت آن من استصغار من حولها لها على أساس إنها طفلة لذلك كانت كثيرا ما تشتكي من عدم تفهم الكبار لمشاعرها خاصة وهي تعاني من عدم القدرة على التواصل مع والدتها للدرجة التي كانت تشعر إنها قادرة على الإستغناء عنها

أمور كثيرة كتبت عنها آن أهمها ما عاناه اليهود خلال تلك الفترة من الغزو الألماني ووطأة الجوع ربما قد تهون في ظل أن تكون لصيقا بأناس غريبين عنك عاجزين عن فهمك وذلك في فترة تقارب الثلاث سنوات وفي ملحق لم تخرج منه آن أبدا إلا لحتفها

تتوقف آن عن الكتابة فجأة بعد خيانة من أحدهم وكل من كان معها في الملحق سيق لمصيره
رحلّت آن إلى أحد المعسكرات النازية وماتت بمرض التيفوس بعد وفاة شقيقتها

أصبح ذلك الملحق مزارا للسياح

يجب أن أذكر إنني كثيرا ما شككت في وجود شخصية آن على الرغم من أنني شاهدت صورها ولا أدري لماذا ! (less)

10 likes · like · see review

Dec 03, 2008 Kara rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who like depressing or boring books

Recommended to Kara by: no one, i had to read it for a school assignment

This book was awful! I hated it and thats all i have to say about it.

30 likes · like · see review

Sep 23, 2012 Zaki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Our precocious young writer had a lot to offer the world.

like · see review

Apr 18, 2010 JG (The Introverted Reader) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5_stars, biography_memoir, on_the_screen, holocaust-genocide, non-fiction, read_in_2010, reviewed, setting_netherlands

Any kind of synopsis feels extremely redundant, but I'll write one anyway. Anne Frank is a young Jewish girl in hiding in Amsterdam during WWII.

I don't know how I made it to be 31 years old without reading The Diary of Anne Frank. I'm glad I finally got to it though.

I think Anne's diary made the Holocaust real to me in a way that other books haven't because she is a typical teenage girl in a lot of ways. She's growing up, she dislikes her family and "roommates" one day and adores them the next....more Any kind of synopsis feels extremely redundant, but I'll write one anyway. Anne Frank is a young Jewish girl in hiding in Amsterdam during WWII.

I don't know how I made it to be 31 years old without reading The Diary of Anne Frank. I'm glad I finally got to it though.

I think Anne's diary made the Holocaust real to me in a way that other books haven't because she is a typical teenage girl in a lot of ways. She's growing up, she dislikes her family and "roommates" one day and adores them the next. She's dreaming about the future, love, a career, and what she really wants out of life. She was funny, she was sad, she was introspective, she was growing, she was intelligent, she was scared, she was brave. She was a great big bundle of glorious possibilities. I wouldn't go back to my teenage years, but I remember feeling all the things she describes.

****SPOILERS IF YOU SOMEHOW DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK****

As I read, especially the older Anne got, I just kept mourning her. I thought she was a talented writer, especially for her age. She had such strong ideas about a woman's life and career and family. I really felt like, at least in a small way and maybe in a big way, the world lost something special when we lost her. I know that's the case with all the Holocaust victims, but I just felt it more with Anne since I spent so much time in her head. She had it in her to make a mark on this world. I truly believe that.

I kept reading slower and slower, the closer to the end I got. I knew what was coming, but I somehow felt that if I didn't read it, it wouldn't be real. I had sneaked a peek at the page numbers and knew exactly how close I was. I didn't count on an afterword, so I was so upset when I got to the end of the diary sooner than I expected. "No!" I thought. "I have four more pages with Anne!" Then I read the afterword and my heart broke even more. She was so close to making it through. So very close.

This is such an important book, I hope it is always widely read. It can be easy to think, "Oh the Holocaust happened so long ago and to a different generation." Anne brings it home and makes us realize that it happened to people just like us.(less)

15 likes · like · see review

Mar 11, 2010 Tiffany who finally decided to change her name rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-school, tear-jerkers

We might have to read it this year in English... Ugh... at least it's about the Holocaust.... but the Book Thief is still totally much better, even if I haven't read this before!

Well, I guess I haven't hit the bad parts yet. It's actually quite good. Okay. So I haven't posted about this in quite a while. I can't say this book is great, but there haven't been a lot of parts that killed me, you know? It is okay, but not great. Like, go ahead and read it. You might want to skip some parts, but it r...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 10, 2008 Rosie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Rosie by: people who like history and a good diary

The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most well known books in the world. At the beginning of this book, Anne Frank and her family go to hide out in a secret annex to avoid being taken to the concentration camps by the Nazis. Throughout this diary Anne documents her most treasured and horrible moments and feelings while hiding out in the annex. The Van Daans , a very peculiar family, is also hiding out with the Franks. Peter Van Daan is a character that Anne writes many diary entrys about. Throu...more

10 likes · like · see review

Jul 07, 2008 Nikki Nielsen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

When I read The Diary of Anne Frank for the first time, I identified with her at every turn. I felt her emotions, I understood the plight she had with her mother. Funny how this time around (decades later) I identify more with her mother. As children we expect our parents to be perfect. As parents we keep the secret that we are still children, just older.

'Friday 20 November, 1942

None of us really knows how to take it all. The news about the Jews had not really penetrated through to us until now,...more

18 likes · like · see review

Jun 28, 2007 stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history-memory, holocaust, non-fiction, wwii, young-adult

you know, i find i don't know what to say about this book. obviously, it's a seminal text. obviously, it has impacted a great many lives, and it tells a story that is incredible. however, what i think you take from it is this sense of optimism in the face of despair - and the truth is, it's the story of a girl in hiding who gets betrayed by an informant, and then dies in a camp. we so often gloss over the fact that she died - and say, "oh, but anne lives on through her diary" - which is true, in...more

5 likes · like · see review

Nov 08, 2008 Abdullah Suliman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Anne Frank is a 13 year-old girl. She and her family, in addition to four of their friends, were hiding in their "Secret Annex" in the period of World War II.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I feel like I haven't read a good book for a long time. Also, I LOVE books which are written in a "diary format".

I didn't like the way she treated her mother. She ,obviously through her writings, hated her and didn't feel comfortable when they're together!

One of the best lines in the book was, when Anne w...more

9 likes · like · see review

view all 9 comments

Abdullah Suliman Alex wrote: "such a shame that people like the above commenters exist. If I suggested that the holocaust itself was a ploy by "alyahud" to make Gentil...more
updated Jul 04, 2012 07:58am

Xdyj Everyone should be allowed to say whatever s/he want but not every opinion deserves the same amount of respect. I don't know the case about other coun...more
updated May 05, 2013 07:51pm

Mar 21, 2011 Blake rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoirs-biography

Casting a watchful eye over two years spent in hiding during the war, the diary is as detailed in its introspective efforts as it is vivid in those details. Anne Frank did more than document; she penned a richly nuanced narrative of the daily struggles and victories that accompanied the circumstances and imbued it with her own hopes and optimism.

Perhaps a curious surprise for any reader picking it up for the first time will be to find that Frank is not just full of feeling, but also ability. Her...more

5 likes · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
At what age should young people read this book?	17	108	8 hours, 24 min ago
should i read it?	52	253	May 20, 2013 03:44am
Do you think anne frank would have been a belieber?	83	518	May 18, 2013 06:59pm
Unedited Version too sexually graphic ?	20	414	May 18, 2013 07:17am
Justin Bieber's Two Cents	8	213	May 10, 2013 01:38am

combine
Other Editions (339)

More editions...

Genres

Non Fiction

5,823 users

Classics

5,409 users

Biography

2,248 users

History

2,150 users

Autobiography > Memoir

1,423 users

World War II > Holocaust

785 users

Biography > Autobiography

539 users

Academic > School

512 users

War

469 users

History > World War II

368 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Anne Frank

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank was a German-born Jewish girl from the city of Frankfurt, who wrote a diary while in hiding with her family and four friends in Amsterdam during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II.

More about Anne Frank...

Books by Anne Frank

Anne Frank's Tales from the Secret Annex

Dnevnik Ane Frank / [prevela s engleskog Giga Gračan]

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Diary of a Yo...

40 trivia questions
6 quizzes

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Diary of a Young Girl

“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.” — 5,207 people liked it

“I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.” — 999 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Diary of a Young Girl
avg rating	preview: The Diary of a Young Girl Goodreads rating: 4.04 (906416 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48855.The_Diary_of_a_Young_Girl?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358276407l/48855.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48855.The_Diary_of_a_Young_Girl?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank[/url]

The Diary of a Young Girl

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website