23,405 books
—
101,309 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Diary of a Young Girl” as Want to Read:
The Diary of a Young Girl
by
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.
In 1942, with the 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
In 1942, with the 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
Get A Copy
Mass Market Paperback, US / CAN Edition, 283 pages
Published
July 1993
by Bantam
(first published June 1947)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
The Diary of a Young Girl,
please sign up.
Popular Answered Questions
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of The Diary of a Young Girl

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
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

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
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

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

If only Anne Frank's diary was the figment of someone's imagination. If it meant that this spirited, intelligent and articulate girl hadn't died along with so many others in Belsen concentration camp, and that the holocaust had never happened, that would be a wonderful thing, but it did happen, and that makes the reading of this diary even more heartbreaking.
For a 13 year old girl, Anne was so articulate - the way she expresses her thoughts and feelings about herself and others is remarkable. Sh ...more
For a 13 year old girl, Anne was so articulate - the way she expresses her thoughts and feelings about herself and others is remarkable. Sh ...more

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. Books and film about the Holocaust are fascinating, but not this one. Unfortunately, I was not engaged and found I couldn't care less.
I'll have to try it again in a few years.
On the up side, I firmly believe that Anne Frank, had she survived the war, would have grown up to be a marvelous, best selling writer. At the age of 13 her words are bett ...more
I'll have to try it again in a few years.
On the up side, I firmly believe that Anne Frank, had she survived the war, would have grown up to be a marvelous, best selling writer. At the age of 13 her words are bett ...more

Het Achterhuis: Dagboekbrieven 12 juni 1942 - 1 augustus 1944 = The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
The Diary of a Young Girl, also known as The Diary of Anne Frank, is a book of the writings from the Dutch language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The family was apprehended in 1944, and Anne Frank died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945.
The diary was retrieved by Miep Gies, who ...more
The Diary of a Young Girl, also known as The Diary of Anne Frank, is a book of the writings from the Dutch language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The family was apprehended in 1944, and Anne Frank died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945.
The diary was retrieved by Miep Gies, who ...more

Maybe the first thing that most people would get shocked is that I rate with only 3 stars one of the best selling books of the 20th century (and now 21st century too) and even more, a book about the Holocaust.
First thing that I learned about this book is honesty.
Anne Frank teaches us all about honesty, about telling what you really think, and so I am doing the same.
For starters, I wonder how many people really, I mean REALLY read the book, because to rate with 5 stars a famous book that everybod ...more
First thing that I learned about this book is honesty.
Anne Frank teaches us all about honesty, about telling what you really think, and so I am doing the same.
For starters, I wonder how many people really, I mean REALLY read the book, because to rate with 5 stars a famous book that everybod ...more

There really isn’t anything I can add that many other reviews haven’t already done. It’s a five star read because it is important, because it is real and because the holocaust is something we should never forget.

Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.
One cannot fathom what other marvelous books the world might have known had this talented, perceptive girl been permitted the life she was due.
"We don't want our belongings to be seized by the Germans, but we certainly don't want to fall into their clutches ourselves. So we shall disappear of our own accord and not wait until they come and fetch us."
"But, Daddy, when would it be?" He spoke so seriously ...more

One cannot fathom what other marvelous books the world might have known had this talented, perceptive girl been permitted the life she was due.
"We don't want our belongings to be seized by the Germans, but we certainly don't want to fall into their clutches ourselves. So we shall disappear of our own accord and not wait until they come and fetch us."
"But, Daddy, when would it be?" He spoke so seriously ...more

It happened. That thing, the reason I have put off reading this, happened. My heart broke. And I knew it would. Sure, I had heard of Anne Frank, I knew who she was, what she did, what happened. She is a historic figure, and a tragic one certainly. But I didn't make the really personal connection until I read her words, this diary. Her words bring her to life again. What a precocious young girl, so smart, so full of life; a life with so much promise, so much hope. She thinks, even writes, very mu
...more

Nov 24, 2020
Tharindu Dissanayake
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites-autobiography,
favorites
"Riches, prestige, everything can be lost. But the happiness in your own heart can only be dimmed; it will always be there, as long as you live, to make you happy again."
I'm not sure if I can review this book properly. I started a few times before, but, it is just too difficult...I really wish I had skipped the Afterward section and read it sometime after. I don't recall being this sad after reading a book...
"Memories mean more to me than dresses."
"I once asked Margot if she thought I was ugly. ...more
I'm not sure if I can review this book properly. I started a few times before, but, it is just too difficult...I really wish I had skipped the Afterward section and read it sometime after. I don't recall being this sad after reading a book...
"Memories mean more to me than dresses."
"I once asked Margot if she thought I was ugly. ...more

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
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

Dear Mom and Dad, Dear Friends,
That’s my end. They have come to take me to be shot. To hell. Dying at the utmost of victory is a little unfortunate, but what cares? The importance of an event is just in human’s mind. Pierre Benoit/ February 08, 1943/ Free interpretation from Letters of Those Who Were Being Shot.
A letter to Anne Frank
My Dear Little Girl,
Until today, it has never occurred to me that going through a page of a book into the last page was so annoying and distressing. I have read too ...more

This is a powerful must read. It makes me wonder how many other diaries like this were written during the war that were lost during the holocaust, destruction of cities, purging of Jewish living spaces, etc. It is amazing that this narrative on life in hiding made it through and can represent all those who were in hiding and whose voices were never heard.
I knew the story of Anne Frank before reading this book. In fact, I may have read some or all of it back in high school, but I cannot remember ...more
I knew the story of Anne Frank before reading this book. In fact, I may have read some or all of it back in high school, but I cannot remember ...more

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 standpoint of ...more
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 standpoint of ...more

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

I thought I knew the story of Anne Frank.
I knew the story of how she went into hiding with her family for a few years and wrote everything down in a journal. I knew of the fact that she was captured right at the end of the war, when hope was high and peace was nigh, only to die of typhus a mere few weeks before her concentration camp would be liberated. All of this, I knew, I’d been told many a time in history class.
As it turns out, Anne’s story goes so much deeper than that; I’d only grazed the ...more
I knew the story of how she went into hiding with her family for a few years and wrote everything down in a journal. I knew of the fact that she was captured right at the end of the war, when hope was high and peace was nigh, only to die of typhus a mere few weeks before her concentration camp would be liberated. All of this, I knew, I’d been told many a time in history class.
As it turns out, Anne’s story goes so much deeper than that; I’d only grazed the ...more

The problem with Diary of a Young Girl is that it's the diary of a young girl, and young girls, as you may remember from when you were one, or spent all your time trying to make out with one, are awful. It's like 300 pages straight of "No one understands me!"

I guess the reason this made it on to so many high school curricula is that young people might relate to it, and clearly some of them do, because they wrote pissed-off comments below this review - but this doesn't depict the horrors of the ...more

I guess the reason this made it on to so many high school curricula is that young people might relate to it, and clearly some of them do, because they wrote pissed-off comments below this review - but this doesn't depict the horrors of the ...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 ...more
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

Book Review
4 out of 5 stars to The Diary of a Young Girl, written during the 1940s by Anne Frank. Many are first exposed to this modern-day classic during their middle or high school years, as a way to read a different type of literature from that of an ordinary novel. In this diary, young Anne express her thoughts (both positive and negative) over a two-year period during which her family and friends are in hiding during World War II and the Holocaust. For most of us, this is one of ...more
4 out of 5 stars to The Diary of a Young Girl, written during the 1940s by Anne Frank. Many are first exposed to this modern-day classic during their middle or high school years, as a way to read a different type of literature from that of an ordinary novel. In this diary, young Anne express her thoughts (both positive and negative) over a two-year period during which her family and friends are in hiding during World War II and the Holocaust. For most of us, this is one of ...more

I really wish I had a different translation of this book because this one lacks a lot of the personality and ease compared to the audiobook version I partially listened to. But this book should definitely be one of the books you read before you die because it is so tragic and enlightening. Nothing makes me angrier and sadder than seeing someone with so much potential and excitement rave about their passion for life, and in the end, never made it to accomplish their dreams, or see their work publ
...more

Oct 05, 2011
Nandakishore Varma
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
memoirs
Actually I wasn't going to review this book at all, since I read it way back in the seventies, and if I remember correctly, did not finish it.
But yesterday, just for the heck of it, I went through some one-star reviews. Two things I noticed immediately - most people disliked the book because it was boring, and Anne had a sanctimonious attitude. They were of the opinion that the book became a classic only because of historical reasons. Looking at it dispassionately, I have to agree.
I was even mor ...more
But yesterday, just for the heck of it, I went through some one-star reviews. Two things I noticed immediately - most people disliked the book because it was boring, and Anne had a sanctimonious attitude. They were of the opinion that the book became a classic only because of historical reasons. Looking at it dispassionately, I have to agree.
I was even mor ...more

Feb 13, 2018
Melania 🍒
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction
4.25|5 || The Read Harder Challenge 2018 - A book published posthumously ||
One of the most important and moving books I’ve ever read.
I adored charming and witty Anne. She managed to do what so many others never accomplish in their writings: she brought me into her world without any effort. Her voice resonated in my head and heart every day since I’ve started this book. She feels like a close friend, like part of the family. Moreover, I was impressed of how emotionally intelligent she is, how muc ...more
One of the most important and moving books I’ve ever read.
I adored charming and witty Anne. She managed to do what so many others never accomplish in their writings: she brought me into her world without any effort. Her voice resonated in my head and heart every day since I’ve started this book. She feels like a close friend, like part of the family. Moreover, I was impressed of how emotionally intelligent she is, how muc ...more

Diary of a 13 years old girl who went into hiding along with her family during Hilter’s Rule in the “Secret Annex” which was a closed chamber in her father’s office building. Altogether 8 people lived in a small cramped up space. The only crime committed by them was that they were Jews, who were either persecuted or sent to jails by Nazi forces because of their faith.
She started writing this dairy because she felt that paper was far more patient than people. While living in a closed space she k ...more
She started writing this dairy because she felt that paper was far more patient than people. While living in a closed space she k ...more

I am basically a terrible person.
This isn't a review- I'm not going to go into my reasons for giving this book 2 stars. That would not do anybody any good. I will simply say that I feel extremely guilty rating the book this low, but I hope people understand that it doesn't reflect my view of the Holocaust as a whole, or my views of Anne Frank as a person. I have the utmost respect for both.
The girlfriend of my great-grandfather* lost her mother and her daughter in the Holocaust. Her daughter had ...more
This isn't a review- I'm not going to go into my reasons for giving this book 2 stars. That would not do anybody any good. I will simply say that I feel extremely guilty rating the book this low, but I hope people understand that it doesn't reflect my view of the Holocaust as a whole, or my views of Anne Frank as a person. I have the utmost respect for both.
The girlfriend of my great-grandfather* lost her mother and her daughter in the Holocaust. Her daughter had ...more

Anne Frank went into hiding , in 1942, with her parents and sister and four other people , in the sealed off back rooms of an Amsterdam office building , when the Nazi invaders of the Netherlands , intensified their persecution of Jews.
They were all discovered in 1944 , by the Nazis, and of the group , only Anne's father Otto Frank survived the war. Anne died in the hideous death camp at Belsen.
In this remarkably intimate and beautifully written classic , Anne documents the two years in hiding - ...more
They were all discovered in 1944 , by the Nazis, and of the group , only Anne's father Otto Frank survived the war. Anne died in the hideous death camp at Belsen.
In this remarkably intimate and beautifully written classic , Anne documents the two years in hiding - ...more

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

This book was fascinating. I was a little surprised that there wasn't more about the atrocities that were happening around them instead of all the turmoil in the household. However, I realize that she was just a very young girl. And, I was surprised about how sexually aware she was. Until she and her family went into hiding, she hadn't had a lot of worldly awareness so she wrote about what was happening around her, and that was everything that went on in that household with those people. It woul
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gato Gatuno BC: 2021-02 || O Diário de Anne Frank | 1 | 1 | Jan 31, 2021 06:55PM | |
UK Book Club: Buddy read - March 2014 | 2 | 83 | Dec 07, 2020 05:05AM | |
Quick and Easy Fix For Your Nordic CBD Oil United Kingdom | 1 | 3 | Nov 19, 2020 02:00AM | |
Kindle For Pc | 3 | 10 | Oct 31, 2020 03:29AM | |
Catching up on Cl...: The Diary of a Young Girl - SPOILERS | 19 | 165 | Sep 15, 2020 09:40AM | |
Catching up on Cl...: The Diary of a Young Girl - No Spoilers | 47 | 166 | Aug 30, 2020 11:59PM |
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 Jewish girl born in the city of Frankfurt, Germany. Her father moved to the Netherlands in 1933 and the rest of the family followed later. Anne was the last of the family to come to the Netherlands, in February 1934. She wrote a diary whil ...more
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank was a Jewish girl born in the city of Frankfurt, Germany. Her father moved to the Netherlands in 1933 and the rest of the family followed later. Anne was the last of the family to come to the Netherlands, in February 1934. She wrote a diary whil ...more
Articles featuring this book
We all want to spend more time lost in the pages of great books. That's the idea behind our annual Goodreads Reading Challenge! It's...
272 likes · 160 comments
60 trivia questions
7 quizzes
More quizzes & trivia...
7 quizzes
“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.”
—
9230 likes
“I've found that there is always some beauty left -- in nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you.”
—
3578 likes
More quotes…
Apr 12, 2021 12:30PM
and now know not to question aboyt her life .
God bless u
:) :D
Apr 16, 2021 01:37PM