Anne Frank 1929–1945
Hero of the Holocaust
Anne Frank was ten years old when the Germans invaded the Netherlands in 1940, during World War II. She lived in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Her Jewish family had moved there from Germany to escape the Nazis. When Amsterdam fell to the Nazis, the Franks were again in danger.
In 1942, the Frank family went into hiding. For two years they lived in attic rooms reached only by a hidden staircase. Trusted friends brought them supplies. They were careful not to be seen or heard. Anne, who loved to write, kept a diary. “When I write, I can shake off all my cares,” she wrote.
In August of 1944, someone—no one knows who—told the Nazis where the Franks were hiding. The Franks were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Only Anne Frank's father survived. He later found his daughter's diary and published it in 1947. The Diary of Anne Frank has since become very popular and has been translated into more than 50 languages. Though Anne Frank's story is sad, her diary stands as a symbol of hope. For, she wrote, “I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”
Critical Thinking
Why do you think The Diary of Anne Frank is an important book to read?