Book Review: Diary of a Young Girl

As mentioned previously, I'd never read Anne Frank's diary. I figured it was about high time I did after visiting the house she'd hidden in during the Nazi occupation. I guess this is not so much a book 'review' per se. How is it appropriate to 'grade' another someone's journal, especially that of a person who perished in the Holocaust? Whilst Anne made it evident she was re-drafting parts of her diary in anticipation that she would submit it for publication, it is still a personal memoir which one feels compelled not to critique.

Despite that feeling, it was difficult to do so anyway. While I could understand why as a child I found the book boring; as an adult, I was amazed at the depth of her writing and how articulate she was for a 13 -15 year old. Obviously, the version I read is an English translation of the original text. However, I doubt the translator would have embellished or manipulated the memoirs beyond recognition.

The diary reads... as a diary would. Entries were detailed in their depiction of the (at times) tense relationship between the tenants of the annex - something quite unexpected for girl barely into her teens.

It's a book that should be read by all at some point in life. It's nothing arduous. I'm not gonna go on and on about the atrocities of WWII but yes, history like this should be acknowledged. It's a shame to hear that studying History in the UK is declining. Ok, I never majored in it either, but at least I found it fascinating!

Quality of Content: 5
Readability: 4 - 4.5