Reviews

YA-This biography is in no way a substitution for Anne Frank's moving diary but it is a well-written addition to our knowledge of the young woman, her family, and her tragically short life. What is new here is the depth of background. Mller includes a family tree; a family history; and considerable insight into the character, personality, and quality of life of Anne's parents, relatives, and friends. Interviews with many of these surviving people give a clearer idea of the situation and Anne's reactions to it. There seems to be no contradiction to her diary statements, but Anne's father, Otto Frank, had admittedly suppressed though not destroyed several pages of those writings, some of them dealing with Anne's evaluation of her mother's life and marriage. This recovered material shows Anne's feelings to be kindly and understanding. Also, the question of who betrayed the Secret Annex's residents is analyzed. One chapter covers the seven-month period from the time of the arrest, imprisonment in Westerbrok, and the family's transfer to Auschwitz-Birkenau to the deaths of Edith, Margot, and Anne. Information on the concentration-camp existence is based on reports of those who encountered Anne there. An epilogue reviews the experiences and fates of those friends, heroic helpers, possible betrayers, and surviving relatives of the Frank family. A dozen photographs of Anne, her family, and her friends are included. The book closes with a moving four-page note by Miep Gies, who salvaged and preserved Anne's diary.-Frances Reiher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA