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A review by jakobmarleymommy
Anne Frank: The Biography by Melissa Müller
4.0
I bought this book at the Ann Frank House in Amsterdam. The house was the single most moving "monument" I've ever visited. Heartbreaking, yet filled with hope because of the great risk so many people took in helping hide the Frank family. It was a reminder that although the world is filled with great evil, it is also filled with great kindness and compassion.
Melissa Muller did an excellent job of portraying Ann as a real teenager, and not as the Jewish martyr that so many authors tend to do. She was a real, flawed, human being, with hopes, dreams, ambitions and flaws.
The real hero of this biography was Otto Frank; Ann's father. The choices he made were heartbreaking, but necessary to keep his family together. In a time when father's tended to be distant, Otto was highly involved in his children's lives, and loved them beyond anything else. He was a wonderfully strong man who gave his entire soul to try and save his family, which he ultimately could not do.
The author also did an excellent job of painting a picture of what life was like during WWII Amsterdam. It's difficult to imagine such a liberal, progressive city being occupied by the Nazis. Ms. Muller helped explain how it was able to happen.
A well researched, thoughful and honest tribute to Ann Frank and her family.
Melissa Muller did an excellent job of portraying Ann as a real teenager, and not as the Jewish martyr that so many authors tend to do. She was a real, flawed, human being, with hopes, dreams, ambitions and flaws.
The real hero of this biography was Otto Frank; Ann's father. The choices he made were heartbreaking, but necessary to keep his family together. In a time when father's tended to be distant, Otto was highly involved in his children's lives, and loved them beyond anything else. He was a wonderfully strong man who gave his entire soul to try and save his family, which he ultimately could not do.
The author also did an excellent job of painting a picture of what life was like during WWII Amsterdam. It's difficult to imagine such a liberal, progressive city being occupied by the Nazis. Ms. Muller helped explain how it was able to happen.
A well researched, thoughful and honest tribute to Ann Frank and her family.