Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by caroline77
Anne Frank: Her life in words and pictures from the archives of The Anne Frank House by Menno Metselaar
5.0
I read Diary of a Young Girl as a young teen and, like all people with a heart and conscience, found it deeply moving and horribly tragic. The diary, though uniquely Anne's, represents all Holocaust victims, especially young ones. That was my first time learning about Anne Frank and all I ever read about her. I felt I had the whole story about her and her family, all I needed to really feel her tragedy. Then almost three decades later I discovered Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures--by accident; I was looking for a similar book after reading convincing reviews from some friends. I found this one waiting for me on the library reserve shelf instead, but I was fine with that and began reading right away.
As this book made clear to me, I did not have the full story. I, of course, knew much of what Anne was feeling and thinking because of her diary, but I didn't know as much about her family, nor did I have any visuals, really, beyond the photo of her on the cover of Diary of a Young Girl. It so happens that her dad, Otto, was very invested in taking regular family photos. This book contains mostly those. It is balanced with helpful commentary to provide context, such as explaining who's in which photos (Anne and Margot with their grandmother on the beach; Anne with her various friends, and so on). These family photos (and, later, ones from the Holocaust, such as a photo of people being directed straight to the gas chambers) are precisely what make this book powerful. One of my favorite pages isn't maybe the most striking of them all, but it moved me. It features a set of simple portraits that Otto took of both girls, separately, each year. With each passing year, the baby fat disappeared a little more as the girls' faces matured.
Anne's diary humanizes her perfectly, but this book takes that one step further because the everyday family moments that Otto captured show that this family was like any other. They went to the beach; the kids played outside; Otto and Edith proudly held baby Margot; little Margot joyfully held baby Anne (who's screaming, as babies do). These people were average human beings living quietly and happily, a kind-looking family. It was families like this who were shipped off and senselessly murdered.
Readers who are very familiar with Anne Frank and/or who have visited Anne Frank House may not find much new here, but older children and anyone who knows Anne in a limited way will find this book rewarding. It's an excellent complement to Diary of a Young Girl, and I therefore highly recommend reading it alongside that for a richer, fuller understanding.
As this book made clear to me, I did not have the full story. I, of course, knew much of what Anne was feeling and thinking because of her diary, but I didn't know as much about her family, nor did I have any visuals, really, beyond the photo of her on the cover of Diary of a Young Girl. It so happens that her dad, Otto, was very invested in taking regular family photos. This book contains mostly those. It is balanced with helpful commentary to provide context, such as explaining who's in which photos (Anne and Margot with their grandmother on the beach; Anne with her various friends, and so on). These family photos (and, later, ones from the Holocaust, such as a photo of people being directed straight to the gas chambers) are precisely what make this book powerful. One of my favorite pages isn't maybe the most striking of them all, but it moved me. It features a set of simple portraits that Otto took of both girls, separately, each year. With each passing year, the baby fat disappeared a little more as the girls' faces matured.
Anne's diary humanizes her perfectly, but this book takes that one step further because the everyday family moments that Otto captured show that this family was like any other. They went to the beach; the kids played outside; Otto and Edith proudly held baby Margot; little Margot joyfully held baby Anne (who's screaming, as babies do). These people were average human beings living quietly and happily, a kind-looking family. It was families like this who were shipped off and senselessly murdered.
Readers who are very familiar with Anne Frank and/or who have visited Anne Frank House may not find much new here, but older children and anyone who knows Anne in a limited way will find this book rewarding. It's an excellent complement to Diary of a Young Girl, and I therefore highly recommend reading it alongside that for a richer, fuller understanding.