A great quick follow up to Anne Frank's diary.

Anne Frank is no stranger to us. We all know about how she hid with her family and four others in a secret annex in Netherlands during the infamous Holocaust, for two years. Whether or not we have actually read or loved her diary, none of us would deny that she went through a harrowing experience - just as million other Jews, victimized simply because of their faith. But in so many ways, Anne has become a symbol of that period chiefly because she was just fifteen when she died (murdered is what I like to say, even if it was disease that eventually claimed her), and also because she recorded her stay in the annex in her diary, which has already been read by millions.

That said, when I first read and loved Anne Frank's Diary two years back, the most common sentiment I heard expressed among those who didn't rate it highly was that the book felt too "immature". In other words, it read like any fifteen year old's diary - with all the typical squabbles, complaints, teenage infatuations/crushes/desires and worldly wisdoms. It seemed anticlimactic or too flat considering all the hype around it. I know many who tried to read it as any diary and eventually gave up. Most people loved it though, and what particularly struck me about the diary was that it was the manifestation of the dreams and desires of a girl (like any other girl), who never got to experience them, because of a man-made tragedy.

From that perspective, this graphic nonfiction is a really excellent accompaniment to the diary. Many have attested that when reading Anne's diary, it is really crucial to be in Anne's position - trapped for two years in an annex with just a single bathroom and not much privacy; a young girl at the cusp of those years when she is discovering herself, every single day - the age at which any girl or boy wants to experiment with a lot of things, including love and all the desires it invokes. Add another family to that annex, a family you now had to live with for two years, or rather for an unknown amount of time.

In Anne's diary, the events following their capture are chronicled in the Afterword section of the edition I read - who died and how, who survived. This book actually shows the events. Pictures can have a more powerful effect on the reader, and it did so in this case. Did you know that Anne and her sister died just weeks before rescue arrived at their camp? If she had been rescued, her diary might never have seen the light of day. But at least the world would not have missed having such a remarkable woman in its midst.

I felt that this book was really well-done. I read in an interview (whose link I can't find now) that the drawings of the characters, their attires and even the layouts of the annex strongly resemble the original characters and their hideout. Towards the end of the book when everyone is captured, they all look so different from their original selves - malnutrition, disease and fatigue eating out their muscle and body mass quickly. That's something I can never get used to - all those horrific images of the camps and their inmates. How could humans be so callous? I knew before I started, thanks to Ash, that this book is not a duplicate of Anne's diary. Instead, it covers a significant period before and after Anne starts writing her diary. That's really helpful because it puts Anne's diary in context much better than the diary itself does. Suddenly, the events seem much more harrowing, more scary, vivid and dangerous than how Anne says it. And after reading this graphic book, when I recollect some of the entries from Anne's diary, I see them in a much different light.

When I first read the DIARY, I desperately wanted to be Anne's friend. When I read it again, in Amsterdam, after only walking past the Annex, I wanted desperately to be her English teacher. She lived a full life within those confining walls, and she left a treasure for the world.

This graphic biography gives us background of the family and its place in the world, and adds enough current events for us to see the two tracks of the story which would collide.

The story is far more than just the DIARY, as it follows the families after their capture, and even gives us a suspect for the betrayal. How ironic that Peter and Anne and Margo died so close to the liberation of the camps.

We lost her, and all the potential she promised. But we have her DIARY which still inspires us all.

The book weaves the events in Anne's life with historical facts and entries from her diary. This is such a great companion to the diary of anne frank.

I have read Anne Frank's published diary, the play, seen the movie, watched countless documentaries, and have read a couple of books that explain what happened after the family was discovered. However, this graphic novel added the most comprehensive view so far. The narrator chooses to start with a focus on each of Anne's parents before they even met so that you can see the backgrounds from which they came, which gives the reader a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices they had to make as they struggled to build a life for their new family. The narrative of Anne's life, which spans from pre-birth to death, is frequently interrupted with background information that is just right, right when it's needed, and is often juxtaposed with what is happening to other Jews in the concentrations camps who have not been as lucky. These images are haunting and add so much to the story. Her time in hiding is not given the most attention, which I appreciated as I've read and seen the performed adaptation so many times that I could probably recite it from memory, but I'm not sure if having that background knowledge, I perhaps filled in the gaps for myself. My biggest complaint about graphic nonfiction and novels has been the lack of depth of the characters, and I'm not totally sure whether or not the medium conveys the thoroughness that I felt or if I brought much of that understanding to the text. So, I don't know how someone unfamiliar with Anne Frank would feel about the book. I, for one, really liked it. Definitely going to add to our library collection.

This graphic novel is jam packed with information about The Holocaust and the Nazis. I've read a lot about Anne Frank and still learned a lot reading this book. I could see this being really helpful in a History or English classroom.

A great graphic novel based on Anne Frank’s Diary. It does a great job of giving background information in a clear and easy way. This is a great accompaniment to the diary and a must read for any fan of historical non fiction.

A good introduction or companion to the study of Frank's famous journal. Expands the context by covering family history before and after the war.

I think the drawings in this graphic biography kind of cheapened Anne's legacy. It was filled with an easy to follow time line and lots of pre-journal and post-journal history, though. I can see how this would be helpful and engaging for readers who are looking for an easier to read recap of her life.

This was an excellent read. I loved the artwork.