Eight decades ago, an aspiring young writer received a journal for her 13th birthday. Her life and history were forever changed. IT WAS LOVE at first sight for Anne Frank when she saw a red-checkered diary on display in a store window in 1942. She had to have it—and days later, it was among the gifts she received on her 13th birthday. When her Jewish family escaped to the Secret Annex amid Nazi persecution in World War II, the diary was the first thing she packed. Throughout those 761 days in hiding, it was her greatest confidante and closest friend. The two were inseparable—until the Gestapo raided the annex in 1944 and hauled everyone off to concentration camps. Seventy-five years later, The Diary of a Young Girl, as it’s commonly known, has sold more than 30 million copies in 70 different languages. To this day, her eyewitness account of the Holocaust remains one of the most significant testimonies of World War II. Inside these pages you will follow her life, learn little known facts, and live history through amazing photos.
Anne Frank • The Truth About the Diary
Anne Frank & Her Diary • Eight decades ago, an aspiring young writer received a journal for her 13th birthday. Her life and history were forever changed.
‘You Were the First Thing I Saw’ • Anne recalls the moment she received the book for her 13th birthday, and her excitement about pouring her heart into its pages.
The PATIENCE of Paper • Everything Anne revealed in her diary during the brief period before the Frank family went into hiding.
HER FINAL DAY OF FREEDOM • On July 5, 1942, Anne hung out with new friend Hello Silberberg and spoke on the phone to Jacque van Maarsen.
ESCAPE to the ANNEX • Follow along on the Frank family’s dangerous journey to avoid detection by the Nazis, and how they spent the first day in hiding.
THE FOUR OTHERS IN HIDING • The Franks were soon joined by three family friends, as well as a German dentist.
Behind the Bookcase • Learn about the 500-square-foot “ideal hiding place” that Anne and seven other persecuted Jews called home for two years.
The Helpers • Everyone hiding in the Secret Annex was cared for by loyal friends Miep Gies, Johannes Kleiman, Victor Kugler and Bep Voskuijl.
Dear KITTY • In the Secret Annex, thediary was Anne’s best friend, and the place she documented everyday life in hiding.
A NOVEL IDEA • Two years in, Anne began rewriting her 150-plus entries in the hopes of eventually publishing them as The Secret Annex.
What Her Handwriting Says • Expert analysis of Anne’s penmanship shows she was loyal, honest and ambitious.
Anne, In Her Own Words • Over the 25 months in hiding, the teen matured into a complex young woman—and she recorded the evolution in her diary.
AFTER THE DIARY ENDED • The last seven months of Anne’s life, she was imprisoned at concentration camps, as told by those who knew her at Westerbork, Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen.
Mystery SOLVED? • The Cold Case Diary investigation finally named the alleged betrayer—but now, there are more questions than answers.
A Small LIGHT • Miep Gies not only risked her life to protect the eight people in the Secret Annex, she saved Anne’s most treasured belonging: her diary.
Anne’s DREAM COMES TRUE • Seventy-five years ago, the diary was published, first in Dutch, then English—and with 30 million copies sold, Anne became the successful author she had always hoped.
Where to Find the DIARY • Otto Frank turned the Secret Annex into a museum, where Anne’s voice is the tool to teach the impact of her incredible life.
A History for Today • The Anne Frank House carries on the legacy of its namesake far and wide, throughout 80 countries and the limitless reach of the internet.
