Authors: Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón
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| via Junior Library Guild |
When I was eleven years old, we took a family trip to Europe. We spent most of our time in Germany and France. However, there was one quick detour to the Netherlands. My older sister wanted to see the Anne Frank House. It was not my first exposure to the horrors of the Holocaust. That came with the film The Chosen a couple years before. But the personal connection the House presented was powerful. I shall never forget my day in the annex.
My parents gave our daughter this book, a biography in graphic novel form, for Christmas. We hadn't really talked to her about the Holocaust before. Her reaction after reading it was predictable: it was good, but very sad. As such, she was surprised I wanted to read it myself. The biography offers a broader view than the diary does - a more extensive history of the family and full disclosure on concurrent world events. The depiction of the concentration camps is quite graphic. As an introduction to the subject, it's good. I hope Our Girl will read the diary herself one day, though she doesn't seem too interested at the moment. When she does, I hope she'll appreciate knowing the context ahead of time. The warmth and humor of Anne's writing are all the more astonishing when one fully understands the darkness around her.
Hi Armchair! I came running when I saw Anne Frank. Have always been gutted by that story, and when we took our recent trip overseas we went to Amsterdam especially to visit the Anne Frank Huis. Was deeply moving to see the diary come to life and meditate on the horror of the Holocaust. Of course we still haven't stopped killing each other, but perhaps not on such a large scale as during this horrific time.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've been to see it. And the diary is definitely a daunting read for a youngster.
Denise
Nothing is more horrifying than humanity at its worst.
DeleteWhat great parents !
ReplyDeleteI was very affected by her story and it is one that has stayed with me to this day.
My father who did not talk about it was with the troops that liberated some Concentration Camps.
We did something similar with the Mount Vernon, Civil War Battlefields, and Special Tour of the White House. (We got to see the Oval Office !)
Don't know if that started it but all three children love history and one studied it at University.
History is important too bad so many don't seem to care.
cheers, parsnip
I can completely understand how liberating concentration camps would be difficult to talk about - surely not an experience that's easy to live over and over again.
DeleteSuch a sad book. It is horrible that we live in a world where these things can happen.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely sad. And yet, what an amazing gift she left for the world.
DeleteOne of the saddest & most profoundly affecting stories, made so by its truth. I didn't realize it was in graphic novel form & not sure how well that would work for me. But I'm curious about it, and wonder if it will introduce a new generation to Anne Frank's story.
ReplyDeleteIt's no substitute for reading the diary itself but I appreciated the historical context it provides.
DeleteAnne Frank's a subject near and dear to my heart, I've written several blog posts on her myself...her story just isn't something you can let go of. I'll definitely have to pick up this graphic novel version, I haven't seen it yet.
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll check it out. Given your passion for her story, I think you'd appreciate it. There's a lot of material on what happened to the family after they were caught hiding. It's heartbreaking, of course, but helps to round out the story.
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