Anne Frank : The Diary of Young Girl

courtesy : pavansbookreview.blogspot.com

Anne Frank : The Diary of Young Girl

Author : Anne Frank

Year of first Published : 1947

Origin Language : Dutch

Genre : Memoar

Voted by 3,091 Goodreads member as number #7 of  Best (100) Books of the 20th Century made me expect so high from this book.

Just like its title, the book is once used to be a diary from 13 years old girl, Anne Frank when she and her family hiding during Nazi occupation in Netherland. 

If previously I read about another WWII survivor- Thomas Burgenthal on his memoar  A Lucky Child, sebuah memoar saksi hidup world war II,  Anne Frank is also a victim whom her story inspired so many peoples for her bravery, smart and honesty but in different way of survive compare to Thomas.If Thomas survive from moving from one place to another, Anne is kept hiding in a "secret annex"- an hidden annex in his father (used to be) office.  Nowadays, her "Secret Annex"- a place where she spend two years in hiding has become a Museum of Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.

The story begin when Anne received a diary as a present on her 13th birthday. She named her diary as "Kitty". Two days after her birthday, Nazi started to occupied Netherlands and twenty two days after that, Anne along with her parent, and older sister Margot decided to abandon their cozy house to start living in hiding.

Previously, her parents has concern about Nazi since the war started, they already prepare themselves things to brought and a place to hide if Nazi start to threatening their life. They hide in went into hiding in the sealed-off upper rooms of the annex of her father's office building in Amsterdamm. The rooms were concealed behind a hidden door. Later, the other family joined them in hiding i.e. Mr. and Mrs. Van Daans and their only son, Peter. 

Trapped in the limited space, facilities, supply, and shall stay quiet, Anne started to write her daily activities into diary. Anne is a chatterbox, her inability to stay quiet made the other-especially Mrs. Van Daans anxious to her. She is very fond of Margot for her beauty and brain. Anne is also very close to her father, Otto but not to her mother. There is one day when Anne very mad to her mother because she felt her mother never love her enough and then made her mother cried.

Later, another person was merged in, Mr. Dussel- Mrs, Van Daans's dentist and Anne should share her room with that strange old guy.

Most of the story is telling about how Anne's felt toward Mrs. Van Daans. Both of them are chatterbox so sometimes there is friction among them. Beside two years in hiding made them running out of supply and of course money. The personalities of Van Daans family were not helping. 

"I see the eight of us with our "Secret Annex" as if we were a little piece of blue heaven, surrounded by heavy black rain clouds. The round, clearly defined spot where we stand is still safe, but the clouds gather more closely about us and the circle which separate us from the approaching danger closes more and more tightly."-Anne describe about their condition in secret annex. 

Overall, I read this book on-and-off and took me a very long time. I like first-person-narrator- writing style but I guess I'm not the kind of diary reader. I know it is very popular book, i know Anne is incredibly smart and funny (even for 13 years old girl!!!! she is stunning) but i found this book boring. I'm not quite sure why, may be I more like various setting, and knowledge than recurring activities story.

Well, I read it, hmm.. worth for knowledge but don't expect to much to get amused.