One of the most valuable and informative artifacts of the holocaust, THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL is the actual diary of Anne Frank, a German-Jewish girl living in Amsterdam during World War II. The diary begins on June 14, 1942, shortly after Anne`s 13th birthday. While initial entries focus on Anne`s life at school and her relationships with her friends and family, she does touch on the ever-growing power of the Nazi party and the increasing persecution of Jewish people. In July of 1942, fearing deportation to Auschwitz, the Franks go into hiding in a secret annex in the attic of Mr. Frank`s former business. Soon after, they are joined by the Van Daan family and a dentist named Mr. Dussel. For over two years, Anne recorded what life was like in the annex--the fear, tension, frustration--and even boredom--of a life lived under very compromised conditions. Much of the diary centers on Anne`s difficult, if typically adolescent, relationship with her mother as well as on her crush on the Van Daan`s teenage son, Peter. Anne also shares her hopes for her life after the war--and her dream of becoming a writer. In this way, the diary introduces readers to a very typical teenage girl--a girl whose thoughts and emotions put a human face on the almost incomprehensible horror of the Holocaust. First published in 1947 by Anne`s father (the only member of the group to survive the war), THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL has since been translated into 31 languages and serves as an eloquent memorial to all those who died in the Holocaust.
