The Diary of a Young Girl

The Diary of Anne Frank has always been one of those books in my life. I remember studying it in Hebrew school, and making numerous attempts to read it throughout elementary and middle school. I watched the numerous movies pertaining to the subject matter. I even remember writing a passage in one of my many many journals about how it “made me sad”. But, I've never actually read the book all the way through. Apparently, it's the best-selling non-fiction book next to the bible. Not bad.

That's why the prospect of the “Definitive” Edition sparked my interest. It's basically the original diary plus the taboo entries the left out the first time around. The result? 30% more material and supposedly a “better insight” into Anne Frank. I've checked this book out before (from the Largo Library), but never got around to it. But after my stay in Israel I was determined to finish this, once and for all. So what's the verdict?

As sad as this may be to say, I found myself bored frequently throughout the book. It's strange, because it's something that's been regarded so highly by so many people. I feel let down, but certainly not alone. For once, after checking the Amazon reviews regarding the book (a common practice of mine), I actually agreed with the majority of the readers. It was boring - plain and simple.

With not liking the book, you're put into such a hard place. It's her diary, unedited and raw. You can't really accuse it of being boring, because it's her life. If my entire journal was published, there are numerous passages I'm sure would bore the audiences too. People are too afraid to criticize Anne Frank because she was a victim of the Holocaust. Even though her diary never talks about her life after the Annex, it's still regarded as holocaust literature. As I wrote in my Amazon review, I doubt this book would have done so well had Anne Frank managed to survive.

I think this book could have stood to use a little editing. There were numerous boring passages throughout the book that could have simply been omitted. The Peter saga was by far the most exciting part in the book, and it should not have come half way through. While the sex stuff (and hatred for other house guests) was enjoyable, I don't know if everything else they left in was really necessary. If Anne Frank was the editor of her own book, would she have wanted every single detail published? I think a lot of the more meaningless details would have better left in the “Critical Edition”.

I will admit, there were times when I sympathized with Anne Frank, especially about being “surrounded by people but feeling so alone”. Not to mention being a teenager and just feeling this change inside of you. The parts of the book were really fascinating, and probably helped to make it the timeless peace of literature that it is.

At the very least, it was about time that I read this. It's one of those books you hear so much about in your life, you have to read them simply to say that you have. I plan to read other holocaust books (both fiction and non-fiction) afterward. This was a good introduction, but is certainly not the definitive book. I will definitely check out the “Critical Edition” after this, though, because Anne Frank will always be one of those lives that fascinates me.