Table of Contents
In memory of all the children who, like Anne, had their life ended in that terrible warA.A.
Who Was Anne Frank?
ANNE FRANK
Anne Franks life was short. She was only fifteen years old when she died in 1945. She was born in Germany, where her fathers family had lived for a very long time.
Her father was very proud of being German. He expected his children to live in Germany, and their children after them.
But that did not happen. The Franks lives were turned upside down. They had to flee from their country. They had to go into hiding. They lost everything that was dear to them... all because they were Jewish and a man named Adolf Hitler was in power.
Hitler hated Jewish people. All Jewish people. By the time Hitler was defeated, Annes mother was dead. So were Anne and her sister. The only person in the family who survived was Annes beloved father, Otto.
But something else survived, too.
Annes diary. Anne kept a diary for two years. During that time, her family was in hiding. They were hiding from Hitlers soldiers.
Anne understood the dangers that her family faced. Yet in her diary she remained hopeful about the world even though terrible things were happening. She drew comfort from the beauty of nature even though she couldnt step outside for a single breath of fresh air. After her death, her diary was turned into a book.
ADOLF HITLER
ADOLF HITLER WAS BORN In 1889. HE FIRST HOPED TO BECOME An ARTIST, BUT HE WASNT TALENTED ENOUGH SO HE TURnED TO POLITICS INSTEAD. HIS DREAM WAS TO MAKE GERMANY THE MOST POWERFUL EMPIRE On EARTH. In GERMAN, FHRER IS THE WORD FOR LEADER, AND FHRER WAS WHAT GERMANS CALLED HITLER. (YOU PRONOUNCE IT LIKE THIS: FA-YOUR-UHR.)
HITLER RULED OVER GERMANY FROM 1933 UNTIL 1945 WHEN, DURING THE LAST DAYS OF WORLD WAR II, HE KILLED HIMSELF RATHER THAN SURRENDER AND FACE TRIAL.
FROM THE START, HITLER CONVINCED GERMANS THAT JEWS WERE TO BLAME FOR ALL THE COUNTRYS PROBLEMS. In SPEECHES, HE WORKED GIANT CROWDS INTO A FRENZY BY SCREAMING THAT SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE. HIS ANSWER WAS TO GET RID OF THE JEWS, ALL OF THEM. HE SAW TO IT THAT THIRTEEN MILLION PEOPLE WERE KILLED, SIX MILLION OF THEM JEWS.
HOW CAN A PERSON BE SO EVIL? THOUSANDS OF BOOKS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT HITLER In THE SIXTY YEARS SINCE HIS DEATH. BUT NONE OF THEM HAVE REALLY FOUND An ANSWER.
Today, more than sixty years after Annes last diary entry, she remains a symbol of hope. Her diary has been translated into more than sixty-five languages. It has sold more than thirty million copies. There have been plays and movies about her.
A short lifeeven a very short lifecan be full of meaning.
Chapter 1
A Happy Home
Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929, in the city of Frankfurt, Germany. Twelve days later, little baby Anne and her mother, Edith, came home from the hospital.
The Franks were like many other families of the time. Annes father, Otto, was a businessman. Her mother stayed at home caring for Anne and Annes older sister, Margot.
The Franks led a comfortable life. There was a nanny to help Mrs. Frank. The family had nice clothes and good food. Anne had her own little sandbox to play in. Their apartment in Frankfurt was full of books.
Otto Frank was many years older than his wife. In many ways they were opposites. Otto was tall and thin; Edith was plump. Otto loved being around people. He was high-spirited and outgoing. Edith was shy and quiet.
Otto loved to read to his daughters. He also made up wonderful stories at bedtime. Some were about two sisters named Paula. One of the Paulas was very well behaved and polite, like Margot. The other Paula was always getting into lots of trouble. That Paula was more like Anne, who was full of mischief.
Both girls adored their father. Their nickname for him was Pim. Besides telling stories, Pim loved to play games. He was also a very good photographer. He took many pictures of his girls and kept a photo album for Anne.
Anne was also very close to her grandmother, who was called Oma. Oma loved spoiling Anne. Once, when Anne was on a bus with Oma, Anne looked around and said, Wont someone offer a seat to this old lady? Anne was only four and a half at the time! But that was Anne. She was always outspoken.
Her father understood her. He and Anne were very much alike. Anne did not get along nearly as well with her mother. They often had fights. Anne was jealous because she felt that her sister was her mothers pet. While Margot was serious and mild-mannered, Anne was moody and had a temper. But she was also lively and full of fun. Both sisters had dark shining hair, large eyes, and lovely smiles.
The Frank family was Jewish. They followed certain customs and went to pray at their synagogue on important days. They celebrated some Jewish holidays but not all of them. There were Jewish practices that they chose not to follow.
Many of Anne and Margots friends in the neighborhood were not Jewish. They sometimes came to the Franks house to celebrate Jewish holidays such as Hanukkah.
Hanukkah Menorah
Like all small children, Anne was not really aware of the bigger world around her. She knew her home, her family, her friends. That was her world. She did not know that Germany was going through many changesmany frightening changes.
World War I had ended in 1918 with Germanys defeat. Unlike Otto Frank, many Germans were out of work after the wars end. And prices for everythingeven milk and breadwere sky high.
